Cola Gammon with Spicy Honey Mustard Glaze

This classic Christmas cola gammon is a South African festive favourite. The Coca-Cola adds subtle vanilla and cherry notes that complement the salty ham beautifully, whilst the spicy honey mustard glaze creates a stunning caramelised finish.

Key Takeaways:

• Traditional South African Christmas recipe using Coca-Cola
• Spicy honey mustard glaze with ginger, cinnamon, and soy sauce
• Can be served hot or cold, making it perfect for advance preparation
• Serves 10 people generously
• Calculate 20 minutes cooking time per 500 grams of meat
• Delicious cold for Boxing Day sandwiches and leftover meals

Why This Cola Gammon Recipe Works

Cooking gammon in cola might sound unusual, but the science makes perfect sense. Coca-Cola’s sweetness balances the salt in the ham, whilst the subtle vanilla and cherry notes in the cola create a complex flavour profile. The long, gentle simmer in liquid keeps the meat incredibly moist.

The spicy honey mustard glaze adds warmth from ginger and cinnamon, whilst the soy sauce contributes savoury depth. This glaze coats the gammon beautifully without dripping off, creating an even, caramelised finish.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cola Gammon

Why do you cook gammon in Coca-Cola? Coca-Cola contains vanilla, cherry, and caramel notes in its flavour profile. These sweet, complex flavours complement the salty gammon beautifully. The acidity also helps tenderise the meat during the long, slow cooking process. It’s become a beloved South African Christmas tradition.

Can I use a different soft drink instead of Coca-Cola? Yes, you can use any cola drink. Ginger beer also works wonderfully and adds a spicy note. Some people use beer (lager or ale) with aromatics like bay leaves, peppercorns, and vegetables for a more traditional approach. The cooking method remains the same.

How long do I cook gammon for? Calculate 20 minutes per 500 grams of meat at a gentle simmer. For a 3 kilogram gammon, this means 2 hours of simmering. The meat is done when a skewer inserted into the thickest part goes in easily and the internal temperature reaches 71°C.

Should I serve gammon hot or cold? Both options work beautifully. Hot gammon is traditional for Christmas lunch served straight from the oven with the glaze still warm. Cold gammon is excellent for Boxing Day, picnics, and sandwiches. Many people cook the gammon the day before and glaze it on the morning of serving for convenience.

Do I need to soak gammon before cooking? Modern gammon is usually not as salty as traditional versions, so soaking is often unnecessary. However, bringing the gammon to the boil in water first and discarding that water (as this recipe does) removes any excess salt effectively.

Can I prepare cola gammon in advance? Yes, this is ideal for make-ahead entertaining. Cook the gammon up to two days in advance and store it in the cooking liquid in the fridge. On the day of serving, remove it from the liquid, score and stud with cloves, apply the glaze, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until caramelised.

What can I do with leftover gammon? Leftover gammon is wonderful in sandwiches, diced into pasta dishes, added to quiches, stirred through risotto, or served cold with potato salad. It keeps refrigerated for 4 to 5 days or can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months.

Choosing Your Gammon

Look for a good quality gammon joint, ideally boneless or with the bone still in (bone-in adds more flavour but is harder to carve). The gammon should have a good layer of fat on one side. This fat layer is essential for creating those beautiful diamond patterns and for keeping the meat moist during glazing.

A 3 kilogram gammon serves approximately 10 people with leftovers. For larger gatherings, scale up accordingly, remembering to calculate 20 minutes per 500 grams cooking time.

The Cooking Liquid: Cola vs Ginger Beer

Whilst this recipe uses Coca-Cola, I prefer cooking gammon in ginger beer with rooibos tea and aromatics. Both methods work beautifully, and the choice comes down to personal preference.

Here is my best-ever gammon recipe (instant pot and stove top options): Instant Pot Gammon With Ginger Beer & Rooibos

Making the Spicy Honey Mustard Glaze for Cola Gammon

The glaze combines honey, brown sugar, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, and soy sauce for a complex sweet-spicy finish. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small pot over medium heat, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened.

This glaze is deliberately thick, which prevents it from sliding off the gammon during baking. The consistency should coat the back of a spoon.

Serving Suggestions for Cola Gammon

Hot Gammon

Serve immediately with roasted vegetables, potato dishes, and seasonal salads. The gammon pairs beautifully with:

• Roasted sweet potato wedges
• Green beans with almonds or air fryer roasted green beans
• Fresh cranberry sauce
• Mustard cream sauce

Cold Gammon

Allow to cool completely before slicing. Cold gammon is traditional for Boxing Day lunch served with:

• Potato salad with crème fraîche and herbs
• Fresh green salad
• Spinach salad with grilled zucchini, peas, feta and mint
• Pickles and chutneys
• Crusty bread

Cola Gammon with Spicy Honey Mustard Glaze Recipe

A traditional Christmas gammon cooked in Coca-Cola with a spicy honey mustard glaze featuring ginger, cinnamon, and soy sauce.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Gammon:

• 3 kilograms gammon joint
• 4 litres Coca-Cola approximately 3 to 4 large bottles
• 1 large onion halved
• 2 star anise
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• Whole cloves for studding approximately 30 to 40

For the Spicy Honey Mustard Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon English mustard powder or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Cooking the Gammon:

• Place the gammon in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately discard the water. This removes excess salt.
• Return the gammon to the clean pot. Pour in the Coca-Cola until the gammon is completely covered (approximately 4 litres). Add the halved onion, star anise, and peppercorns.
• Bring to the boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to the lowest setting. The liquid should barely simmer. Cover with a lid.
• Simmer gently for 20 minutes per 500 grams of meat. For a 3 kilogram gammon, simmer for 2 hours total.
• Turn off the heat and allow the gammon to cool completely in the cooking liquid. This keeps the meat moist and flavourful. The gammon can be refrigerated in its liquid for up to 2 days at this stage.

Making the Glaze:

• Combine the honey, brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce, cinnamon, and ground ginger in a small pot.
• Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). The glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.

Glazing and Baking:

• Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
• Remove the cooled gammon from the liquid. Using a sharp knife, carefully peel away the thick outer skin, leaving an even layer of white fat covering the meat.
• Score the fat in diagonal lines approximately 2 centimetres apart. Score again in the opposite direction to create diamond shapes. Do not cut into the meat itself.
• Press a whole clove into the centre of each diamond.
• Place the gammon on a roasting tray. Brush the glaze generously over the entire surface, ensuring even coverage of all the scored fat.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, checking regularly to prevent burning. The glaze should caramelise to a deep golden brown. Baste 2 to 3 times during baking with any glaze that collects in the tray.
• The gammon is ready when the glaze is glossy, caramelised, and slightly crispy in spots.
• Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving if serving hot. Alternatively, cool completely and refrigerate if serving cold.

Notes

Notes

• Cooking Time: Calculate 20 minutes per 500 grams of gammon. A 2 kilogram gammon needs 1 hour 20 minutes, whilst a 4 kilogram gammon needs 2 hours 40 minutes.
• Make-Ahead: Cook the gammon up to 2 days in advance and store in its cooking liquid in the fridge. Glaze and bake on the day of serving.
• Glaze Consistency: This glaze is deliberately thick to prevent dripping. It coats the gammon beautifully and creates an even caramelised finish.
• Serving Temperature: Gammon can be served hot straight from the oven or cold. Both are traditional and delicious.
• Storage: Store leftover gammon wrapped tightly in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months
  

  Storage and Leftovers

  Store leftover gammon wrapped tightly in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. The gammon can also be frozen in portions for up to 3 months.
  Leftover gammon is excellent in:
  • Sandwiches with mustard and rocket
  • Diced into carbonara or pasta dishes
  • Added to cheese and ham toasties
  • Stirred through split pea soup
  • Served cold with eggs for breakfast

 

Servings: 10

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