Sticky cola ham
Infuse your Christmas ham with sweet cola flavour and coat it with a treacly glaze with this delicious recipe. Recipe and image from Gluten Free Christmas by Becky Excell (£22, Quadrille). Photography: Hannah Hughes
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 15 mins
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 1.8-2.2kg Smoked or unsmoked boneless gammon joint
- 1.75 litres Cola (ensure gluten-free)
- 2 Large carrots (chopped into 2cm chunks)
- 1 Small leek or onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Dried bay leaves
- 4 tbsp Gluten-free soy sauce
- 500-750ml Gluten-free ham stock
- 100ml Maple syrup or honey
- 50ml Black treacle
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 tsp Gluten-free red miso paste
- 2 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
Method
Step 1
Place the gammon in a large ovenproof pot with a lid, then add the cola. Add the carrots, leek/onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, soy sauce and as much stock as required to almost completely cover the gammon.
Step 2
Pop the lid on, place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat down to low and simmer for 2 hours.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. For the glaze, mix the maple syrup or honey, black treacle, sesame oil, red miso paste, Chinese five-spice powder and rice wine vinegar in a jug. From the gammon, drain and discard the liquid and boiled vegetables and place the joint in a foil-lined roasting tray. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice off and discard the top layer of skin and a little of the fat, leaving only a thin layer of fat.
Step 4
Score the fat with a sharp knife, creating a criss-cross pattern. Brush a third of the glaze onto the ham, ensuring an even coverage. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and spoon/brush on another third of the glaze, before returning to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove and spoon/brush on the remaining glaze and return to the oven for a final 15 minutes.
Step 5
Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
