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Honey Cola Baked Ham for #SundaySupper

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Honey Coca Cola Baked Ham | Magnolia Days

Food and cities are often related to each other. Some foods are named after the city or region of their origin. Such is the case with Vidalia onion and Hatch chile. Then there are food products certain cities have as their claim to fame. One of those is a world-famous cola invented in my hometown of Atlanta. Well, technically I’m from metro-Atlanta. Anyway, you can imagine that cola being a part of my childhood memories as both a beverage and ingredient. There was honey cola baked ham my parents would make for our Sunday Supper on certain occasions throughout the year.

The ham was baked for Easter and Christmas. There were a few other times during the year however those were the standard. My parents always baked it in the extra oven in the basement. I think it was to free up the one in the kitchen for other dishes. It was either that or because the oven in the basement was gas and back then gas cooking was cheaper than electric. Thrifty always was a factor. Saving a few cents in a three hour baking process was the thing to do.

Honey Coca Cola Baked Ham | Magnolia Days

Honey cola baked ham was one of my favorites when I was a kid. My mom would make her German Potato Salad to go with it. She also would make Coca-Cola salad which, of course, paired perfectly with the ham. There would be green beans or some other vegetable served with the ham too.

How does honey cola baked ham taste? The cola does a combination of adding a little sweetness to offset the ham’s saltiness and tenderizes it too. The cola itself has tenderizing qualities plus it steams the ham while baking. Honey simply goes so well with ham. It is a no-brainer flavor combo.

Honey Coca Cola Baked Ham | Magnolia Days

Making the ham is very simple. All you do is pour cola and honey over the ham, wrap it up with foil, and bake it for hours. I cut a crisscross pattern in the top of my ham to make it “pretty” but that is not absolutely necessary. My parents didn’t do that step.

Honey Coca Cola Baked Ham | Magnolia Days

What food is related to your hometown? Do you eat it often or only when in the area? My fellow Sunday Supper contributors are sharing recipes for food made famous in cities all over the US and around the world. Scroll down to see the list and take a virtual trip to each one with a simple click. Big thanks to Coleen of The Redhead Baker for hosting this fun Sunday Supper event.

Honey Coca Cola Baked Ham | Magnolia Days
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Honey Cola Baked Ham

Honey cola baked ham is an easy recipe to make for a flavorful and tender ham that is simply baked with honey and cola (Coca-Cola® brand recommended).
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 ham
Author Renee

Ingredients

  • 1 fully cooked plain ham bone-in recommended
  • 1 1/2 cups regular cola not diet, Coca-Cola® brand recommended
  • 1 cup honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line a roasting pan or large baking pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil crisscrossed and long enough to cover ham (wide foil recommended).
  3. Place ham on the foil. Cut a crisscross pattern in the top of ham. Pull foil up around the ham.
  4. Pour cola over ham. Pour honey on top of ham. Seal ham securely with the foil.
  5. Bake for 3 hours.

Recipe Notes

Amount of servings depends on size of ham. You can generally estimate about 1/3 pound per person for a bone-in ham.

Do you enjoy food from certain cities? Take a look at these wonderful recipes by Sunday Supper contributors celebrating their hometown:

Breakfast

Drinks

Appetizers and Snacks

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Comments

  1. Gorgeous ham, Renee! I always do my grandmother’s honey mustard glaze with pineapples for Christmas so I’ve never tried the cola method but I may just have to bake a ham – without an occasion – to try it.

    Reply

  6. Once upon a time, my dad tried to make a similar recipe. He used an entire 2 liter of coke and to say the least, it ruined the ham. Seeing your recipe brings back so many memories. This is what a Honey Cola Ham is supposed to be. Looks delicious!

    Reply

  13. I lived in Marietta GA during my middle school years, and my family made the honey-cola ham as well. My grandmother was the first to make it! Soooo delicious! We ate it for Easter and Christmas also! Beautiful photo! Salivating and remembering!!

    Reply

  14. I just imagined eating a piece of that ham. I tasted delicious – in my mind.
    Sadly, I don’t have any memories of certain dishes that connect with my home town. I wish, though, there would be.

    Reply

  15. Your ham looks gorgeous! I have a Georgia food memory, too. When we visited my mother’s family, we ordered great quantities of Brunswick stew from a local restaurant. It was the only time I’ve had Brunswick stew, but I can still remember exactly how it tasted. I think food memories are some of the strongest memories!

    Reply

  18. I guessed Atlanta, woohoo!! This looks just gorgeous! I never drink any soda, except for a rare occasion of putting it in cocktails, but I do really enjoy cooking and baking with it from time to time. This looks like a fantastic use for some Coca-Cola!

    Reply

  19. Love this post, Renee! Who knew Coke could glaze ham so beautifully? Well, I guess you did. Such sweet memories you have too of baking the ham in the basement…And with your Germanic ancestry, I know that potato salad was out of this world, too!

    Reply

  25. I can’t even imagine growing up with this, but it must have been such a treat! This is an awesome recipe and I can’t wait to share it with my friends 🙂

    Reply

  29. I never ever thought of using cola to prepare a dish. It’s a good idea and I think it is also good because the ingredients go perfectly separately.

    Reply

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