"Pop" It in the Oven Ham

Posted by Amy at the LCT Forum


One half semi-boneless or “full” boned ham

1 can diet pop (I used A & W Cream Soda) – the flavor you choose will add a different nuance to the finished product.

This is so easy you’re going to smack yourself.

9 hours before serving time:

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Place ham cut-side down in a large pot with a lid. If you don’t have a pot large enough to allow the lid to close completely without touching the ham, place foil under the ham to form a “bag” that will allow you to completely envelop the ham later with more foil on top.

Pour one can of chosen diet pop over the top of the ham. If your pot is large enough for the lid, place a tent of foil over the pot and seal around the edges, then pop on the top. If using a foil envelope, put foil over the top of the ham and “tent” it, trying to keep the foil from touching the top of the meat. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom foil to seal.

Bake ham at 350 deg for one hour. Reduce oven temp to 250 deg and bake 7 more hours. At the end of baking time, remove pot from oven and allow to sit COVERED for one hour.

Open the covering and lift out the meat in whatever pieces you can. Don’t try to remove it as one large piece! The ham will fall apart – you may be able to slice it a bit, but mainly, it will fall off the bone.

Serve!

This is great cold and the leftovers make a great omelet filling with a bit of cheese.

OPTION: make this an overnight creation by doing the first hour of cooking from 10 – 11 p.m. and setting the oven for the lower temperature at that point and using the oven timer (if you have one to shut off at about 5 a.m. You’ll wake up to wonderfully baked ham.