Recipe For Baked Ham With Easy Brown Sugar Glaze
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This recipe for baked ham features the easiest 3-ingredient brown sugar glaze. You’re going to want to keep reading to discover the secret ingredient that makes this glaze so tasty!
This recipe for baked ham is from my great-grandmother Lela. Her easy 3-ingredient glaze includes brown sugar, yellow mustard, and… coke! Yep, there’s no , , or used in this . The addition of coke makes this glaze so tasty and ham so succulent everyone will be going back for seconds.
A good and simple baked ham makes the perfect main course for any meal and any occasion, including Easter and Christmas dinner. The added bonus is that once you bake a juicy ham, you usually have the leftovers to make at least three more meals. The hambone in and of itself is a goldmine for the best pot of pintos you could ever hope to eat or you can use it to flavor a comforting pot of senate bean soup.
One of my favorite things to do with baked ham leftovers is to reheat some Jordan rolls the next morning, split them in two, and layer warmed slices of ham in between them for a quick, easy, and darn good breakfast. Coffee washes it down just right. There are already several recipes on SouthernPlate.com using leftover ham. So glaze that ham and get it baking, but be sure to save the ham bone with a little meat still on it! Just pop it in a gallon size bag and stick it in the freezer.
Okay, now that I am sufficiently hungry, let’s get this show on the road!
There is another great ham recipe in my cookbook so be sure and check it out! It is one of many which are exclusive to my cookbook, so they will never be on SouthernPlate.com.
Recipe Ingredients
- Smoked ham
- Yellow mustard
- Brown sugar (either dark or )
- Coke of choice
In a small bowl place your brown sugar, mustard, and coke.
Give that a good stir.
It will become a lot more liquified than you expect it to.
On the off chance it doesn’t (you know, atmospheric pressure, leprechaun interference, whatever) you can always add another tablespoon of coke.
Line a rimmed (or sided) baking pan with aluminum foil, heavy-duty if you have it.
If you don’t have heavy-duty, just use regular. No sense in spending extra money when you don’t have to.
Place ham in the middle of the foil-lined pan.
Brush half of your glaze over the ham (just the parts that you can get to).
If you don’t have a brush just use a big spoon and put gobs of the glaze on the ham and then smear it around a bit.
Most of the gadgets we have in the kitchen are pretty much space taker-uppers anyway.
Seal that up well and roast ham in a 350-degree for 1 hour.
After your ham is baked it will look like this.
Peel the tin foil back and baste ham with the remaining glaze.
Return to oven and bake ham for 30 minutes more uncovered, or until lightly browned.
Remove the from the and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice ham how you like and enjoy!
If you need to serve it later you can cover it with foil to keep it warm and let it sit on your stovetop. I suggest cutting your within half an hour of removing it from the oven because that is about as long as you’ll be able to stand waiting once you smell it!
This glaze is delicious!
Feels good when people like your cooking, doesn’t it?
Storage
- Store leftover ham in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve cold or quickly reheat in the microwave.
- You can also store glazed ham leftovers in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any coke you like in this , whether that’s diet coke, diet Dr. Pepper, or a simple can of Coca-Cola.
- I definitely recommend using a baking dish with sides. It’s inevitable that the ham juice will leak out and if it gets in the bottom of your oven you will have quite the smell in your house.
- I use an electric knife that I got for about $25 (like the one pictured HERE*) to slice my glazed ham, but a nice sharp regular knife will work just fine.
- You could also substitute the coke for if you prefer a more traditional . Another option is , if you dare!
- Decorate your with for a festive touch!
- There are many different cuts of : , , bone-in … I recommend the latter for this .
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with this baked ham recipe?
You can serve your baked ham in so many different ways. For the main meal (if this is a holiday or ), serve it alongside side dishes like mashed potatoes (we also have a sweet potato version) and fresh green beans. Another option is to serve it for lunch on a sandwich or with your favorite salad.
You may also enjoy these ham recipes:
Ham Egg and Cheese Casserole (Insta Pot or Oven!)
Ham Salad (Recipes SHOULD be easy!)
Smoked Ham and Veggies Pasta Salad
How to Cook A Ham & Get At LEAST 4 Meals Out Of It!
Ingredients
- 1 approx 8-lb. smoked, ready-to-cook, bone-in ham
- 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark, whatever you have
- 2 tablespoons coke or your favorite carbonated soda
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Line a large pan with a lip around it with aluminum foil. Place the ham in the center of the foil.1 approx 8-lb. smoked, ready-to-cook, bone-in ham
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, coke, and mustard to make your glaze. Brush half of the glaze over the ham. Wrap the entire ham well in foil. Place in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour.1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons coke, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- Remove the ham from the oven and peel back the foil, but don't move the ham. Brush the remaining glaze over the ham and return to the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes or so before cutting. If you need to serve it later you can cover it with foil to keep it warm and let it sit on your stovetop. I suggest cutting it within half an hour of removing it from the oven because that is about as long as you'll be able to stand waiting once you smell it.
Nutrition
*And by the way, if you purchase that knife through Amazon, Southern Plate gets a very small commission from Amazon that goes towards helping us keep up the site.
Never be afraid to try. Remember, amateurs built the ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.
Christy, your ham glaze is exactly the one I use. It’s so easy, and delicious too.
My mama didn’t cook a big dinner on Sunday very often (she was more likely to cook a big meal on Saturday night because Sunday was a such a busy day). But when she did, oh boy….
I remember the summer I turned 15, all of her nieces and nephews came for the day one Sunday in late July. When they came around, Mama always cooked their favorites (most of them are my favorites too!), things her mother, who was a fabulous cook, often cooked on Sunday. On this particular day, she cooked (mostly by herself with a little help from Daddy) baked ham, chicken and dumplings, cornbread dressing, fresh Silver Queen corn, green beans, summer squash casserole and field peas, and served sliced tomatoes and cucumbers also on the side. All the veggies came from our garden. She made cornbread (no one makes finer cornbread than my mama) and homemade potato rolls from my MaMaw’s (daddy’s mother) recipe. For dessert there was homemade ice cream and apple dumplings from mama’s grandmother’s recipe which has been passed down in her family since well before the Civil War. This recipe is different from any I have seen. It calls for cooked apples wrapped in little pastry bundles and served with a sweet sauce made from cream, butter, a little flour, sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of salt.
I had many memorable meals at mother’s table. About the only thing she still cooks when I visit is cornbread. And we usually eat out on Sundays now. But I will always remember her great dishes. Thankfully, I have learned to make most of them. The thing I miss most about Sunday dinner growing up is listening to Daddy ask the Lord to bless the food. Nothing can replace his gentle voice and the squeeze of his hand as we prayed. Love and miss you, Daddy.
Growing up our Sunday dinners consisted of pot roast, ham or country fried steak. My mom always made Sunday dinners special.
Now that I am married I have started doing that for my husband and I. He never had big Sunday dinners, so I try to make them extra special for him. My husband now looks forward to our Sunday dinners and he especially likes it when I make your chicken and dumplings.
Sunday Dinner was a must at my home growing up. My Mother was a wonderful cook. When I got married and moved closer to my husbands family we started eating out more than we ate in. Something in my soul dried up a little bit over this and I did not even know it!
My husband got layed off about 21 months ago and I started cooking Sunday Dinners. It is now one of his family’s thing to do on Sundays. I feed anywhere from 9 to 15 people at Sunday Dinner and let me tell you there is nothing like it. I so enjoy the planning, cooking and the sigh’s of contenment at the dinner table.
I have had your cookbook for about two months and it has been a wonderful read. The recipes are great and so much like some of my own and then the others I just can’t wait to try.
Oh, those sweet and sour greenbeans…. they are hands done the best recipe you could have ever passed on. Thank You!
We ALWAYS had Sunday dinner at home when I grew up and I like to cook Sunday dinner for my family as well. Now, when morning church service is over, my friends ask if we want to join them for lunch and if I say no because I already cooked, one lady says, “That’s right..you’re one of THEM that cooks Sunday dinner!” Sometimes we go to lunch with them, but we prefer to eat at home. Cooking truly is a labor of love, and I like to cook things I know my family enjoys. I have made many recipes from this site and plan to try many more.
Doesn’t that sound just like a church lady! So rude! “One of THEM”, like there’s something wrong with cooking Sunday dinner!
My Memaw made the best fried okra and creamed corn that I ever put in my mouth! I asked her one time how she made her okra. She used cornmeal, salt, pepper, and green tomatoes! I never knew the green tomatoes were in there! I have very fond memories of watching her run her worn out knife up and down cobs of fresh corn that Papaw had just brought in from the garden to make her amazing creamed corn. He had such a big garden full of beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and corn. And even peach and apple trees and a grape vine which Memaw used to make jam and Papaw used the old vines to make wreaths! They never let anything go to waste! Papaw passed away 5 years ago and Memaw passed away a few months ago and I miss them so terribly! The smell of Memaw’s lotion and the sound of Papaw’s guitar always takes me back. So many memories of two beautifully amazing people! What a blessing to have had them in my life!
I have been hounding my aunts’ to let me have a peek at her recipes and copy them so that I can pass the tradition down for our family to enjoy! I am thinking of bringing out the “big guns” and bring them some homemade cinnamon rolls to soften them up a bit! Wish me luck!
wow, reading these memories, is awesome. I remember us going to Maw Maw’s house for Sunday dinner. Maw Maw would roast a chicken. She just had the best. I have never found anyone that could do it like her. She would have veggies, and salad, and home made bread. And for our treat afterward, she would have home made Ba Ba. It’s a cake like dough, with a custard on top, then a merigue is topping it off. It is one delicious treat. And it had to be made from scratch. Just talking about all of this makes my mouth water. Sad part of this memory is that my Maw Maw died and she took her recipes with her.
Growing up my dad was the preacher and my mom taught Sunday School and sang in the choir. Mother usually cooked a huge roast before breakfast and warmed it up after church. It had onions, potatoes, and carrots cooked in it with green beans, rolls, and sliced tomatoes on the side. There was usually some kind of dessert, but I don’t remember the details. I didn’t eat dessert until I was an adult. We often had guest preachers and missionaries from around the world eat Sunday dinner with us. Some days we sat at the table for hours listening to stories. After lunch we washed all the plates and cookware, but the leftovers were covered in foil and left in the oven all afternoon. After the Sunday night church service, we warmed up the leftovers–and still had roast beef sandwiches at least halfway through the week.