Sweet Baked Ham
Hands down, this is the best ham I’ve ever had in my life, and I can almost guarantee it will be the same for you. With a completely out-of-the-box cooking method, ham has never been this tender or this delicious!
*Instant Pot Version of this Sweet Baked Ham HERE!*
Does the world really need another recipe for ham? Ham is ham. Right?
How many ways can you really recreate Easter ham, especially when you have a fabulous slow cooker version and an equally fabulous classic version. I mean really.
Well, when your awesome friend, Mel, who has some of the best food judgment ever, sends you a recipe for sweet baked ham, stating it is the best ham ever, you decide you definitely have room in your heart for another ham recipe.
You guys. I have never had ham like this. Ever. I don’t even know how to describe it in a way that will convince you it’s life-changing. It is incredible.
What makes sweet baked ham so amazing
Here’s where this ham recipe differs from every other traditional baked ham recipe out there.
You take a bone-in ham (not spiral sliced!) and boil it in two parts water to one part white vinegar for a few hours. Stick with me here, because I was skeptical, too.
You definitely want to use a large pot that can accommodate the ham AND the liquid (you’ll need vinegar and water to cover). A lot will depend on the size of ham you have.
What type of ham to use
For this recipe, there are two factors that are really important:
- do NOT use a spiral sliced ham. You want a ham that is not sliced or else it won’t shred easily (and will be dry)
- try to find a bone-in ham; it will be more tender as it cooks. However, several people in the comment thread have used unsliced boneless hams and reported back with decent results. So this criteria isn’t as important as the spiral sliced advice.
I usually look for shank hams – that’s what my grocery store carries that fits this criteria. Bone-in and unsliced.
As the ham cooks in the vinegar/water mixture, the meat becomes super tender. Like, fall off the bone tender.
Yes, your house will smell like vinegar. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but if it bothers you, open a window and turn on the vent above your stove, or do what my friend Mel does and use an outdoor propane stove (pretty good idea if you have one).
The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the ham and how high the heat is during cooking, but you want to cook the ham until it is so tender, it’s basically shredding itself for you.
I let the ham cool until I can carefully extricate it from the pot and put it on a sheet pan or a large cutting board. (The sheet pan is nice because it contains all the juices.)
And then I pull the meat off the bone and shred into pieces.
Make-Ahead Tip
This step can be done several days ahead of time! Cook the ham, shred it, and place the meat in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble and bake.
When ready to bake, layer the ham with a mixture of brown sugar and dry mustard.
The shredded ham bakes for about an hour. It’ll come out of the oven tender as can be coated in a succulent, sweet sauce that contrasts beautifully with the tangy ham.
This sweet baked ham is unbelievably delicious, it’s unreal. I promise I’m not overselling this. It’s amazing. I’ve been making ham this way for years now, and it’s the only way we like our Easter ham anymore!
If you want a new ham recipe to knock the socks off you and your guests, this is the one.
Sweet Baked Ham FAQ’s:
- Can I make this with a boneless ham? I prefer using a bone-in ham (I look for a shank ham usually) – it cooks up the most tender, but a boneless ham will work as long as it isn’t already spiral sliced.
- Can I make this in the Instant Pot? Yep! Instant Pot directions here. I use the Instant Pot for cooking the ham until it is shreddable and then cook the shredded ham with the brown sugar mixture in the oven (although you could probably throw it all back in the Instant Pot and warm it that way).
- Can I cook the ham in the vinegar and water in the slow cooker? I haven’t tried this, but in the comments several people have and say it works great (as long as your ham fits in the slow cooker).
- Can this sweet baked ham be made ahead of time? Yes! The ham can be boiled and shredded several days in advance and refrigerated. It can also be assembled with the brown sugar/mustard mixture a day ahead of time. I think it is best baked right before serving.
- Can the shredded and baked ham be frozen? Yes! We freeze the leftovers of this ham all the time.
- What if my ham isn’t falling apart tender after cooking? Add more time and more liquid as needed.
What to Serve With This
- Tender biscuits like these Buttermilk Biscuits or Cream Biscuits
- Homemade Baked Tater Tots
- Classic Deviled Eggs
Sweet Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 5-7 pound precooked bone-in ham (see note)
- White distilled vinegar
- Water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground dry mustard
Instructions
- Place the ham in a large pot (larger than you think – the liquid is splashy while cooking) and cover with 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar until the ham is covered by at least an inch or two of liquid.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer vigorously for 2-3 hours, until the meat easily falls off the bone. Add more time, as needed until the meat is tender. Also if the liquid reduces, add more during cooking so the ham stays mostly covered.
- When finished cooking, carefully remove the ham from the pot to a rimmed sheet pan, discarding the liquid. Let the ham cool until it is easier to remove the meat from the bones.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard.
- Shred the ham, discarding the fat and bones, and place half of the ham in a 9X9-inch baking dish (or a similar size). Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the ham. Layer the rest of the ham on top and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar mixture.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from my friend with impeccable food tastes, Mel B.
Janelle-how did your 12 pound ham turn out? That is a lot of vinegar! I’ll be cooking mine soon…
This looks so good! I am not a big ham fan, but I just called my mom and told her this is the ham she needs to make for Easter. I’m a great daughter like that. It looks delicious!
Jim and I are having a lonely empty nester Easter so I wasn’t even going to make a ham but after seeing the recipe I changed my mind! Can’t wait to try it!!!
I’m definitely a little late on the game, but I’m planning on making this for our Easter dinner and find myself with a TON of cider vinegar. Since we’re moving in two months, I’d love to make a dent in it. Would it work as a substitute for the white vinegar in the recipe?
Hi Melissa, to be honest I don’t know since I’ve only made it with white but its probably worth a try if you have a lot of vinegar to use.
If I can find a bone-in ham, I will certainly be trying this. I have been craving ham sandwiches like crazy lately, and can’t stand buying the nitrite-filled deli hams. I found this recipe on food52 for pomegranate molasses glazed ham: http://food52.com/recipes/2262-smoked-ham-with-pomegranate-molasses-black-pepper-and-mustard-glaze
I think I will try the boiled in vinegar method and add the pomegranate molasses and allspice to the brown sugar and mustard glaze. Thanks for sharing this recipe so fast, unlike other Mels 😉
Carly, my ham floated while it was boiling. Even though there was plenty of liquid the top was not covered, so I just turned it over every once in a while.
What about using a semi bone-in ham? That’s all I could find…
Meagan – I don’t know what you mean by semi bone-in ham…but if it isn’t spiral sliced then you are probably ok.
This might be a stupid question, but I am currently boiling the ham and the water/vinegar level keeps going down so the top section of the ham isn’t in the water anymore. Should I keep adding water and vinegar to keep the whole ham covered while it finishes boiling?
Carly – I think there were times when the top of my ham wasn’t fully submerged. I added water once during boiling to make up for it and then since it was only a little bit, I didn’t worry about it. Janelle’s tip of turning the ham is a good one, too, as long as you don’t get burned by the boiling liquid.
Stephanie, I’d love to hear how your 13 lb ham turns out, I’ve got a 12+ lb one boiling now, and I’m hoping it works out. (I am using a huge canning pot and ended up with 2 gallons of water and 1 gallon of vinegar to cover it–yikes, that’s a lot of vinegar!)
I just bought a 13 pound ham. Would you cook it for 2.5 or 3 hours? So excited to try this. I’m not a big fan of ham, but I had a coupon for a free ham and thought this recipe would be fun to try.
Thanks for your many delicious recipes.
Stephanie – for a 13 pound ham, I’d definitely go for the three hour mark.
This looks delicious and I like that I can do some of the prep in the days before. I know in the recipe that you said to discard the fat and bone when shredding. I am wondering if you removed any of the excess fat before you boiled. I have used shank hams before and they normally have a pretty thick layer of fat – so I was just wondering if you removed any of that before or if you just stuck the ham in the pot as is. Thanks!
Jackie – I didn’t remove any fat from my ham before boiling.
Where has this ham been all my life!!! I think I want this!
This might be a really dumb question, but is the finished ham overly vinegar-y? There are few things in life that I despise more than vinegar – the smell absolutely makes me gag – yet this recipe intrigues me.
Hi Julie – the finished ham doesn’t have a really strong vinegar taste (although I could taste hints of vinegar) but it definitely smells like vinegar while boiling so if you hate it that badly, you may not want to try this recipe.
Holy crap that sounds good. I’m pinning it pronto!
This looks so good! Thanks for sharing. I have one question. If you cook it in advance and refrigerate it like you mentioned, would you reheat it or serve it cold? Thanks!
so, i was all set to make “the best ham ever”, but now?… does this replace as your favorite? i’m feeling conflicted. i know they are different, but which do you prefer?
Jenna – I have to be honest, yes, this sweet baked ham is my new favorite; HOWEVER, you can’t beat the ease of the slow cooker ham so if you want a no-fuss, no-risk ham, you’ll still have a home run with the slow cooked ham.
Laura – I would definitely reheat the ham if it has been refrigerated in advance, especially if it is for an Easter-dinner type meal.
I had to come back and let you know that I did, in fact, make this for dinner tonight. The husband and I both declared it the best ham we’ve ever eaten. I forgot to check the weight (I’m so lame) and brought home a 9 pound ham. It’s safe to say that we’ll be sick of ham by Easter, but I’m kind of okay with that.
Seriously. Love this recipe and LOVED how cheap the bone in shank ham was compared to my usual bavarian spiral whatever fancy pants ham is. (Sorry. I clearly don’t know ham names. Shank? I think that’s what I bought.)
Just pulled mine out of the oven! My husband doesn’t normally like ham but he couldn’t stop eating it even before the brown sugar was added and it was baked. Also, I ended up using about 3 cups of white vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of cider vinegar because it was all I had and it turned out great. Thanks for another great recipe!
Mel, I am intrigued! I trust you, I must try!
I would think this might decrease the salt content of the ham — sounds like a good deal to me!
Mel! I printed this off. Chuck will be very excited I’m not making a pineapple/brown sugar ham for Easter. Excited to try something new. And like everything I make from your site, I know we will love it! Miss ya!
Okay, I read this recipe and was so excited because I thought it was for an uncooked bone in ham and that is what I have. And then I thought, how is it done so quickly? So, do you think this would work if I roasted the ham like normal and then, tried this recipe? I am kind of hoping…
Brianna – to be honest, I have no idea. I’ve never worked with an uncooked ham and have no idea how long they take to cook. Have you tried googling to find out times for cooking? That may help. I really think the best chance for success is to use a precooked ham because the flavor (from being smoked or cured) will be different than roasting a ham yourself and then using this method.
Did you end up trying it? We bought a hog and I’m on the boiling stage right now. I used Cooks Country’s recipe for the ham to slow roast it and now I’m moving on to Mel’s recipe. I’m curious how it turned out. And I’m learning that a ham is just another pork roast until you…cure it?! I think. I hope it’ll still be good:)
I just put my shredded ham in the oven…
it.is.so.tender
I boiled it for 3 hours outside on my gas grill. It fell off the bones. I’ve got the frozen Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits waiting their turn in the oven. Dinner tonight is going to be epic! Thanks for sharing 😀
A couple of alternate cooking methods/ appliances could be applied here! A Nesco type roaster could be used for the boiling process, and it could also accomodate two hams, if a larger quantity is needed to serve at a gathering! Then proceed as outlined, either in the oven for just one ham, or, if doing more than one, you could also do the layered, glazing process in the roaster oven as well! That would leave your standard oven free for baking those biscuits or other Easter dishes that you may have going on! Secondly, one hame can be prepared with the vinegar solution in a pressure cooker, for a shorter boiling time! About one hour versus the three for open boiling! I have an 8 qt pressure cooker that will accommodate one 5-7 lb ham! If doing more than one ham, a larger canning style pressure cooker could be used, pressuring at 15 psi ! Just thought I would throw in these ideas as additional options! Oh, and you could also set up the Nesco Roaster oven outside on a table … Either on a deck, or even out in a garage! That would also get the vinegar fumes going on outside ! Happy Easter !
Hi Mel!! this is absolutely going to be the ham I make this weekend! SO excited to have found this. I’m going to take advantage of the fact that you can do the boiling part a couple of days ahead of time, so it’ll be easy to just do the baking part after we get home from church and enjoy a mid-afternoon meal!!
quick question – Since I am planning on boiling a couple of days before hand, do you think I should just put the shredded ham in the fridge, and do the sugar/mustard layering right before I bake, or should I go ahead and let the ham sit for a couple of days in the fridge WITH the sugar/mustard mixture already layered with it??
Melanie C. – I would store the ham separate from the brown sugar/mustard and layer before baking.
Hi Mel- This ham sound really good. Your recipes are so trustworthy that I don’t feel like I have to do a trial run before I make things for guests, holidays,etc. I have usually just bought a ham and baked it plain, it always seemed a little dull. So- I am looking forward to trying this for something a little more exciting and a punch of flavor. I have a good buttermilk biscuit recipe that came from Alton Brown, so I may make those if there are any leftovers. I hope you have a great holiday with all your family.
Hey, Mel!
Tere was a great Easter ham article in the NY Times Dining Section last week (http://nyti.ms/11jwnNh) that answered a question I have had forever about ham! It talked about the difference between “city ham” (which is most common, and is defined in the article as a “wet-cured, lightly smoked, prebaked ham, what neighborhood butchers called a city ham”) and “country ham” (one that has undergone a “long, slow, air-drying process, along the same lines as Italian prosciutto and Spanish jamón”).
Have you ever wondered about the difference? If not, then I’m terribly embarrassed and never mind me either. If you have, then me too! 😉
Either way, that’s a nice-lookin’ city ham you got there.
Nicole
Wow, I definitely need help when it comes to making ham so I’m really excited about this!
I am surprised you didn’t have this recipe! I got it from your friend Mel a couple of years ago after she brought it to an Easter dinner pot luck. It really is the very best ham ever! I’m going to have to make it for Easter Sunday. I’m glad you posted it, because Easter is not on my radar at the moment as life is crazy and hectic right now. Adding it to the grocery list right now.
Looks yummy! Does the sauce have a mustardy flavor?
Allison – the sauce is a perfect marriage of sugar and mustard. The mustard flavor isn’t overly strong but it is definitely there.
This? Is happening. For sure. Maybe even today. I hope the snow plow comes down my street, because mama needs to get a ham from the store.
I’ll preface this question with the statement: I know nothing about ham. My husband got a Pit ham from work. When I googled it I found out it is boneless, but it gives the flavor of a bone-in ham. From reading comments and your responses, I am gathering that I should NOT try this recipe with a Pit ham. Is that right? Do you have a recipe on your site for a Pit ham? I haven’t found it if you do. The other ham recipes look great, but I’m not sure if I should use them. Thank you Mel for all you do. I love, love, LOVE making recipes from your collection and do regularly. I don’t know how you do it with those 5 little ones running around!
Heidi – I’m definitely not a ham expert but you might reference the article Nicole just linked to in her comment (below yours). It helps define the different types of hams. I don’t want to discourage anyone from thinking outside the box and trying something different with this recipe (it’s fun to experiment) but I also don’t want to set anyone up for disaster, especially with ham which costs more than, say, saltine crackers. 🙂 I really don’t know much about Pit hams but maybe you could find some info online to help decipher. If anyone does end up trying it with a boneless ham then I’ll be curious to know the results!
Oh don’t worry Mel….I fully intend on trying this recipe!!! It looks like it has amazing flavor!
Just to confirm, I need to measure how much water I add, so I know how much vinegar to add, correct? So for every 2 cups of water I add, it needs 1 cup of vinegar (but no more than 3 cups)? Just curious did you use the shoulder portion or butt?
I’m going to make this with my “free” ham for the supermarket this week!
Thanks!
Hi Lorie – yes, measure the water and the vinegar because you want it to be two cups of water to every one cup of vinegar. If you need to use more than three cups of vinegar, then that should be fine because you’ll have enough water to balance it out. I only listed a general amount in the recipe so people would know it’s more than a couple of tablespoons of vinegar that you need. Depending on the size of your ham and pot, you’ll just measure out the water and vinegar to suit your situation. Does that help?
Looks delish! How many servings do you get with the 5-7 pound ham?
Ashley is right, you can bake it too then shred it and it isnt as likely to get tough… Definitely gonna try that glaze 🙂
Teresa and Ashley – while baking may eliminate some of the hassle of boiling with the vinegar, you don’t get the delicious flavor that comes from the vinegar-infused ham that then bakes with the sweet sugar and mustard glaze.
Perfect timing for Easter! We usually end up with a spiral sliced ham, but not this year! Thanks for posting this ham recipe.
Question: If I decrease the sugar by half, would you advise decreasing the dry mustard by half as well.
Ruth – I haven’t decreased the sugar so I don’t know the play of flavors if you kept the mustard the same. You’ll have to experiment with that. Good luck!
Tami – I’d say a 5-7 pound ham could easily serve anywhere from 8-10 moderate eaters. 🙂
My mom accidentally made a ham like this one year and we have not been able to perfect it since then. I am hoping you have solved that problem for me. Looking forward to Easter dinner more than ever.
Could you use a boneless ham? Every year my husbands work gives him a boneless ham and we are burnt out on Ham Sammie’s… I’d love to try this. At thoughts?
Kelly – I wouldn’t recommend using a boneless ham because the bone-in hams tend to stay a bit more tender.
I knew I could count on you to get me just the recipe I needed for Sunday! Thanks!
P.S. The leftovers of this ham freeze splendidly. I froze about half and am taking a portion out to use in a fried rice concoction.
This sounds wonderful! I have been looking for that “perfect” ham recipe that makes ham this tender and juicy! Thanks so much for sharing this…this is definatly on my “to do” list!
What recipe did you use for the biscuit in the picture?
I think your slow cooker ham is out of this world; but you have convinced me with your high recommendation to make this ham for Easter. I just sent the recipe to my friend as well. As I have a camper stove, might cook it outside as I’m sensitive to strong smells.
Just one thing, in your instructions you mention “In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and ham.” I think you meant stir together the brown sugar and dry mustard. Just fyi.
Thank you very much for the recipe….both “Mels”. jb
Judith – thanks for the heads up! I’ll edit the recipe but yes, it is the brown sugar and mustard that is stirred together.
Tibby – I actually used a buttermilk biscuit recipe I’m perfecting. I’m hoping to post it in the next week or two!
This (minus the shredding–we take the ham out before it gets to that stage) is pretty much my family recipe for ham. I grew up with it, and it’s spoiled me for any other type.
The leftovers are great in sandwiches, shredded with scrambled eggs, or in steak form–and the bone makes great split pea soup.
Now I have to convince myself that the two of us can consume that much ham. Heck, I can eat an amazing amount of it. Maybe, maybe …
Of course now I must try this recipe! I love baked ham, like most people, but don´t make it often. I will go over to my butcher to see what bone-in ham I can get, because the supermarket most certainly doesn´t carry it. May this work with lamb too? I wonder.
This makes me smile because the first time I had my mother-in-law’s ham it was “life changing.” I’m so glad someone else has a life changing experience from ham. 🙂
If you’re ever short on time or don’t want to use other ingredients, there is a cooking method so easy you can’t even label it a recipe. Rinse off your bone in ham, wrap it completely in foil and then put in roasting pan. (Or use an oven bag!) Bake at 350 for at least half an hour per pound. It will be dark and salty and shred off into pieces. And dinner is ready! Life changing. 🙂
We are having lamb for Easter dinner, but I am definintely going to take advantage of some of the sales on ham this week and get one to make this. The picture of the ham on the biscuit looks mouthwatering. The glaze on the baked ham sounds soo good. I love the combo of ham with a sweet tangy sauce. Yum!