Easter Pork Recipes:

Cola-Glazed Ham

Cola-glazed ham is one of those pork recipes that sounds unusual right up until the moment you taste it, and then it makes complete, undeniable sense. A large bone-in ham is slow-roasted in a bath of cola and orange juice, and basted throughout cooking with a reduction of the same liquids combined with dark brown sugar and mustard until the surface turns into a deep, sticky, lacquered glaze that is simultaneously sweet, tangy, and lightly caramelised. The cola’s sugars reduce into a rich syrup, and its acidity balances the saltiness of the cured ham. What makes this Easter special recipe so good as a centrepiece dish is the contrast between the glaze and the meat beneath it. The exterior caramelises into a crackling, sticky coating while the interior stays moist and juicy, which is a direct result of the covered roasting method that steams the ham in the cola bath before the foil comes off for the final high-heat basting stages. Scoring the ham in a diamond pattern before it goes in the oven serves two purposes – it gives the glaze the maximum surface area to cling to, and makes the cola-glazed ham instantly recognisable on a holiday table. This recipe produces generous leftovers, and cola-glazed ham may be even better the next day, sliced cold with mustard, layered into sandwiches, or pan-fried with eggs. It keeps well refrigerated for up to a week and freezes well for up to three months.