What Type Of Ham Should I Use For Ham In Coca Cola?

Our answer

Nigella's Ham In Coca Cola (from NIGELLA BITES) uses a gammon joint, which in the UK is a cured but uncooked leg of pork. Once it has been cooked it becomes a ham. Gammon is easy to buy in the UK and very popular, but more difficult to find elsewhere. In the US a fresh ham is a fresh leg of pork. Unfortunately it is not the same thing and we would not recommend this cut of meat for the recipe.

In the US most hams sold are already cooked. It is possible to buy a country ham, which is a cured and uncooked ham and is sometimes smoked. It is possible to use one of these, however country hams are very salty and if boiled they are sometimes simmered with several changes of water. We would instead suggest buying a fully cooked ham that is not spiral cut. You can reheat the ham following the producer's instructions and add about ½ inch (1cm) Coca Cola to the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the ham from time to time with the cola as it reheats. Once the ham is fully reheated, glaze it with the treacle, as instructed in the recipe. US hams vary as to whether they are sold with or without rind, so remove the rind before glazing, if the ham has one.