Coca Cola Ham

Coca Cola ham is a crazy and brilliant way to serve your holiday ham this year! A fun recipe that's easy to make, and the taste will keep everyone talking for months! Plus choose your favorite ham glaze ideas, perfect for Easter or Christmas or any celebration.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy - easy to prepare with minimal preparation, even beginners will quickly master the recipe
• Choose Your Glaze - you'll love the Honey Mustard Glaze, Treacle Glaze or Maple Bourbon Glaze
• Fun Recipe - cook with Coca Cola! Who gets to do that? A recipe made famous by Nigella Lawson, but actually an American Southern classic
• Tender and Moist - slow cooking method ensures tender ham ensuring it's moist with every bite
• Great for Leftovers - stores well for re-heating or slice leftover ham for sandwiches

Ingredients

• Coca Cola - a 2 litre bottle
• Onion - to balance the sweet with savory
• Bone-in Ham - Country Ham, Bone Removed Ham, City Ham or Gammon
• Ham Glaze - Honey Mustard Glaze, Treacle Glaze or Maple Glaze
• Whole Cloves

How to Make Coca Cola Ham

1. Prepare - in a large pot or dutch oven, place the ham and onion inside. Pour the Coca-Cola over top of the ham.
2. Simmer - bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer cooked ham for about 2 hours. Cover loosely with lid, rotating ham so it's evenly cooked. For uncooked ham, simmer for approx 30 minutes per pound (500g). Allow ham to slightly cool before scoring.
3. Prepare Glaze - choose your favorite ham glaze method, prepare and set aside.
4. Score Ham - remove ham skin (rind), leaving a layer of fat. Score the ham in a diagonal pattern. Place a whole clove in each diamond intersection.
5. Glaze - using a brush, glaze the whole ham. Keep some glaze aside to baste while baking or for serving with.
6. Bake - place the ham in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes (until the skin crisps up).
7. Serve - remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with any remaining glaze or sauce of your choice.

Coca Cola Ham Glaze Ideas

Honey Mustard Glaze

• ½ cup Honey
• ¼ Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Place the ingredients into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until smooth. Brush over ham before baking and baste periodically while cooking.

Maple Bourbon Glaze

• ½ cup Maple Syrup
• ¼ cup Bourbon
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• pinch of Salt and Pepper

Place ingredients into a saucepan and stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for approx 7 minutes until slightly thickens (it will thicken as it cools). Brush glaze evenly over the ham. Save glaze for additional brushing or to serve with ham.

Nigella's Treacle Glaze

• 2 tablespoons Treacle Syrup
• 2 teaspoons Mustard Powder
• 2 teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar

Using a brush, glaze with the treacle. Mix the Mustard Powder and Dark Brown Sugar together. Sprinkle the mustard mixture overtop of the ham so it sticks to the treacle glaze. This glaze is more common in the UK as Treacle can be hard to find.

Coca Cola Ham Variations

• Spicy Ham - slice a chili pepper and add to the Coca Cola when cooking
• Smokey Bbq - mix in a cup of smokey bbq sauce with your Coke
• Lemon Ham - zest a lemon and add to your cola
• Asian Ham - Add 2 Star Anise Seeds and 1 teaspoon sliced ginger to the Coca Cola mixture for a flavor twist
• Herbs - add your favorite herbs to the pot like rosemary, thyme or sage

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Baste Twice - Coca Cola Ham is only in the oven to caramelize the glaze, for about 10 minutes. Glaze ham twice for best flavor
• Use Meat Thermometer - ham is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C).
• Score Ham - don't skip this step. Scoring ham with diamond patterns not only looks amazing when serving, but it also allows flavor to penetrate the meat
• Treacle Substitute - mix 50/50 molasses and corn syrup
• Large Pot - find the largest stock pot you have, especially useful when using Bone-in Ham. Add extra Coca Cola if needed. Most hams here in Australia are sold with a large joint attached. This barely fits in the stockpot, and it's not entirely submerged in the Coke. After cooking the ham for almost 2 hours, flip over the joint upside down, add more Coke and cook for another 30 minutes.

Best Ham for Coca Cola Ham

There are many types of hams around the world, and you could use all of them for this recipe. From uncooked to cured or smoked to fully cooked ham. Gammon is typically uncooked ham, Spiral Ham is easy to serve, Country Ham is cured, City Ham is brined. Use whatever ham you have available, although Bone-in has the biggest wow factor when serving.

Can I Use Diet Cola or Sugar Free Cola?

The sugars in regular Coca Cola help with the caramelisation and flavors in the ham. Substituting with diet alternative will alter the taste.

Storage and Reheating

• Fridge - place in airtight container and keep refrigerated. Enjoy within 3-4 days.
• Freezer - wrap in aluminum foil and place into a Ziploc Bag (removing as much as as you can from bag). Place in freezer for 2-3 months. Defrost over night in refrigerator before heating.
• Re-heating - place on a baking tray and heat in oven at 340°F (170°C)until warmed through.

Best Sauce for Ham

Hams are usually served with mustards, from homemade Hot Mustard to creamy Honey Mustard Sauce. Alternatively, you'll love this Spicy Sweet Mustard Sauce. Mix sweetened condensed milk with Hot English mustard to taste, creating a super sweet hot sauce with a hot mustard kick. Or try homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.

Serving Suggestions for Ham

• Creamy Potato Bake with French Onion Soup
• Greek Green Beans with Potato
• Olivier Potato Salad
• Garlic Butter Green Beans
• Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
• Easy Grilled Zucchini
• Truffle Mashed Potatoes
• Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts
• Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
• Ultra Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Coca-Cola Ham is easy to make, with your favorite glaze it's a fun conversation starter at your dinner table. We don't miss a Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter without a Coca Cola Ham on our celebration table. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

©PetersFoodAdventures.com *originally published March 2016, updated March 2024