Saveur

SERVES 10 – 12

Cured country hams can be cooked with sweet beverages, like ginger ale, champagne, or, in this case, Coca-Cola, to counteract their salty character.

1 bone-in whole country ham
3 cups Coca-Cola

1. Thoroughly wash the exterior of ham. Put ham into a large plastic container; cover with cold water. Cover and refrigerate ham until no longer overwhelmingly salty, about 14 hours. (Depending on the producer, country hams require different soaking times; see label or ask your purveyor.)

2. Heat oven to 350°. Drain ham and pat dry; remove and discard skin. Transfer ham to a large foil-lined roasting pan. Pour Coca-Cola over ham; cover tightly with foil. Roast, basting ham with pan juices every 30 minutes, until liquid has reduced to a thick syrup and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 150°, about 3 hours. Uncover ham; continue roasting and basting until ham is crisp and registers 165°, 20–30 minutes more. Let rest briefly before slicing.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #106