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what temp should gammon be when cooked

Gammon is safely cooked when the centre of the joint reaches about 70–75 °C and is held there briefly, with many UK sources settling around 75 °C as the “done and safe” point for a joint that’s then rested.

Core temperature to aim for

  • For typical UK home cooking, aim for an internal temperature of 70–75 °C in the thickest part of the gammon before you take it off the heat.
  • Food-safety guidance for pork in the UK specifies 70 °C for 2 minutes (or equivalent time–temperature combos) to ensure it is fully safe to eat.
  • Many supermarket and butcher recipes (like roast-gammon guides) use 75 °C as the target, which naturally builds in that safety margin once you allow for resting.

Practical checks while cooking

  • Use a meat thermometer pushed into the centre of the joint, avoiding bone, to read the true internal temperature.
  • If you lack a thermometer, traditional checks are:
    • The meat feels tender when a skewer or knife is pushed into the centre.
* The juices run clear rather than very pink, though cured gammon can retain a slight pink colour even when safe due to the curing salts.

Boiled vs roasted gammon

  • When boiling/poaching , simmer until the joint’s core reaches around 70–75 °C ; typical guidance is roughly 20–30 minutes per 450 g plus extra time, but temperature is more reliable than the clock.
  • When roasting , many UK guides suggest cooking at about 180 °C (160 °C fan) for 30 minutes per 500 g plus an extra 30 minutes , again confirming doneness by checking that the internal temperature has reached at least 70–75 °C.

Why the numbers differ online

  • Some sites and thermometer apps quote 63 °C for pork because that is a more relaxed standard used in some countries when the meat is rested, but this is lower than current UK safety advice for gammon.
  • For UK-style gammon joints, especially when feeding children, older adults, or anyone vulnerable, sticking to 70–75 °C in the centre is the safer and more widely recommended choice.

TL;DR: For “what temp should gammon be when cooked”, in a UK kitchen the simple rule is: cook until the thickest part hits 70–75 °C , then rest it before carving.