Cherry-glazed ham hock recipe

This recipe is incredibly simple but results in very flavoursome, fall-apart ham that’s infused with sweet, yet subtle, cherry. It’s a great recipe to do in the slow cooker, if you have one, but if you don’t, cook it in a large casserole pot in a low oven for up to 3 hours. We’ve used ham hock, which is a lot cheaper than a gammon leg, but the results are just as good. One hock will easily yield enough meat for two people, but if you’d like to make this for more people, you may need another hock.

Read our tried and tested reviews of the best slow cookers.

Ingredients

• 1 ham hock (or more, if you’re feeding more people)
• 2 litre bottle cherry Coca Cola
• 3tbsp black cherry jam

Method

1. Put the ham hock and Cherry Coke in a slow cooker and cook on low for up to 5 hours, until the meat is very tender.
2. Remove the ham from the slow cooker. Either discard the Coke-stock, or reserve to reduce and use as a sauce for another recipe.
3. With a sharp knife, remove the skin and any chunks of fat.
4. Transfer the ham to a roasting tin. Score the flesh of the meat then spread cherry jam all over the joint.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Bake the glazed ham for 20-30 mins, until the glaze becomes even stickier and thick.
6. Transfer the ham to a serving plate and leave to rest for a few minutes. Use a knife and fork to tear it into chunks. Reserve the bones to make a stock for pea soup.