Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Nigella's Ham in Cola for Christmas Dinner?

27 replies

TwoIfBySea · 08/12/2011 20:25

It'll be just me and dts (age 9) so I thought I'd do this but there are two versions -

Has anyone tried it & what version is better Nigella Bites or How To Eat? The differences are slight but I'd like to pick the culinary brains of those who have gone before.

Final question (promise!) What sides did you make with it?

OP posts:

gregssausageroll · 08/12/2011 20:31

I made it for Boxing Day a few years ago. Was gorgeous but I don't know which book I made it from.

A friend bought the ham though.

I am not much help really. I am sorry.

PomBearAtTheGatesOfDoom · 08/12/2011 21:30

I did it, but I prefer it done in apple juice - I guess it depends on how much you actually like the taste of cola.
I did a gammon joint in apple juice, and put some actual halves apples in with it, and some leeks. The apples were lovely, and I liked the leeks, but they did seem to get very much stronger in flavour.
I literally just plonk the meat in the slow cooker, add the liquid to almost cover it, put it on high, and leave it for about 6 hours. You need to keep tasting a little bit once it gets past about 4 hours though, there comes a point when it's done and if you leave it too much longer it goes a bit tough again. (and that's a big joint of about a kilo in a 6.5l cooker)

MrsTwinks · 08/12/2011 21:39

I've done he how to eat one. Was very nice, didn't really taste of coke at all, just nice. The Nigella bites will be a more improved (in her eyes) version as its the later book,

ReshapeWhileDamp · 08/12/2011 21:52

I'd like to try this, though DH is a bit at the coke! He's also salt-phobic and I'd like to give some to DS2, who'll be just 1, so I'm a bit worried that it'll be too salty. How long do you soak the ham for?

pud1 · 08/12/2011 22:00

I have done this for Xmas dinner for the past 3 years. Was not aware of 2 versions. I have the bites book.

It always goes down well. I don't think it tastes of coke at all. We always have both turkey and ham so we have it With standard Xmas dinner trimmings. It's always nice to have as a cold cut christmas night and boxing day. I will never forget mils face the first time she saw me pouring cola into a pan with a ham.

Original poster

TwoIfBySea · 08/12/2011 22:11

Thank you ladies! I just thought dts would be astounded if I began cooking with cola!

Just noticed there is a cherry coke one in Feast. That really isn't helping now! I'm late in preparing this year thanks to being ill these past few months so I wanted something fun & different.

Also noting the apple juice one - I'm usually boring by pouring over honey & that's it.

OP posts:

Original poster

TwoIfBySea · 08/12/2011 22:11

Thank you ladies! I just thought dts would be astounded if I began cooking with cola!

Just noticed there is a cherry coke one in Feast. That really isn't helping now! I'm late in preparing this year thanks to being ill these past few months so I wanted something fun & different.

Also noting the apple juice one - I'm usually boring by pouring over honey & that's it.

OP posts:

starjules · 08/12/2011 22:14

I make this every year but do the cherry coke version, its not salty at all as you put the ham/gammon in water and bring to the boil first to remove the salt. Throw away the water rinse the ham then pop in the coke and a couple of cut onions and boil depending on size. I use the large morrisons gammon and it takes somewhere between 3-4 hours. I top it off with the cherry jam glaze and its lovely.

MrsCuldesac · 08/12/2011 22:16

The sort of ham/gammon you get from most outlets is ready to cook - it doesn't need soaking. You might however wish to put the joint into cold water to cover it, bring to the boil and then throw away the cooking water. Then start the recipe using the Coke. You'll need a 2l bottle at least, to come well up the sides of the joint in a big saucepan. I used the How To Eat recipe minus the black treacle in the glaze; was initially very sceptical but the result was superb. The Coke - must be "full fat" not diet. After initial stove-top cooking, skin the joint, score the fat into diamonds, stud with cloves, press on brown sugar and mustard or honey and mustard - pop in hot oven to caramelise and crisp up the glaze. The cooking liquor - which ends up very savoury and tasty - can be used as stock for a bacon and lentil/pea soup.

Get0rf · 08/12/2011 22:19

I do the cherry coke version with the cherry jam glaze. I cook it a couple of times a month (sometimes a quick version with ordinary coke, and then glaze with hot paprika and honey), it is absolutely one of our favourites. It is lovely hot, but even better cold.

I don't bother to soak, just put the coke straight in, with a couple of roughly chopped onions.

I have never used the liquor afterwards, just throw it away.

It also doesn't matter if you use smoked or unsmoked gammon.

Get0rf · 08/12/2011 22:20

The versions in Express and Feast are far better imo than How to Eat. There is something strange about the glaze in How to Eat, has never quite worked.

Original poster

TwoIfBySea · 09/12/2011 11:54

You know, as soon as I saw the cherry coke one I was kind of going in that direction. I'm realising how boring our meals probably are and should really try to cook much more variety after this. Our Christmas dinner is everyday for others - jealous!

It is always good to hear that it has worked though for others. We don't eat much meat to be honest due to the cost and the fact I won't buy crappy after enjoying proper chicken etc. for so long!

OP posts:

omydarlin · 09/12/2011 12:05

I did the Ham in Cherry Cola one last year for Boxing Dayc- (infact I used Dr Pepper was lush but that's another story) I added some cinnamon into the Cherry Glaze I think(bought from Aldi so Morrisons may just have it) and was lovely really festive the glaze tasted akin to a kind of pickle or chutney iykwim - you could always practice with a little gammon join beforehand and use the ham for sarnies/dinner. The house did smell a bit odd on Christmas morning though - hard to describe like cloying burnt sugar !

shinybaubles · 09/12/2011 12:21

I love this and make my sweet potato mash/bake with it super yummy.

HoHoOpotomus · 09/12/2011 14:18

for Christmas I prefer the ginger-ale version with ginger preserve & mustard glaze. Yum Yum

Blatherskite · 09/12/2011 14:39

I made the Cherry Coke one for the first time ever for Christmas 2 years ago - 8 days after having a c-section!

The ham itself was lovely both hot with Dinner and cold for Supper but the recipe suggests you use the left over liquor to cook red cabbage in and that was vile.

DamnDeDoubtance · 09/12/2011 15:01

I always do the apple juice one in feast and the red cabbage cooked in the juices.

Its wonderful.

vinegarpuss · 09/12/2011 18:47

is there a link to the recipe? sounds lovely and something a bit different

DamnDeDoubtance · 09/12/2011 20:05

This is the ham.

You cook the red cabbage in the juice for about an hour / hour and a quarter.

The recipe states to add red wine vinegar to the stock, which is okay.

I always cook the cabbage in the stock then stir through some balsamic vinegar at the end.

Serve with pierogi (potato dumplings) or creamy, buttery mash.

moragbellingham · 09/12/2011 22:02

I do mine in cloudy organic cider (yes, I know) - have done the cola and found it nice (unethuastic but still nice).

playftseforme · 09/12/2011 22:08

Nigella did a version on one of her shows a few years ago but it never made it to the show's cookbook. It's pretty much the same as the cherry coke one but uses ginger ale instead and at the end you glaze the ham with a ginger preserve/mustard mix. V nice - we've done this for the last 2 years and plan to repeat this year :-)

franke · 09/12/2011 22:11

Agree with Getorf about the crust in How to Eat being a bit suss. I'm doing this for Xmas Eve. What do you all have with it?

WhoIsThatMaskedWoman · 11/12/2011 20:41

DH does the How to Eat version, but it always looks smells and tastes so fantastic when it comes out of the pan that we never get around to doing the glaze in the oven bit - we just eat it then and there with mash and peas. But I guess for Christmas Lunch you'd want to do the full bit.

I cook red cabbage in the leftover stock - v yummy.

SixFeetUnder · 11/12/2011 20:46

I agree with the ginger version, it's in Nigella's Christmas book. You'd probably find it on her website. Made it for xmas last year and it was amazing.

Having said that have also made the cola one and it was nice too but the ginger one was soo delicious.

KWL51 · 12/12/2011 13:33

im wondering if i somehow managed to get it wrong, as it seemed to make no difference to my ham.
I usualy just bake the joint and slice and serve, rarely bother with honey glazes etc as we dont eat the fat anyway. So last christmas i boiled the ham in 3 litres of full fat coke, with two onions halved and a handful of black peppercorns. then baked the ham so it dried out a bit for an hour and it tasted the same as the ham i just bake slowly?

Flip

1 2