Gammon cook & freeze or freeze & cook?

MrsE_2

Bought a large smoked Gammon, nearly 2 kilo.
Plan to cook & use it for lunches (mainly chopped in salads).
I will boil it, maybe roast it after.
I plan to chop it into 4 pieces.

Would you chop it & freeze it & cook one piece at a time?

Or cook it all & chop it & freeze it cooked?

Which way do you think will be nicer?

I think freeze & cook as required???

squeaky

I'd be inclined to cook it first and then chop&freeze.

Especially since you can cook it with dried peas and water. It will make the stock, - and once you lift your joint out you have pease pudding. So that's a free meal or two.

honeybun16

cook then freeze, works best, we do this regularly when gammon is on special offer and tried freezing it first and it really lost alot of it's texture when we cooked it.

LondonDreamer

I cook the whole joint first, slice off a couple of steaks for dinner and then finely slice (I have a food slicer) the rest for sandwiches. Freeze in portions and just get out one at a time as needed. Works really well.

Once it's heated back up (which I only do if I'm heating something else at the same time), there's very little difference between this and freshly cooked. May be a touch drier, but that's not something I mind in sandwiches compared to the steaks which are super juicy.

MrsE_2

LondonDreamer wrote: »

Once it's heated back up (which I only do if I'm heating something else at the same time), there's very little difference between this and freshly cooked. May be a touch drier, but that's not something I mind in sandwiches compared to the steaks which are super juicy.

I won't be heating it up, its cold for chopping into salads for work lunches.

caitybabes

I'd cook first, purely because you're only spending money on gas/electricity once rather than 4 times.

x

MrsE_2

I'm just a bit worried that freezing already cooked meat, it will be waterery when I defrost?

squeaky

Nope, honest

If anything, no matter how well wrapped it always seems to come out a little bit drier.