If you think this will be utterly revolting, think again! I first tried this recipe a few years ago now, trusting to blind faith that the lovely Nigella would not be lying to me. Now, as far as I and my family are concerned, there is no other way to cook a ham. Don’t pre-judge – just try it, and you too will be a convert.
The recipe is in two stages: the initial simmering of the ham in Coke to cook it, then finishing off in the oven to give it a pretty and no doubt tasty glaze. The truth? I’ve never gone on to do the glaze because my family and I are gannets and happy to devour the delicious meat after the first stage of cooking!
Ham in Coca Cola
Ingredients for the ham
2kg / 4lbs 4 oz mild-cure gammon
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 litre bottle of Coke (as Nigella says: ‘the full-fat version’, forget the diet stuff)
Ingredients for the glaze
Handful of cloves
1 heaped tablespoon black treacle
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons demerera sugar
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Mild-cure gammon probably doesn’t need soaking nowadays. If you’re unsure however, ask your butcher. If you know that you’re dealing with a salty piece, put it in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil then tip into a colander over the sink and start from this point.
Otherwise, start by getting the meat out of the fridge about an hour before you intend to start. (This helps bring it up to to room temperature. If using straight from the fridge, you should add on an extra 15 minutes or so to the cooking time).
Put the gammon in a large saucepan, skin side down, add the onion and pour over the Coke. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Put the lid loosely on your pan and allow to simmer for just under 2-1/2 hours. (For other weights of meat, work on the basis of an hour per kilo (2lbs 2oz), bearing in mind that it will get a quick blast in the oven at the end).
Once the simmering time is over, remove from the heat and drain. BUT, (Nigella says) don’t throw away the precious liquid as this can be used for Black Bean Soup. (Having tried her recipe for this this soup recently I can say that this is definitely not a recipe or taste that worked for me but you may feel differently).
Leave the ham to cool a bit for ease of handling.
***This stage can be completed later when the ham has completely cooled***.
Pre-heat the oven to 240C / 475F / gas mark 9.
Remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a knife to make a criss-cross of large diamond shapes and stud each diamond with a clove. Spread treacle over the skin, being careful not to dislodge the cloves, then pat mustard and finally sugar onto the sticky coating. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubby.
***If you had let the ham cool completely after stage one you will need to give it 30-40 minutes from room temperature at 180C / 350F / gas mark 4.
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Recipe from: Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson, pub. Chatto & Windus, ISBN 0 7011 7287 8
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Contact me: celcelore[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk
3 Comments
December 1, 2008 at 5:26 pm
My grandmother always used pepsi to cook the ham because it was sweeter and less carbonated.
We would score the ham and place the cloves, then pour pepsi over it. Cook it. Baste occasionally with the juices. That’s it.
If we were having a saltier ham, like Virginia, she would soak it for a couple days first to remove some of the salt.
December 2, 2008 at 12:47 am
Hi Carole!
It’s great hearing about this recipe in its original form. It sounded unlikely to me but the proof of the pudding …
Love your site BTW
April 15, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Hey, nice tips. I’ll buy a glass of beer to the man from that chat who told me to visit your site