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!

Fork picking up piece of baked ham.

 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 honey, ground cloves, or pineapple rings used in this ham glaze recipe. 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 light brown sugar)
  • Coke of choice 

Adding mustard to glaze ingredients in mixing bowl.

In a small bowl place your brown sugar, mustard, and coke.

Stir glaze ingredients together well.

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.

Cover ham with glaze.

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 roasting pan.

Brush half of your brown sugar 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 oven for 1 hour.

Baked ham in tray.

After your ham is baked it will look like this.

Cover ham with remaining glaze.

Peel the tin foil back and baste ham with the remaining brown sugar glaze.

Return to oven and bake ham for 30 minutes more uncovered, or until lightly browned.

Slicing baked ham.

Remove the glazed ham from the oven 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 cooked ham 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!

Plate of baked ham.

This brown sugar 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 ham glaze, 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 orange juice if you prefer a more traditional glaze. Another option is ginger ale, if you dare!
  • Decorate your cooked ham with maraschino cherries for a festive touch!
  • There are many different cuts of ham: spiral cut ham, boneless ham, bone-in ham… I recommend the latter for this baked ham recipe.

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 Easter ham), 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

Green Eggs and Ham

How to Cook A Ham & Get At LEAST 4 Meals Out Of It!

Plate of baked ham (Easter menu ideas)

Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Glaze

This recipe for baked ham features the easiest and tastiest 3-ingredient brown sugar glaze that makes your ham positively shine. Also, save that ham bone for other delicious recipes!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ham
Servings: 4
Calories: 419kcal

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

Calories: 419kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

*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.

 

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136 Comments

  1. When I was a girl, we used to go to my great-grandmother’s house every Sunday. She lived about an hour’s drive away, so by the time we got there, had dinner and spent the afternoon visiting, then drove home… it was an all day affair.

    You never knew who would turn up for dinner, and Grandma didn’t either. She’d almost always cook a beef roast with potatoes and carrots, or fried chicken. But… if other people showed up, she’d go to the fridge and start pulling out some pork chops from the night before, or a little “dab” of spaghetti from two nights ago. Combined with the usual vegetables, rolls or cornbread, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc…. there would be quite a spread on the table. Almost like a buffet. LOL Dessert was usually a pie or cobbler of some kind.

    When there were big dinners, such as a holiday, the house would be full of people. It seemed like the women were always in the kitchen, the men were either in the living room in front of the tv, or ourside talking, and the children were running everywhere, visiting with cousins that we didn’t see very often. One bedroom always had 2 or 3 babies asleep on the bed. LOL The men would sit at the big dining room table and eat first, the women and children sat at the smaller kitchen table and were served after the men. I’m not sure I’d settle for that these days. 😉

    Sometimes we kids would get to spend the night with Grandma. That meant homemade doughnuts or buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. They were out of this world delicious. She’d also bake pies and save all the dough scrap for us kids. We roll it out, cut it into shapes and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it… then she’d bake it right along with her pies.

    I have such fond memories of that time of my life. Sadly, my parents and all of my grandparents are gone, and much of the family has scattered to the four corners. I try to keep that Sunday dinner tradition alive for my own family. That’s the day that I make something that takes a little more time than a week night meal, and there’s always dessert. I think it’s important to slow down and spend time together around the table. It gives us time to connect with one another.

    Many of your recipes have been a part of those meals for us, so thank you for the part you play in our Sunday dinner memories. 🙂

  2. I bought a ready to cook spiral ham one time and did this. Do not make that mistake. Make sure it is not a spiral ham. If it is, it will dry out like you can’t imagine. I’ve got to buy another ham and try it again. And, by the way, that was advise given from my grandmother. When I asked what I had done wrong, her first question was what kind of ham did you buy. Thank you “Crissy Lissy” for the great ham recipe.

    By the way, my mom’s already got lunch planned out for Sunday. Is your mom that way too? You can always ask them on Friday what’s for Sunday lunch and they already know. I wish I was that organized.

  3. I think Sunday dinner is where I began cooking. When I was in high school I would go to Sunday School with my family, but while they stayed for church I would go home and fix dinner and it would be on the table when they got home. The menu did not vary much as it was based on my dad’s preference which was steak , mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and lettuce salad. I generally baked a cake the night before. My mom was a terrific cook, but I think she loved the relief of me cooking on Sunday. I still love to do Sunday night suppers for my kids as they don’t eat much of the traditional food except here.

  4. OK. This is a little opener before my Sunday dinner comment. I am a southerner true and true. I was born in South Carolina and have lived here my whole life. All my family, back for generations are South Carolinians. Now lately when I talk to people, they cannot believe I am from SC. Apparently I have no southern accent whatsoever.
    When we had Sunday dinner at home, the ones I remember most are either steak on the grill or fried chicken. My dad would cook steaks on the grill and we would also have a salad and a baked potato. My dad used charcoal and he would pour gasoline on the coals and then set that baby on fire. I know that this is probably not politically correct nowadays but this is how he did it. On fried chicken Sundays we would drive to downtown Charleston from Mt. Pleasant. We would first go to the Piggly Wiggly on Meeting Street and get some potato salad and then we would stop at the Church’s Chicken to get our chicken.
    My favorite Sunday dinner was prepared by my Granny. My dream dinner would be fried chicken, chicken and rice pirlow (I don’t think this is the correct spelling but I spelled grammatically so you would know how we said it) butter beans and homemade biscuits with a slice of tomato from the garden. My grandfather grew the best tomatoes in the world, no lie. The world has lost one of the greatest home gardeners as he passed away last year. Thanks for listening it was actually kind of cathartic to relive some of these great memories.

    1. I’m guessing that the name of that dish is “rice pileau,” a tasty combination of sausage, bacon, onions, chicken and rice. And of course a Southern tongue would say “low” for the French “leau.” Gotta love it.

  5. This looks fantastic. I wonder Christy if you enter these memories in a journal for your children. I grew up on a farm and we lived a very simple life. My grandfather lived with us my entire life and the memories he shared with us were priceless. I often times wished I’d have recorded his stories for my grandchildren. Let’s just say I am over 60 years old and I share what I can remember but sadly that seems to be less and less as years go by. The richness of our lives shouldn’t die with us.

  6. I grew up like you – mom made those wonderful Sunday dinners. She was probably up by 5 am putting the green beans in the pressure cooker, putting a roast with all the trimmings in the oven, making a salad & perhaps two desserts. She also made her own yeast rolls. By the time we got home from church we just added a couple more veggies & set the table. Wow, what wonderful memories – I’m afraid my family eats out most Sundays. We’re some of those good Baptists that hurry from church to get to a restaurant before the Methodists!!! Love your articles & all your “southerness”. A girl after my own heart!!!

    1. M y favorite Sunday dinner was pot roast made with beef short ribs. My Mama would make this before we went to church.She would season and flour the shortribs brown them in Armour lard,which was all we had in our small grocery stores in Quinlan,TX.pop.less than 500,then after they were all browned she would put salt,pepper,and flour in the drippings and let that brown,add water and let it thicken, quarter potatoes and onions then cut carrots in large pieces and put this all in a dutch oven. Then she would make yeast rolls and a pie crust. She would dress for church and when we got in from church she would mix up either coconut or chocolate for our pie,punch the rolls down,make tea then make the rolls out,open a jar of her pinto beans or green beans and a jar of corn,all vegeables she had canned herself. That was my favorite. Her fried chicken was also a close favorite but that roast I could taste all the while at church. My Mama was the best pie maker in the world and her hot rolls too. I sure miss her and all her good cooking. We lost her June 7,2010. She was 93 and cooked for us till her death.

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