HAM IN COCA COLA
 NIGELLA
Photograph by Francesca Yorke
INGREDIENTS

2kg mild-cure gammon
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2-litre bottle of Coca-Cola
FOR THE GLAZE:
handful of cloves
1 heaped tablespoon black treacle
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
Serving Size : Serves 8.
INTRODUCTION

Only those who have never tried this raise an eyebrow at the idea. Don't hesitate, don't be anxious: this really works. No one who cooks it, cooks it just once: it always earns a place in every repertoire.
METHOD

1.I find now that mild-cure gammon doesn’t need soaking, but if you know that you’re dealing with a salty piece, then put it in a pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil, then tip into a colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.
2.Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo, remembering that it’s going to get a quick blast in the oven later. But do take into account that if the gammon’s been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.
3.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9.
4.When the ham’s had its time (and ham it is, now it’s cooked, though it’s true Americans call it ham from its uncooked state) take it out of the pan (but do NOT throw away the cooking liquid) and let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool completely then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want.) Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the treacle over the bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.
5.Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool,
6.Clove and glaze it and give it 30–40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180°C/gas mark 4, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.



REVIEWS

The first time I tried making my own ham was this recipe. Now I am hooked! This is delicious and makes me feel very domestic goddessy every time I make it (which is often).

Coby

This has to be one of all all time favourite Nigella Recipes :) I think everyone should try it, even if you don't normally like coke, this is FANTASTIC :)

Nickki

I tried this recipe after seeing Nigella do it, and I never went back! It was amazing! And, to be honest, I never even make it to the glaze part - we eat it straight out of the pot! YUM

simplysunny

This was the first ham recipe I tried. It tastes fab, I'd recommend it to everyone. It's brilliant for Christmas.

bubblefish

Tried this the other day it went down a treat although I don't eat meat myself I found it very easy to make. My husband had it on a roast lunch then for supper, fried with eggs for breakfast the next day and what was left on sandwiches!

ramat

Tried this the other day it went down a treat although I don't eat meat myself I found it very easy to make. My husband had it on a roast lunch then for supper, fried with eggs for breakfast the next day and what was left on sandwiches!

ramat

I tried this recipe today on New Years Day and it was absolutely yummy. It is easy to make, the meat is moist and has a lovely sweet and salty taste.

FoodVenus

This was the first recipe I tried from my Nigella Bites book. My family won't let me cook gammon any other way now - not that I argue!

TrishM1660

I really love this recipe and i dont cook ham any other way now! I find that the recipe is very easily adaptable for use in my slow cooker. Cool!

Indigo

Made this recipe for a Christmas Day Lunch and it was Fabulous! BUT, one definitely has to DE-Salt the piece of meat before-hand either by putting it in water overnight or trying Nigella's method of boiling it in water for 10 minutes. I did not do either and that got me into trouble which was resolved by my much more experience mother. STILL the best part of this dish besides the excellent luscious piece of ham one gets is the STOCK made of coca cola and ham!!!!!!! I used it and made the black bean soup also found in NB and WOW!!!! I had one hell of a buffet that day! Thanks Nigella!

SamIAm

Everyone I know makes this now. It's a brilliant recipe, and ths slimmed-down version is much better than the original in HTE.

Sauce_pot

I am going to try this tomorrow, cannot wait! My question is... what am I supposed to do with the remaining coke/ham stock?

keighley

I have to say this ham is amazing! It has become part of our staple Christmas dinner

Lylee

We have this scrummy little thing every Christmas on boxing day in household now, I was not that eager to try it I must admit after finding out the sticky glaze on the ham was actually coca-cola, but safe to say I am now a total convert! It is rather wonderful and really hard to stop picking at!

lucylouxx

I cooked this today for the first time (added to the fact that it is the first time I've ever done a Ham) It was so easy & fool proof to cook & it tasted divine (Ham & Pea soup for tea tomorrow)

Nicci1972

My absolute favorite of Nigella's recipes, make this all the time but with more cola (diet!) and the ham broken up to a sloppy stew constancy. Then served over buttered pasta, its pure heaven!

missmish

I made this for my husband on December 23 one year, and now it has become our Christmas tradition for "Little Christmas Eve" as we in Norway call that day.

LineHK

I'm 12 and me and my dad make this every Christmas, it's delicious!

moii

Looks nice. I haven't tried this yet, but I will. However, "do NOT throw away the cooking liquid" - so, what can that be used for? For some kind of sauce? Any tips?

Zokusho

Nigella is right when she says in the intro to this recipe "Only those who have never tried this raise an eyebrow at the idea. Don't hesitate, don't be anxious: this really works." I was one of those to raise an eyebrow until curiosity got the better of me last Christmas, now I wonder why I waited so long! I have a LOT of catching up to do ;-) I didn't need to soak the gammon first...

CucinaItaliana

I was never interested in cooking a ham until I saw this recipe. I just had to try it out of curiosity! Gammon is not easy to come by in Switzerland, but I managed to order some from the butcher. I invited a small group of friends over who were very excited to try something cooked in Coca-Cola, and it was a great success! I had to use more Coca-Cola than specified in the recipe so that the gammon stayed completely covered. The ham turned out really lovely, sweet and succulent. And the glaze is just delicious. If I ever cook ham again, I will definitely be using this recipe.

cremebrulee

Great recipe ! My family, including my 3 year old son, loved it, together with the sweetcorn pudding. Glazing is well worth doing as well if you have time. The next day, it tastes divine cold in sandwiches with mayonnaise and pickled gherkins...Yummmm ! Thank you Nigella ! Claire

clairedelondres
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