What Sort Of Ham is Ham In Coca Cola? What Do I Do With The Cooking Liquid? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

Full question

For Christmas I will be making the Ham in co*ke that I found in one of Nigella's cookbook's. I was wondering if that is a very sweet ham. Many of my family members don't like very sweet meat, or a ham cooked with pineapples and brown sugar, so I was wondering how similar it is to that. Please let me know. Thank you!! Carissa J

I have just started this recipe, but dont know what to do with the saved liquor after the ham is cooked. The recipe says dont throw it way. Please could you give me some ideas as to how to use this Regards Kare

Greetings from the U.S. I am planning to make Nigella's recipe for Ham in Cherry co*ke published on page 205 of "Feast". It calls for a boneless mild "cure" ham... Here in the U.S. we have "cured" ham, which is fully cooked. Is this the type of ham I should use? Thank you kindly for you assistance! Fluffyfinch

What Sort Of Ham is Ham In Coca Cola? What Do I Do With The Cooking Liquid? | Ask Nigella.com (1)
Ham in Coca Cola
By Nigella
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Our answer

Cooking a ham in cola will impart a slight sweetness to the ham, which is foiled by the saltiness of the meat itself. However it is only the outside of the ham that will really pick up the sweetness, it does not penetrate all the way through the ham. If your family doesn't like sweet glazed ham then you can omit the glaze and just remove the skin and crisp the fat slightly in the oven before serving.

If you have saved the cooking liquor from the ham then there are a few ways to use it. You can use it as the cooking liquid for braised red cabbage. Thinly shred a head of read cabbage, put in a large pot and add enough of the cooking liquor to come just below the level of the cabbage. Add 2 tablespoons red wine or cider vinegar and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, until the cabbage is tender. You can also use some of the cooking liquor (regular cola rather than the cherry type) as a flavouring for black bean soup or for Boston Baked beans, though you will want to add some stock or water too to make sure the finished dish is not too sweet.

For the US you will need an uncooked ham. Unfortunately these can be quite salty so please see the soaking advice in our earlier post. The sweetness of the soda can help to offset the saltiness to an extent - cooking ham in cola originated in the Southern states where salty country style hams are most popular. If you can only find a fully cooked ham then heat the ham following the supplier's instructions - if you need to cover the ham during reheating then add about ½ inch cola to the bottom of the pan and baste the ham with the cola every 30 minutes. Make the glaze from the recipe, adding 2 tablespoons of cola to the glaze - it will need to bubble for an extra couple of minutes to come to a syrupy consistency. Glaze and finish the ham following the recipe in Feast.

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What Sort Of Ham is Ham In Coca Cola? What Do I Do With The Cooking Liquid? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

What Sort Of Ham is Ham In Coca Cola? What Do I Do With The Cooking Liquid? | Ask Nigella.com? ›

Our answer

What to do with the liquid from cooking a ham? ›

Ham stocks generally go well with pulses and the stock could be used to make a black bean soup, a lentil soup such as the Yellow Split Peas and Frankfurter Soup (from Feast) or the Chick Pea and Pasta Soup (from How To Eat).

What is ham with water added? ›

Most hams have some liquid, most often water with additives, added because liquid is necessary for the meat to remain moist and juicy when reheated, since almost all already have been cooked. Hams labeled ”ham with water added” must contain at least 17 percent protein, according to USDA standards.

Why do you soak ham in water? ›

If necessary, soak the gammon (ham) in cold water to reduce saltiness, according to butcher or packet instructions (most do not need this anymore as curing methods have changed).

How do you use pre cooked ham? ›

Cut the ham free from the package, cover it in foil and reheat it to a good serving temperature. Cooking it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes per pound should do the trick, depending on the type of ham (whole or half, bone-in or no bone ― these specifics are outlined here).

How do you keep a ham from drying out when cooking? ›

If you don't add any braising liquid you can risk your ham coming out of the oven completely dry. Instead: Cook your ham in chicken broth, orange juice, or cider vinegar to avoid your ham coming out dry. You can also add some herbs such as sage to the liquid to add even more flavor to the ham.

What do you put in water when boiling ham? ›

Put the meat in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, adding any flavourings you wish (cinnamon, bay, peppercorns, coriander seeds and onion all work well). Boil for half the calculated cooking time, periodically skimming and discarding any white froth that rises to the surface.

What liquid keeps ham moist? ›

Any meat that is roasted in the oven needs moisture so it won't burn at the bottom of the pan or dry out. The trick is to make sure you add some kind of liquid to your pan. So here's the hack: Add half a cup of wine or stock to the bottom of your pan before popping that ham in the oven.

Why do people put Pepsi on ham? ›

WATCH: How to Glaze a Ham

Bourbon, apple juice, pineapple juice, or orange juice are delicious in a ginger ale glaze. Cola adds caramel sweetness to a ham glaze and can stand up to other strong ingredients like bourbon and cloves.

Does soaking ham in water reduce the sodium? ›

Soaking Ham before Cooking

Soaking a salt cured country ham before cooking is believed to make the ham less salty.

Why is a Smithfield ham soaked in water before cooking? ›

Uncooked Hams require soaking before cooking since these hams are dry cured. The length of soaking time should be influenced by your taste for salt (longer soaking results in a milder ham) and the type of ham (Genuine Smithfield hams are cured longer than country hams and are more salty and dry by nature).

Can I leave ham in cooking water overnight? ›

Make sure the ham is always covered with water, by adding more if needed. Cook for 20mins/lb and 20mins extra. Once cooked, turn off the heat, and leave the ham to rest in the cooking water overnight. To glaze the ham: Preheat the oven to 170C.

Why put cloves in ham? ›

Our ham was not spiral-sliced which means we will carve it ourselves. If you do not want to carve your ham, you can use a spiral-sliced. Cloves: I love using the whole cloves because they add a beautiful flavor and can be easily removed from each piece. (I don't eat the clove itself.)

How to cook a Smithfield ham? ›

Oven Cooking

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Bake ham for approximately three hours or 20 minutes per pound. Using a meat thermometer, check for 163˚F internal temperature in the thickest part of ham.

Do you cook a ham at 325 or 350? ›

Heat oven to 325°F. Remove all packaging materials. Place ham, cut/flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat approximately 18 to 23 minutes per pound until heated through.

How many hours does it take to cook a pre-cooked ham? ›

Plan on baking your pre-cooked ham at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit, covered with foil, until it reaches a safe internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, as recommended by the USDA. A pre-cooked 10-pound ham, bone-in will need about 2 1/2 hours.

Can ham juice go down the drain? ›

Never pour cooking oil, pan drippings, bacon grease, salad dressings or sauces down the sink or toilet or into street gutters or storm drains. Dispose of food scraps into the trash, not the sink. Don't use a garbage disposal or food grinder.

Do I drain the juice from the ham before cooking? ›

Like I mentioned above, save the ham juices from the packaging, and pour them into the bottom of the pan; this will help your ham to stay moist. You can put a little less than a cup of water or some kind of stock/broth in the bottom of the pan before baking if you want. This will also add moisture.

Should I rinse my ham? ›

After soaking, wash ham thoroughly in warm water. Use a stiff brush to scrub ham thoroughly and remove all pepper and surface mold, if present. Mold is very common on these uncooked hams and is no way injurious (like aged cheeses mold in the aging process).

Should you change the water when cooking ham? ›

To reduce saltiness, soak ham in cold water for 12-24 hours prior to cooking. Changing the water about every four hours during soaking will aid in drawing salt from the ham.

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