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.
Oh Mel, I made this last night for some new friends and the Elders (party of 11 thank you!). They could not stop saying how good it was. I was pretty nervous when it was boiling, and that it would be too mustardy, but it truly is perfectly delicious and really so easy to make for a big crowd. ( I had a back up plan in mind). I am so excited to enjoy leftovers for a couple days. Glad I could take advantage of the good ham prices too. I’ll definitely be grabbing another ham for the near future, and make it again especially for Easter Dinner. You’re the bomb!!
Holy moly! I just bought my ham and i’m going to have to use my bath canner to boil it in!! I swear it didn’t look that big in the store….
My husband found this recipe and we decided to give it a go for our big Easter dinner. It was absolutely amazing! I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and FINALLY found your recipe again! I can’t wait to make it again! Such a fantastic, fairly cheap meal!
I mentioned to my boys I was having ham for thanksgiving. Their immediate response was”Mom, are you making the yummy one, you know, the one you cook in vinegar first.” This has become my “go to” recipe for ham since the first time I made it. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your response, Dan. Glad it worked 3 days in advance!
I boiled it 3 days ahead when I made it this summer, and it came out perfectly. I’m making it again for a party this weekend.
I saw a question about boiling the ham 3 days in advance. I am wondering if anyone has boiled the ham 3 days in advance? I am planning to make this for my son’s christening & the earlier I can make it ahead of time, the better for my sanity! 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe! I am in the middle of a test run on the recipe – more b/c I had half of a bone-in ham leftover & I was getting hungry just reading the recipe! Since I am using a small ham, I did not have to layer the ham – just one layer in an 8×8 pan. Should I adjust the hour baking time? Also, am planning to make this for my son’s christening next week where I will be serving a bunch. I saw in the comments a question about boiling it 3 days in advance….am wondering if anyone has tried it that much in advance. Thanks!
So I made this today and just used a large crock pot on high. The water didn’t totally submerge the ham, but close. I just turned it part way through cooking and cooked it for longer (about 4 hours). I put the shredded ham in a ziplock bag and shook it up with the mixture. I’m going to put it on pretzel bread (Costco has rolls that are in the bakery dept that are so good). Then I make this amazing soup that has basil, tomato bean and ham (I reserved some before the last step). Perfect fall meal for book club.
Thanks for this great recipe!
Blog on
Janet
Before finding this recipe, I prepared ham for distinctly special meals only, and used the inevitable leftovers for sandwiches, ham and eggs, tiny ham-stuffed tomatoes, or as an addition to macaroni and cheese (a nice layer of ground ham does wonders).With this recipe, there are no leftovers, but I wish there were! This ham is great on a biscuit for breakfast, on a roll for lunch, and really delicious with mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner. It even tastes good cold! I have made this several times now, and have tried various types of vinegar. I feel the plain old white stuff works best.
I’ve got a small smoked ham from a friend’s farm — like about 4 lb. Thoughts on how long to cook it in each step?
Hi Dan, I’ve never used a ham that small but I’d suggest cutting everything in half and see how it goes. Good luck!
I have a funny story about this ham. I made it for Easter and I just couldn’t throw away the vinegar/ham “broth” so I froze it, thinking I’d boil some potatoes in it another day. Fast forward to several months later when I was making a tortilla soup and I pulled out the ham “broth” thinking it was chicken broth.
Yeah, I don’t recommend that. I kept taking bites thinking, why is this vinegary? I didn’t put any vinegar in it. Hmmm….
But the ham was delicious. And I bet boiled potatoes in the leftover broth would be delicious too.
Me again! Ok, so last week, I used apple cider vinegar to prepare this ham. It was so freakin’ good, that I bought some white vinegar and another ham! Survey says….(drum rolll please)…THIS IS A TERRIFIC RECIPE EITHER WAY, but the apple cider vinegar gives it a little extra something, in my opinion. Happy Mothers’Day!
Any update on how apple cider vinegar did? I have some homemade stuff here and am wondering if I should try that or go with the white vinegar.
TIA
Hi Scott – I haven’t tried it but I believe someone commented in the thread that they did and it worked fine.
I made this ham and commented on May 5th, but forgot to mention that I was all out of white vinegar, and used apple cider vinegar instead. It was delicious! Next time though, I will make sure I have white on hand. I am anxious to know if it makes any difference. Thanks again for this keeper!
I made this ham for Easter and it turned out perfectly! I could not quit nibbling on it from the time I was shredding it (pre-glazed) until it was done. I took leftovers to work and got so many compliments on it. Most could not believe it was boiled with vinegar! I followed your recipe to the “T” and even boiled it the day before. It made preparing the rest of Easter dinner a breeze! Thanks for the recipe. I found it on Karly’s blog, Buns In My Oven.
I first saw this recipe shortly before Easter, after I had purchased a spiral ham. So I waited. Until now. Came home late, but put it on the stove anyway. It is 11 pm. The best ham ever ever ever just came out of my oven. I do have to be in to work early tomorrow morning, but the ham commanded me to make it some biscuits. Your drop biscuits are in the oven now…it is 11:15 pm. This will be an historic midnight snack! Thanks for this really easy, unique and tasty recipe!
I have a butt ham in the fridge just waiting for this recipe. I’m excited to make the biscuits to go along with it too! What is your opinion on using apple cider or white wine vinegar instead? I never use regular vinegar in cooking, but I’m willing to make an exception if necessary. 😉
Hi Anne – I’ve only ever used white vinegar for this recipe, although you might read through the comments; I can’t remember if someone else made a vinegar substitution with good results.
This was a fantastic way to cook a ham! Loved it!
I am planning to make this for my son’s birthday party this week. I have a lot to make and was wondering if I can boil it 3 days in advance . Also can I make it the morning of the party and just keep it warm so the oven is available for other things? I am so excited to try this!
Hi Becky – I haven’t boiled it that far in advance but I think it should work just fine!
I made this for Easter dinner and it was the BEST ham that has ever come out of my kitchen! I just pulled some of the leftovers out of the freezer for dinner tonight, and I think they were even better than on Easter! Thanks for a unique and great recipe! I will definitely be making ham this way again!
Just had to come say we had this for Easter dinner, too, and it was SO good! Loved every bite!
Just found your site and so excited to try this and many of your other recipes!
BJ
Hi Mel,
I have been following your blog forever, I’ve just never left a comment. I have to tell you this ham was absolutely life-changing, just like you said. I told my mom about it and she made it for our Easter Sunday dinner and we were all going crazy over it. I was wanting it again desperately so I made it today for our Sunday dinner. My boys just kept on eating and eating it. Thank you for sharing it and for sharing all of your yummy recipes.
I made this on Easter for my whole immediate family and it got rave reviews!! Everyone was really surprised to see it shredded. I got some recipe requests and you got all the credit. 🙂
This turned out so yummy!!! Thank you for this recipe!!! 🙂
We also gave this ham recipe a whirl for Easter and boy, was it tasty! I kept going back to the pan and pinching pieces out every time I walked by, it really was that good. We did an 11 lb. ham, it was the smallest one I could find, but it worked great and now we have plenty of ham leftover for future meals. Yay!
This ham was such a hit!!! Thank you once again for such a delicious recipe! I ended up boiling the ham outside in my husband’s turkey fryer and it worked great. I think my hubby went back for fourths, and my children gobbled it up as quick as they could!
UPDATE: we had this last night as leftovers and it was even better than on Easter. Guess the flavors/glaze really melded overnight. We demolished it!
Did the boiling and shredding on Friday and then baked it with the brown sugar/mustard on Sunday for Easter – we all loved it, and I especially loved how easy it was!! I froze half the shredded ham to make this again. Looking forward to it already 🙂
I did not like this ham on its own, although my husband did. However, I adore it in grilled cheese sandwiches, and next I am going to mix it in with some au gratin potatoes. It is an excellent addition to other recipes!
Seriously. Life changing ham. Best ham I’ve ever had. And I’m lame and didn’t know that I only had 1 tsp of mustard powder left so I added squirty mustard which made the brown sugar more like a paste but it cooked up perfectly. I stirred it up a couple times. Wonderful.
I was to make my first ever ham this Easter and ran immediately to your site to figure out how to cook it. This ham turned out beautifully. I was thankful to have my big canning pot to use since I got a nine pound ham to feed my whole crew. Good thing we like it since my mom got sick and had to cancel dinner. Needless to say, we have a good stock of ham in the freezer! Thank you Mel for being my go-to place for recipes! You rock.
I made this last week. Didn’t check the recipe beforehand and bought an 11-lb. ham. I was pleased that the boiling didn’t stink up the house badly at all. I doubled the sugar mixture and layered it in a 9×13 pan (a bigger pan would have been better, I think, but it worked ok). Very tasty! Thanks!
I feel like a dork…my ham was cooked, but all these years, I thought just the spiral ones were cooked and the bone in ones that are cheaper that I also buy were raw…turns out it was ready to eat, so I tried it. I actually had a big ham and was worried about doing all 12 lbs and fitting it in a pot, so I cut it about half. I boiled the half with the bone…about 7.5 lbs (and froze the other half to make later). I boiled with the lid on…and it didn’t stink up the house too badly, but I was worried about it being jerky, so I only boiled 2 hours. I could have done longer. We tried it right after boiling and I was SO worried I had ruined our Easter ham…I didn’t like it. Unless I got a chunk all the way in the middle. But, after it had the sugar added, it was good and a nice change from salty ham. Thanks!
Just found this after posting about Make Ahead Sausage & Egg Casserole — looking for easy but special brunch morning after daughter’s wedding for 40-50 at our home. Stressed about being tired and trying to do too much. Any suggestions for using this ham with ? —
Mary Anna – I think this ham would be delicious for brunch and it could be made ahead of time. Good luck!
I too made this for Easter yesterday, and it was a huge success! It was a bit of work the day before, but it worked out very well just having to add the sugar/mustard mixture and bake it. You’re right, it is so unique and delicious! One of my guests, who’s not a big ham fan, declared this the best ham he’s ever had. The smallest ham I could find was 10 lbs, so I have tons leftover! 🙂
I made this for Easter and we loved it!
The family verdict: best ham ever, bar none. We bought a cheap bone in ham, 10 pounds for 99 cents a pound. We didn’t have a pot big enough, but we used what we had. The boiling was no big deal, the house didn’t smell that bad. We didn’t have enough dry mustard so we added some stoneground mustard as well. We served it with Potatoes Au Gratin (Pioneer Woman), Asparagus with Hollendaise Sauce and Cheddar and Herb Biscuits. I will say that we upped oven temperature on the ham—we had a ton, and at 325 it was taking too long. But that could be because it was cold, we shredded the ham the day before. A lot of work, but well worth the effort.
I made this for Easter dinner and it turned out well. I had a 7.5 lb. ham and boiled it
2-1/2 hours (probably could have done a little longer). I was afraid of it getting tough like jerky. It was very tender and shredded well. I did this yesterday as it was a nice day and I had the windows open to air out the vinegar smell. I baked my pies and rolls yesterday too so all I had to do today was pop ham and funeral potatoes in the oven and make a salad. It was very nice for make ahead type of meal planning. Nice change from sliced ham.
I made this for Easter dinner today. It was good, but mine got a tad dry (probably the cut..semi-boneless ham). I just wanted to post that the flavor tasted exactly like hamloaf if anyone is familiar with that flavor. Even if it was a wee bit dry, I still liked the change from slices of ham. Thanks for the recipe!
Just went to boil my ham, and was SO DISAPPOINTED to see that the meat lady at Kroger had given me a bone-in, non-sliced UNCOOKED ham. ARGG! I was so looking forward to using this recipe.
Does the boiling it for 3 hours not cook it? Or is it that the vinegar gets too involved with the flavor if you start with an uncooked ham? I guess I’m just hoping there’s some way to try it after all. . . .
Just put my 12.5 lb ham on to boil. My family has loved every recipe I’ve made from your site and I’m sure this one will go over just as good. Happy Easter and God Bless you and your beautiful family.
Stephanie, my ham turned out very tender! I’ll be baking it with the glaze tomorrow (I will at least double it), so I can’t speak for that part, but I boiled it just almost 3 hours until it was falling off the bone. (It took almost 2 hours to get to a boil and I had to keep it semi-covered and on high to keep it boiling due to the size of the pot compared to the burner). I’m excited to see how it turns our tomorrow!
Just made the ham and carrot cake cheesecake for tomorrow. I am excited to try the ham since I haven’t found a ham I really love. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Mel! Thanks for answering my question yesterday about the carrot cake cheesecake 🙂 I have another one for this, since I’m making it tomorrow! The smallest ham I could find was 9.5lbs, haha.. I am not quite sure how to adjust this recipe for that weight. Should I boil it for 2.5 hours or 3? And should I increase the glaze amount? Please help, and thanks so much!
Hi Boe – for a 9.5 pound ham (do you have a pot big enough?), I would boil for 3 hours and I’d probably 1 1/2 the glaze. Good luck!
We are shredding the ham as we speak for Easter dinner. 🙂
I took a chance and boiled my Pit Ham (boneless, fully cooked) last night in preparation for Sunday. My ham was nearly 10 lbs. and I boiled it for 3 hours. It shredded pretty nicely. Part of the middle was a little harder to shred, but not bad. It really reminds me of pulled pork- that style of meat. I am excited to warm it in the oven for the hour on Sunday with the glaze. Thanks, Mel!
I’m all set to make this this weekend… now that I went out and bought a new stockpot! I bought the smallest ham I could find (10 lbs!) and it was too big for my largest pot. I had been wanting another one anyway, and this ham was my excuse! I’ll update again after I’ve tried it! Happy Easter, Mel! 🙂
Love your blog; I’ve used several of your recipes. I have just finished grocery shopping and have only red wine and apple cider vinegar – no white. I really don’t want to go back to the store, so I’m going to chance this on Easter Sunday with the apple cider vinegar. I recently slow cooked a pork loin with red wine vinegar that turned out very moist, flavorful and tender, so I’m anxious to try this.