Instructions

1. Soak your beans overnight in cold water to hydrate them and help them cook to a better, creamier texture. In the morning, drain them thoroughly.

2. Place the gammon in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the meat for 45 minutes. Remove it carefully from the hot water. Once it's cool enough to handle, trim off the skin and fat cap from the outside of the joint, and then remove the bone.

3. Place the bone in the bottom of your roasting pan, bean crock or slow cooker. Trim the fat from the skin and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Mix up your sauce ingredients, typically including molasses, tomato ketchup, brown sugar and dry mustard. Use the broth from the ham in place of plain water. Layer the beans on top of the gammon bone, interspersed with slices of onion. Pour in the sauce, then top up the cooker with enough ham broth to cover the beans completely.

4. Simmer the beans for at least 4 to 5 hours before opening the pan or slow cooker. Taste the beans at this point to see how they're progressing. When they're tender enough to eat but still feel slightly grainy on the tongue, it's time to add the gammon. Cut two large pieces and push them into the beans until they're submerged, and reserve the rest for another use.

5. Cover the beans and simmer for at least another 2 hours, until their texture is perfectly creamy. Remove the gammon from the pot. If necessary, mash a few of the beans to release their starches and thicken the sauce. Slice or shred the gammon and return it to the pot. Simmer for another 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, then remove the bone and serve.