Coca-Cola Is The Sweet And Tangy Ingredient Your Christmas Eve Ham Needs - Tasting Table

"Sweet and savory go together like peanut butter and jelly, which are, of course, also sweet and savory. Savory pork pairs beautifully with many sweet flavors. But if you're making a ham, which is even saltier than a normal pork roast, you can up the sweet factor in what goes with it just in time for the holidays. That's why ham is so often served with pineapple or a honey or brown sugar glaze."

"Since the beverage is a sugary liquid, it will reduce to a beautiful sticky syrup that's perfect for glazing ham. The dark color makes a great, shiny exterior, and the flavors in Coke (which combine well with brown sugar and cinnamon) really enhance the pork. There's also another reason soda works so well as a glaze or marinade: the acid that helps tenderize the meat. For a dazzling holiday ham, don't sleep on the Coca-Cola."

"To achieve this Coke-glazing, put your ham in a roasting pan and pour a bottle of Coca-Cola over it, then put it in the oven. However, that's not really a proper glaze. It will reduce as it cooks, but you're not getting what you want out of it. Reduce it first, concentrating the flavors and thickening it so your glaze is rich and sticky."

Sweet and savory pairings enhance pork, and ham benefits from increased sweetness to balance its saltiness and smokiness. A glaze contrasts and amplifies umami while creating a caramelized, moist exterior. Coca-Cola provides sugar for reduction, dark color for shine, complementary flavors that mesh with brown sugar and cinnamon, and acidity that aids tenderizing. Pouring soda over a roasting ham without reducing produces a weak glaze; reducing first concentrates flavor and thickens the syrup. Enhancements include dark brown sugar for sweetness and spices such as cinnamon and ginger, or additions like bourbon for complexity.

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