Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham
First published on 5 December 2016 Updated on 25 January 2023
This Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham is so easy to make. The cherry cola hits the spot with the perfect sweet/salty combination. Serve with mash and green beans.
You can use either a smoked or unsmoked gammon joint it is totally up to you but I much prefer to use the unsmoked version as it is less salty.
Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham
Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham
This Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham is a Festive favourite in our house. Serve with mash and green beans for a Boxing Day lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 Gammon Joint Unsmoked
- 1 Large Onion
- 2 Sticks Celery
- Cherry Cola
- Marmalade
- Whole Cloves
Instructions
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Peel and slice your onion widthways and chop the celery sticks into quarters. Then chuck them into the slow cooker.
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Remove all the packaging from the gammon joint and place into the slow cooker on top of the onion and celery.
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Fill the slow cooker the with cherry cola until 2/3rds of the ham is covered. I only used around 400mls of the cherry cola in my slow cooker but depending on how big the gammon joint is you may require more/less liquid.
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Cover the slow cooker with the lid, turn on to low and let it cook for around 6-8hours or overnight.
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Remove ham from slow cooker and allow the ham to cool a little. Using a knife, remove the rind by gently prising the skin from the fat and lifting it off. Try to keep as much fat on the ham as you can as this helps keep the ham moist as it roasts.
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Preheat oven to 200°C or if using a fan oven 180°C.
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Using a sharp knife score diagonal lines into the fat on top of the ham and then again the other way to create diamond shapes.
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Put a couple of tablespoons of marmalade into a microwaveable bowl. Heat the marmalade up in the microwave for around 20 seconds. Brush the marmalade over the ham and then stud each diamond with a whole clove.
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Place ham onto a baking paper lined dish and into preheated oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Baste with the remaining marmalade a few times during cooking until the fat is all caramelised.
How long to cook the gammon for?
I usually cook the gammon on the low setting overnight but if you are cooking this during the day then I’d say to slow cook it for around 6-8 hours. If you want to use the high setting then I’d go for 3-4 hours. As the gammon is being cooked in liquid it will be ok if you go over the time as it won’t dry out.
Can you use Diet Cola instead?
Having tried using both diet and the normal colas I’d say that yes you can use the diet version of cola but you don’t get the same sweetness as you do with the full fat version.
What to eat with the Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Ham?
You can eat it with mash and green beans, roast potatoes and carrots or even along with your Christmas Dinner as an extra side of meat. Any leftovers can be eaten in sandwiches, with chutneys, cheese and fancy bread, in soups, pies and even pasta dishes.
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback!
If you are looking for other Slow Cooker recipes:
