Recipe For Baked Ham With Easy Brown Sugar Glaze
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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.
Our Sunday dinners were spent at my maternal grandmother’s (Nanny’s) house who just happened to live right down the road from us. And, more often than not, she’d have her famous fried chicken (which, as a child, I always teased her about setting up a stand by the road selling “Nanny’s Famous Fried Chicken”). Of course, she had all the fixin’s, fresh from the garden when in season, but it’s the chicken that stands out in my memories. Maybe it’s because I’ve never tasted any other that comes close to how good it was. And the funny thing is, I don’t think Nanny had some “secret” recipe, I think it was simply made with an abundance of love! Miss my Nanny and her fried chicken!
This brought back a lot of sweet memories, my childhood Sundays sounded just like Karen Coes, i checked her name to see if we’re related, Ha ha ,no I don’t think so, i guess in the south, thats the way it was. And then after I married , all of my husbands family ended up at my Mother-in-laws, most Sundays and I loved it there too,It was almost like being at my Grandparents again, All the wonderful food , the little cousins laughing and playing, the laughter and talking of us grown-up people then.Then as time marched on, I worked on some Sundays (I hated that ) when i was off I would fix a Hugh Breakfast and a nice Dinner, usually a roast or chicken, with all the trimmings, so my children would have thier own memories one day, with our traditions. Now there is just hubby and me, on most Sundays ,unless we have a family Birthday or Holiday, we just go out to eat after church. Thank-You for your ham recipe, it sounds really good, I will probably fix it for Easter .
There is just my husband and me now but we always sit at the table for a meal. Sometimes during the week I will have my daughter and her 3 girls for dinner and the best part is sitting around the table and talking long after the meal is finished. My favorite meal is straight from the 50’s meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.
My mother in law (who has gone on ) made the most wonderful Sunday dinners, they were one of the best parts of marrying into her family. she was, however, from the east and did things a bit differently. The very first Sunday dinner I attended, she cooked a beef roast. To my horror, she poured off the pan juices, put them in a sealed container and discarded them. She proceeded to make macaroni and cheese as a side dish. She must have noticed the look on my face. she asked what I did with the juices. I told her that I made gravy for the mashed potatoes. Apparently they did not make much gravy in her family. She said we could try that the next time she made a beef roast. True to her word, she allowed me to make mashed potatoes and gravy which pretty well did away with the mac and cheese with beef roast. We still had plenty of mac and cheese but usually with a wonderful ham(that’s how it supposed to be isn’t it?) Seeing the Ham made me think of her and this little incident…..she was a wonderful mother in law and I loved her so much. People from the east just eat differently….imagine Thanksgiving Dinner with Acorn Squash and NO Sweet potatoes. Bless her heart, she was generous with her kitchen and allowed me to cook “my things” which the whole family come to love( as who does not love southern cooking?) I could probably write a book about a ” Southern cook in a Yankee kitchen!!
Christy , you have brought so much joy to my life and the stories that go along with the great recipes you have shared with all of us . You stories are like mine ….the wonderful times with my Grandmother’s .
I’m so happy that you start this site and my wonderful husband of 42 years bought me your cookbook for Christmas . I have really enjoyed it and thanks for bringing back some of the “old recipes” that I didn’t have .
Blessings to you and your beautiful family.
Sunday dinner growing up in Atlanta was most often fried chicken which my mother cooked to perfection. No KFC at her house. With it she served rice and milk gravy and fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market – purple hull peas, okra, butter beans, green beans, etc. She also made macaroni and cheese different from any recipes I have seen. She layered cooked macaroni and shredded cheddar cheese. Then poured a mixture of beaten eggs and milk over and baked. Eggs gave it more of a custard consistency.
Our Sunday dinners were special because my daddy, an old Army cook, would bust out the big pans and cook for about 30 people. It gave my mother a break on the weekend and boy, can he cook for a crowd. You never had to ask if someone could join us for dinner because there was always plenty. It was common to see folks taking home plates for work the next day or dinner sometime the next week. A long standing favorite is homemade fried chicken, rice & gravy, sweet peas, homemade rolls or biscuits, pear salad, and a tall cake of some flavor. Yummy!!!
p.s. My daddy’s favorite & most requested dessert when he comes to my house is your “Mama’s Amazingly Easy Coconut Pie”. I gladly make him one every time as a little thanks for all those Sunday dinners he made for us!
Growing up I lived with my grandparents, I have some vague memories of my grandma making very big roast and potatoes dinners on Sunday for my grandpa, she loved to cook for him. After he passed away back in 1978 when I was 10, she seem to lose her desire to cook. She would still make Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners but you could tell that heart just wasn’t in it any more. I took over the cooking for the both of us, nothing to elaborate just simple soups and sandwich type things that a 10 year old could manage.
Now today, with my husband and two girls, I normally pick a recipe that I have been eyeing all week and will make that for Sunday dinner with some type of dessert, rather it is a cake, brownies or cookies. Just something to make that meal a little bit more special for them.
Lately though, I just haven’t had any desire to cook, my mother just recently passed away unexpectantly on Feb 12th, and I just haven’t felt like doing anything. While we were in Minnesota packing up her belongings, I came across a family cook book that has some of my grandmother’s recipes in it but it also has my mom, aunts and all of my cousins. I already told my self (I have a bad habit of talking to myself) that this Sunday, I am going to randomly pick a recipe and make it for dinner.
Thank you Christy for this post, I got a little misty eyed writing this but I think you just but the bug back in my ear so to speak to get myself out my dulldrums and make a special dinner for my family this weekend.
Raquel, isn’t it strange how events shape our life and what we like to do or lose the desire to do. I have been married a long time (56 years) and after cooking so many meals while raising 4 children and working full time I did not enjoy cooking as much. Then 2 years ago we lost our 46 year old son suddenly. Cooking became my therapy. It gave me something to think about and to do and there was great satisfaction in putting good meals on the table for my husband and me. I’m sorry about your mom. You are blessed to have found some family recipes. Enjoy them and make some traditions for your family. They will long remember your Sunday dinners.