British Gammon Simmered in Cola with Treacle and Mustard Glaze
A mild-cure gammon joint simmered for over two hours in cola with an onion, then skinned, studded with cloves, painted with black treacle, patted with mustard powder and demerara sugar and blasted in a very hot oven.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
In Britain and Ireland the Christmas ham starts as gammon. Wikipedia defines gammon as the hind leg of pork after dry-salting or brining, smoked or not; strictly it is the bottom end of a whole side of bacon, while ham is the back leg cured on its own, and unlike dry-cured hams gammon must be cooked before eating; cooked gammon joints are often served at Christmas). The word comes from the Old French jambon, from jambe, "leg". The cola version was made famous in Britain by Nigella Lawson, whose "Ham in Coca-Cola" appeared in "How to Eat" and again, updated, in "Nigella Bites" (2001). Her site says cooking ham in cola began in the American South, where salty country hams are most popular; we found no historian to confirm that, so it is DISPUTED.
📖 Myth check: Is Hawaiian Pineapple Ham From Hawaii? → 📖 Origin story: Why Do We Eat Ham at Christmas and Easter? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Cola as the cooking liquid
The sugar and acid in cola sweeten and season the salty cured meat as it simmers, and the long, gentle simmer keeps a lean joint moist.
A sticky glaze in minutes
Treacle holds the mustard powder and sugar on the fat, and a 450°F oven melts them into a glaze in about 10 minutes, before the cooked meat has time to dry out.
🧰 You'll need 6 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
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Tools
Supplies
Step by step
- Step 1
If the joint seems salty (or the label says to soak), cover it with cold water in a large pot, bring to a boil, drain and start again. Mild-cure gammon does not need this.
- Step 2
Put the gammon in the pot, skin side down if it fits, add the onion and pour in the cola. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a steady simmer with the lid partly on.
- Step 3
Simmer just under 2 1/2 hours (about 1 hour per 2.2 lb, plus 15 minutes if it went in fridge-cold), until the center reads at least 145°F.
- Step 4
Heat the oven to 450°F and line a roasting pan with foil. Lift out the gammon and let it cool 15 minutes so it is easy to handle.
- Step 5
Cut off the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat into large diamonds and push a clove into the center of each.
- Step 6
Spread the treacle over the fat, then pat on the mustard powder and sugar. Roast about 10 minutes, until the glaze is bubbling and glossy.
✓ What it should look like - Step 7
Rest at least 3 minutes, then slice and serve hot, or cool and serve cold on Boxing Day.
British Gammon Simmered in Cola with Treacle and Mustard Glaze
Serves 8 · one 4 1/2 lb boneless joint · 3 hr 15 min total
Ham
- 1 mild-cure gammon joint (about 4 1/2 lb), or a boneless cook-before-eating ham
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- About 2 quarts (8 1/2 cups) regular cola
Glaze
- A handful of whole cloves
- 1 heaped tbsp black treacle or dark molasses
- 2 tsp English mustard powder
- 2 tbsp demerara or turbinado sugar
Equipment: Oven, Roasting pan, Large pot, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Aluminum foil
Method
- If the joint seems salty (or the label says to soak), cover it with cold water in a large pot, bring to a boil, drain and start again. Mild-cure gammon does not need this.
- Put the gammon in the pot, skin side down if it fits, add the onion and pour in the cola. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a steady simmer with the lid partly on.
- Simmer just under 2 1/2 hours (about 1 hour per 2.2 lb, plus 15 minutes if it went in fridge-cold), until the center reads at least 145°F.
- Heat the oven to 450°F and line a roasting pan with foil. Lift out the gammon and let it cool 15 minutes so it is easy to handle.
- Cut off the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat into large diamonds and push a clove into the center of each.
- Spread the treacle over the fat, then pat on the mustard powder and sugar. Roast about 10 minutes, until the glaze is bubbling and glossy.
- Rest at least 3 minutes, then slice and serve hot, or cool and serve cold on Boxing Day.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, "Ham in Coca-Cola," Nigella Bites (2001), as written for 8. Any regular cola works. For US cooks, Nigella's site says to use an uncooked ham; we use a boneless cook-before-eating ham and add FSIS's 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Her 240°C is 450°F (gas mark 9). Demerara is sold as turbinado sugar in the US; black treacle as molasses. Nigella Lawson. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Make ahead, Nigella's way: simmer, cool, clove and glaze, then reheat from room temperature at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. For leftovers, heat to 165°F (FSIS).
- Nigella's site suggests using the cooking liquid in braised red cabbage or baked beans, thinned so it is not too sweet.
- For gluten-free, Nigella swaps the mustard powder for a gluten-free Dijon.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Cooking ham in cola started in the American South. Disputed: Nigella's site says so; we found no historian or dated source.
- Gammon and ham are different things. Disputed wording: strictly, gammon is cut from a cured side of bacon and ham is cured alone (Wikipedia), but in everyday British use gammon is often called ham once it is cooked, and most English outside the UK and Ireland makes no distinction.
- Gammon must be cooked. Documented (Wikipedia: unlike dry-cured hams, it must be cooked before eating).
- Always soak gammon first. Disputed: Nigella says mild-cure gammon needs no soak; she only blanches a salty joint. Follow the label.
- Nigella invented ham in cola. Folklore: she popularized it in Britain; her own site credits the American South.
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