Gammon In Slow Cooker With Coke

An easy and foolproof way to cook the gammon or ham in the slow cooker or crockpot. Cooking the ham with coke adds depth of flavor and the meat comes out so moist and tender. At the end of cooking the ham is glazed all over then placed in the oven to crisp up and caramelize! So yummy!

My mother-in-law, when she was still alive, used to cook fresh ham for us. We would eat it for several days but never get tired of it because it was so good. She used gammon (the English ham) and we could never have enough of it.

We certainly miss her now that she has left us. In memory of her kindness and generosity and how she often showed us wonderful hospitality whenever we visited her, I decided to make ham for our family, just like she did. I don't know how exactly she cooked hers and sadly I never got the chance to ask so I had to look online for some recipes on how to cook gammon.

Thankfully, I found this easy recipe for ham or gammon cooked in the slow cooker. Grandma Raines has used her slow cooker several times to make us her delicious beef burgundy. Her crockpot was still in good shape and worked perfectly well so I made use of this to make this yummy gammon cooked in coke! Yes, that cola – coca cola!

You may have noticed that I use ham and gammon interchangeably in this post. While they are similar, they are in fact quite different, too. Initially, I thought gammon was just the English name for ham but little did I know upon some online research that they do have some differences too. Below are the basic similarities and differences between the two.

What is the difference between Gammon and Ham?

• Both ham and gammon are meat from the pork coming from the hind legs of the pig, but the difference lies in curing and treatment.

• Gammon is sold raw, and one needs to cook it before eating.

• Ham is sold cured and cooked to be used in sandwiches and salads.

• Gammon is traditionally been associated with Christmas festivities, and it is hard to imagine Christmas without gammon.

• Gammon, after it has been cooked, is nothing but ham.

Thankfully, you can use this slow cooker recipe whether you use a British gammon or regular American ham. Simply adjust the cooking time depending on how big they are. Do note that because gammon is raw while ham is often previously cooked, the former may require longer cooking time. Either way, they would come out delicious!

An easy and foolproof way to cook the ham in the slow cooker or crockpot. At the end of cooking the ham is glazed all over then placed in the oven to crisp up and caramelize! So yummy!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

For the Ham

2.3/5 kg/lbs boneless unsmoked gammon or ham
1-2 liters coca-cola, regular not diet
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
whole cloves, as needed (optional)

For the Glaze

1 tbsp English mustard
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp brown sugar or to taste

For the Ham

Place the gammon or ham in a large slow cooker or crockpot. Pour over enough coke to cover the ham or most of it. Add the peeled and quartered onion and scatter in a few places.
Cook the gammon or ham for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low until thoroughly cooked and meat is tender but still holding its shape. Keeping it longer in the crockpot may make the ham fall apart (like pulled pork) which is fine too if that is what you prefer.
Remove the ham and transfer it to a plate. Pour the liquid away (save it to make soup, if you like). Allow the ham to cool slightly while you heat the oven to 400F/190C.
Place the ham into a roasting tin, then cut away the skin or rind but leave behind an even layer of fat. (I didn't do this because the ham I had had a thin layer of skin and fat. However, your ham would look better roasted if you remove the extra rind or skin so it's worth doing it.) Score the fat all over in a criss-cross pattern.
Make sure the ham is positioned fat-side up. If the ham is thinner on one end than the other, prop the short end up with a wodge of crumpled kitchen foil, so the fat is more horizontal – this will help it brown more evenly. Glaze the ham with the honey-mustard mixture.

For the Glaze

To make the glaze, mix the mustard, honey, and sugar in a small bowl. Spread the glaze all over the ham. Leave some extra glaze to spread over the ham after it has roasted in the oven.
Insert the whole cloves into the scored fat. Bake the ham for 12–15 minutes, or until the fat is nicely browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 mins, then spoon more glaze over the top. This may be roasted on the day or up to two days ahead and served cold.

TIPS & TRICKS

If your ham or gammon is tied, keep the string on during cooking to help it hold its shape.

On a high setting, the pork should take 4 hrs. Smaller slow cookers will cook faster than larger ones.

The temperature of slow cookers can vary vastly so it's worth investing in a meat thermometer to check if your meat is cooked. Push the probe right into the center of the joint to check, it should read 150F/65C once cooked (this will rise slightly as it rests.)