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.
370 Comments on “Sweet Baked Ham”
Well, I made this recipe using a spiral sliced bone in ham despite Mel’s multiple warnings NOT to do this — for science of course! Also because I couldn’t find an unsliced bone in ham at my grocery store and the ham I did find was too big for the crockpot. Anyway. It worked fine — I can definitely see how it would dry out (and some parts of it were definitely dry) but I simmered it for 1h 45min — probably could have checked it and fished it out maybe 30 minutes earlier.
This is such a good recipe! It’s great to make for a crowd because it can be made in advance. I took a suggestion from a commenter and made it in the crock pot. I had to cut chunks off the shank in order to make it fit. I cooked it on high for 8-10 hours with 2C of vinegar and water to cover. It’s so easy! Can’t wait to serve this for Easter tomorrow.
I bought a huge ham because I love to make ham bean soup with the leftovers. My question is: will the bone and meat be good to make soup with after its vinegar bath (I don’t mean that if use the liquid it boiled in, but would reuse the bone and scrap meats to make soup later) or will I ruin the chance of yummy soup leftovers because of the flavor the leftover meat and bone will then have?
It will have a slightly different flavor than a traditionally cooked ham and the vinegar taste may come through.
I use the bone and meat for soup every time I make this ham and it works perfectly. I cook up all the meat in the brown sugar and there is always leftovers because I can only ever find giant hams. Usually a few days after a holiday I use it to make Mel’s ham sweet potato soup. My only caution is to make sure you trim all the cartilage off the bone so no one chokes, and only use the biggest bones because the cartilage gets very soft in the vinegar bath. If you are worried about the vinegar taste, you can roast the bone for like 15/20 minutes on 400° in your oven before making your soup. It’s so good!
I made this ham last year. Very funny as I stood on a step ladder to watch my boiling ham in a very tall pot!! I was thrilled as I shredded it. I then refrigerated it overnight, baked it…but it was dry. My guests said it was good and someone even asked for the recipe…but it really was dry…Making it again this weekend..any special hints? I really want to warm it up in the crock pot as I’m running out of oven space…Should I use a little liquid?
Hi Heidi, I’d suggest drizzling a bit of the cooking liquid (not much, just a little) over the ham if you are going to refrigerate it overnight.
Mel, I have ma made this recipe dozens of times. It is incredible. I was gifted to hams that meet all the criteria for this recipe except that they are “hickory smoked.” Will this cause problems? Thank you for your help!
*two hams! and ignore the “ma”!
Hi Carla! As long as they aren’t sliced and are bone-in, it should work just fine!
I’ve never made ham before and want to make next week for Easter. We’re having my son’s girlfriends family over to meet for the first time – so I knew I needed a Mel’s recipe to impress. My question is – timing. Can I do the sugar bake at a lower temperature for longer so it’s ready when we get home from church? We’ll be gone about 2 – 2 1/2 hours – any suggestions?
Yes, you could definitely do that – or layer it in a slow cooker on low. Should work fine!
I have been making this recipe for the last couple of years and everyone in my family loves it! I was initially hesitant about the vinegar-and even the sugar-but it’s great! I don’t generally like glazed or any kind of sweetened ham, but I love this recipe! I use the instant pot version.
My ham is frozen- can I boil it from frozen or do I need to let it thaw completely first?
I would recommend letting it thaw first.
I made this recipe with a butt portion of ham. I followed it to a T and it was delicious!!!!!
Can I use Apple cider vinegar instead!??
The overall flavor will change, but you can definitely try it and see how it goes.
Hello! Can anyone tell me where I can buy the classic picnic hams, not smoked? …the kind mama baked when I was little.K&W cafeteria has this ham. All grocery stores only carry smoked! Please help! Thank you, Debbie in NC
I’d bet your grocery store carries picnic hams but calls them by a different name. The picnic ham comes from the front shoulder just below what is called the Boston butt. Depending on who you talk to, there are either 2 or 3 parts of the pork shoulder: the Boston butt, the pork shoulder and below this is what you referred to as the picnic ham.
If they have a pork shoulder that has a shank (aka hock) attached to it, it’s the picnic ham you’re looking for. Alternate names for a picnic ham are: “fresh ham” (because these are seldom sold as smoke or salt cured), “picnic shank”, “picnic shoulder”, “picnic roast”, “shank pork shoulder” or a “fresh shoulder picnic roast. ” Ask your butcher using these alternate names and it’s likely one of these will get you your picnic ham. If you get a blank look after listing off these alternate names, look for them near the Boston Butts and other fresh pork cuts. If your grocery store is organized like ours are, they won’t be anywhere near the cured hams. Just keep in mind they have less fat and tend to be tough so they’ll require being cooked longer than a cured ham.
Is it really necessary to shred the ham after boiling & before sprinkling with brown sugar dry mustard mixture; because if your serving this for company most people are accustomed to having ham served in slices, not shredded.
Shredding helps the brown sugar/mustard mixture really flavor all the bits of ham.
This was AMAZING!!
I had a larger ham (9 pds.) it’s the only size my store had with bone in and unsliced. It took a bit of water and vinegar to fully cover the ham while boiling. It also required more brown sugar and dried mustard.
My family fell in love!!! They thought the sweet taste with a twist was wonderful.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Absolutely the best ham I have ever tried!
So I used some substitutions for this and still had great success! The ham I had on hand was a 5.5 lb uncut, boneless cured ham. I used the instant pot directions for the boiling portion. It was delicious even after that step. I did not have dry mustard on Christmas Eve so I used what we had: dijon mustard, haha. It made the brown sugar mixture into more of a paste. And I should have tossed the meat and brown sugar mixture more to help spread it out. Despite that, it was still sweet with the slightest tangy mustard flavor. It was very good, everyone gobbled it up and shredding it is just genius. I’ll never make make another way again! 10/10 will try again with the real ingredients next time 😉
I made this ham for Christmas. First let me say it was delicious and a big hit. I recommend it. My only remark is that it doesn’t look like the picture. In the picture the meat has that ham color mine on the other had was brown looking. Did I do something wrong? Otherwise it was reeeeeeeeally good.
Hey Cheryl, it’s hard to know – what kind of ham did you use?
Yum so good! I had to cook mine in a large crockpot. It still turned out great!
Does the dry mustard leave a “mustardy” flavor?
Yes, a little bit – the mustard flavor comes through with the brown sugar but it balances nicely with the tart vinegar of the ham.
Hi Mel, this is my first time trying this ham. I am curious is the ham suppose to taste vinegary after it’s boiled and before putting the brown sugar and dry mustard mixture on it and cooking it for another hour. I tried a little piece right after boiling it and it had a strong vinegar taste and I’m hoping that’s normal. Haha
Yes, it’s normal…the flavors mellow and blend after baking with the sugar!
So I’ve been using your recipe for the last few years. The only thing I do different is cut the ham apart and place it in a crockpot in the garage or outside on a table (depending on weather). The vinegar smell is otherwise too strong in the house. After having made it the stove method and the crockpot method, I have to say there is no difference, save the fact that we can breathe inside the house. Lol! Thanks for the recipe!
I meant turkey ham. Thanks. Laurie
I am excited to try this., Can this be made with a turkey ham? Please say yes please say yes. Smiles
Honestly, I’m not familiar with turkey ham so I don’t know. Sorry!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for Father’s Day, and perhaps I overlooked this part, but is a lid placed on the stockpot while cooking?
You can partially cover the pot if you’d like but it isn’t necessary.
I made this for Easter last weekend and everyone loved it! Any ideas on how to use the broth, or is it just too vinegar-y?
Yeah, I don’t think the broth is really useable – it has a really strong vinegar taste.
Okay, Mel. You’ve done it again. I’ve made the other hams on your site, but this one is my new favorite. Yes, it required more steps, but I used my IP so that made the first one easier, and then when it was time to serve it, it was so much easier for my kids to eat (and adults as well). We had this on Easter, and then I was still dreaming about it the next day so I bought some of those super soft Artisano sausage rolls and we had barbecue ham sandwiches (think pulled pork with a little mayo and a squiggle of your favorite BBQ sauce on the bread–I didn’t use much it because it was so flavorful already) and they were a hit. Usually I have ham for days, but not for now. Yummy, easy to eat, even more delicious leftovers. You. rock. 🙂
Those leftovers sound amazing, Allison!!
I made the sweet ham for Easter. I was very skeptical about this recipe, but it was so different that I had to try it. With the Coronavirus I good only get a 9.71 pound bone-in ham (for 2 people!). I used 128 ounces of water and 64 ounces of white vinegar. It was the best ham I have ever had. Brought some to my mom and friend and they thought it was the best.
Made this and my whole family loves it!
This is hands down the best ham I have ever eaten! The flavor is perfectly sweet and tangy while still tasting like ham. I can’t wait to eat some on a roll tomorrow. Hurray for leftovers!!
I made this for Christmas and did it on the stove top. It was ok. I made it today in the IP – holy cow – it was amazing!!! I will only be making my ham like this from now on!!
Yummy! We just ate this for our Easter dinner and it was a hit. I used the instant pot, which tenderized it so fast. I served it with your delicious made from scratch funeral potatoes. They were the bomb! And of course I had to make my moms fresh made rolls to go along as well. A delicious Easter dinner! Thanks Mel!
It’s my fourth year making our Easter ham this way and I just finished shredding and covering it with foil so it can have a good night sleep in the fridge. It has always turned out amazing and we are so excited to eat it tomorrow! My kids even came out of their rooms before they went to bed just to tell me that the ham smells delicious. Thanks Mel!
I’ve been boiling bone in whole hams for 40 years so this was very close to what I have always done, however, this this was sooo tough. There was NO falling off the bone.like a regular boiled ham. My boiled hams were always so tender and juicy but this was a bomb. $20 dollars in the trash and a stinky smelling house. Too late to cook anything else so I guess its pizza for Easter.
I just found out that many people are complaining about the same problems with the particular brand of ham that I used for this recipe. I don’t normally buy this brand, nor will I ever again. It just happened to be pretty much the only brand that Wallymart carries. My advise would be to only buy a ham that you are familar with and you might get better results than I did. I do plan on trying this again in the future, but with my favorite brand ham next time.
That’s the way my Aunt taught me to cook a ham and you are correct as it has to be the best tasting ham that I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for the recipe as I had forgotten about it over the years.
I just made this again today, but in my Instant Pot…and it is AMAZING! So easy and quick! I’ll never make ham any other way!
Sorry, I just read another comment where you say that boneless ham tends to be drier using the boiling method. Would it have a better chance of staying moist/tender if I boil it for less time? Any other tips? If you think I should go and get a bone-in ham, give it to me straight 🙂 I need the truth (company will be joining us for dinner 😉
A bone-in ham definitely produces a more tender result! But I have used a boneless ham (not spiral sliced) before and worked out ok (I prefer a bone-in ham, though).
Thank you so much, I appreciate your taking the time to reply. I’ve been a fan of yours for a while now 🙂
Btw, I’m making your chocolate sour cream bundt cake for our Christmas dessert and I’ll be sprinkling crushed candy canes over the glaze to make it a little more Christmas-y 🙂 LOVE that recipe and use it for many occasions.
Hi Mel! I got a ham at Costco that is NOT spiral but IS boneless. How essential is it that it has a bone? It’s called “Master Carve Half Ham” if that gives you a better idea of what I’m working with. Hoping to make this for Christmas 🙂
Yes, that will work!
Hi Mel, I am planning to feed a crowd of 100 with this ham. Is the serving size here accurate? For a 5-7 pound ham I would expect 10-14 servings.
It really depends on what the ham is being served with (lots of sides?), and also keep in mind the 5-7 pound ham includes the bone, so you’re getting less meat than with a boneless ham. Having said that, it probably can serve a few more than the serving size listed if you want to stretch it a little further.
Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
I think others have done so with good results if you check the comments.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. I brought it toy sister’s house and hoped it would be good. I usually like to try recipes before serving them. Fingers crossed. I pulled the pan out of the oven, set it on the buffet spread and quickly snitched a piece with no one looking. Not being able to hold back my delicious ham, I shared a piece with my sister. Her eyes lit up. Cool…at least my ham turned out good. Everyone fills their plate and we’re sitting at the table. My BIL mumbled something like “mmm…this ham is to die for” before shoving more in his mouth. I think everyone had a second helping of ham before we moved on to pie. Before we left, the same BIL asked me what I did to them. I told him (because the recipe is so easy to remember) and directed him to this website. He looked it up on the spot and got excited at whatever was.on the first page at the time. The next morning, I made a breakfast burrito with some of the leftovers…it was the best I’ve made. This is now “my recipe” for ham, the one that told all others.
I loved reading this, Cicily!! So happy the ham was a hit (and I bet it was amazing in those breakfast burritos!)
My ham is boiling now and enough water has cooked out so that the top of the ham is showing… is that ok?
You can add more water to cover – but as long as the water isn’t significantly reduced, it should be fine!
Mel, I was excited to make this ham for my Easter dinner. I cooked one in the IP and one on the stove. I think I did it right. When I served the ham it was so dry. Good flavor though. I baked it in my oven using convection. Do you think this is what dried it out or did I bake it too long? (1 hour) I also used a little less of the brown sugar.
Darn, Amy! What type of ham did you buy, do you remember? Did you taste it after shredding it? Was it dry then or just after it baked?
I had a bone in cooked shank that I cooked on the stove and a boneless I cooked in the IP. The bone in was a little more tough than the boneless. I think I must have cooked it to long. I’m not giving up. I love your website and thank you for all you teach and supply us with.
This might be a dumb question but are you cooking a raw ham or cooking a precooked ham?
It’s a pre-cooked ham. I’m making this today, too and have made it several times before.
Precooked ham!
Mel, Love this recipe! Have made it for a few years now and everyone loves it! I have made with white vinegar and apple cider vinegar and prefer the apple cider vinegar.
Overnight I made this in 2 crockpots and I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to the stovetop or instant pot especially if cooking a large quantity of ham.
Paula from Salad in a Jar gives a shout out to you when she made this and then she changed it to the slower cooker method for the vinegar/water bath. Link is below.
https://saladinajar.com/family-recipes/slow-cooker-pulled-ham-honey-mustard-barbecue-sauce
My favorite brand of ham to use is Cook’s.
If I have a 7.5 lb. ham how much vinegar do I use?
It will depend on the shape and size of your pot – you’ll just want to use 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar until the ham is covered.
I want to make this ham for Easter , I have a 11 lb ham, can I cut chunks to fit my pot??
Does it need to be a bone in ham I have a chunk of boneless ham I’d like to try this with ??
Boneless ham tends to dry out faster using this boiling method.
We have made this for several years in a row for our women’s Christmas dinner for church. We always have this in someone’s home and everybody brings a dish. We don’t have to get out when the restaurant closes, and stay as long as we like. This recipe is always a hit and folks are always asking for the recipe. I would like to share this on my blog, giving credit back here. Is that okay?
Sure, that’s fine. 🙂
Is it really supposed to be a PREcooked ham??? I’m trying to image how a precooked ham can turn into this. I grew up in Canada and my mom always made ham that was NOT precooked and it’s so good (very flaky and tender like how this is picture). I have a hard time finding ham that is not precooked in the store and want to make sure I get the right thing for this recipe.
Hi Karlee, I use a precooked ham – it’s really hard to find an uncooked ham where I live.
We just had this sweet baked ham for dinner. I put the ham in the crock pot and turned it on high for about 5 hours – ham with bone weighed 4-6 lbs. Ham shredded apart very nicely. We made the brown sugar and mustard rub and put on ham in baking dish. Turns out just like recipes says – it is “sweet” like the recipe name. Next time we will probably use 1/3 or 1/2 cup brown sugar and of course a little less mustard. Recipe is good – cooks with being watched – recipe is a keeper!! Thanks for sharing recipe.
Just came across this recipe again and want to say that I made this last Easter and it was incredible. Lots of great feedback from everyone and I will definitely make it again!
Has anyone tried this in the crock-pot? I’m thinking of cutting mine to fit into the crockpot, setting it to high, and crossing my fingers! Any tips?!
I love the recipe as is (normally don’t use all of the brown sugar mixture) but looking for a short cut that u don’t have to monitor.
I left a comment on the Instant Pot directions page, but wanted to put this note here as well. I have made this recipe several times by boiling the ham in a giant pot on the stove. Last night I made it in the IP for the first time and I’m never going back!! Much less mess (it splashes all over the stove even at a low simmer) and the ham turned out perfectly!! So juicy and tender. I cut up an 8+ lb ham into large chunks and crammed them into my smallish IP, I set it for 45 minutes and let it pressure release naturally for at least 30 min (that worked for me, but you might have to experiment with that for yourself) .
Thanks for your input, Kate!
I normally use vinegar in everyday cleaning, so I really wasn’t concerned about the smell of cooking this recipe on my kitchen stove. However, I have to say that the co-mingling scents of the ham (always my favorite food) boiling in the vinegar was far more pungent and unpleasant than anything I expected! However, the ABSOLUTE DELICACY OF THE FINAL OUTCOME completely outweighed that smell. Kudos to you, Mel for sharing this with the world, and kudos to your friend for sharing the recipe with you!! Bon appetit!
The sweet Ham. Was a big hit. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Made this last night. And really liked the flavors and how the ham
Shredded up.
Great recipe
I have never been crazy about ham. If it wasn’t for my family, I doubt if I would ever make it. But somehow, every Easter I feel compelled to make ham. And every Easter I feel like a newbie cook all over again. Ham confuses me. Is it cooked, not cooked? If it is already cooked, why do we go to such great lengths to uh, cook it?! To make matters worse, because we get our meats from the farmers, they are labeled things like “picnic ham” or “country ham”. What are these things? And how do I cook them?
Yesterday I made this recipe and I will never again use another ham recipe. First of all, I made it in the Instant Pot – genius! I think we could have just eaten it just like that, without baking it with the mustard/brown sugar.
Next, since I was having a lot of people for dinner I cooked not only the whole ham, but I threw in 4 ham steaks and it all worked out like a champ! Everyone loved it, it was so easy, no scoring or basting required, and it was tender and tasty. Oh, and it is true, cooking it in vinegar in the IP really does help take some of the smell from previous foods out of the ring.
HAM is meh. I make it for Easter in the form of ham balls because my family loves that recipe. I, however, do not love ham balls because they are so sweet and so this year in an effort to try as many instapot recipes as I can and so justify my recent purchase, I made Sweet Baked Ham using the instapot instructions. It was fantastic. I can’t wait to make HAM again. I can’t wait to eat HAM again. I apologize HAM – you are wonderful! That is a serious recommendation from me. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Haha. 🙂 So happy you loved THIS ham.
Delicious and super easy to make ahead and just bake the day of! I had a 6 lb ham and it filled a 9 x 13 pan. Used the same amount of brown sugar and mustard and it is lovely. Thanks!
*by “used the same amount of brown sugar and mustard” I mean I followed the recipe. 🙂
Hmmm. I think I would have preferred sliced ham for Easter dinner. My husband said he likes it this way. It was ok but more like a barbeque pulled pork and not ham. The kids said, “this is ham?” So we’re not really in agreement over here. Thank you for the recipe, tho. I used a 7 lb bone in ham. It took forever to naturally decompress…over an hour. If I tried a quick release it spattered juice all over the wall.
I made the ham exactly as instructed and it was so stringy and not sweet at all.
For the life of me, I cannot find a bone in, precooked ham that isn’t already sliced!! And When I read Butt or Shoulder, I just think of a big raw pork roast. Have no idea where to get this kind of ham, but I really want to try it out! 🙁
Hey Annie – look for a shank ham – that’s the kind I buy for these (they have them at my fairly small town grocery store)
Do you have an aldi near you? I always get mine there. 🙂 They have the butt and shank.
It took me forever to find one too! I actually made it first with a raw ham … at least we can look back on it and laugh now!
Meijer is where I’ve had success finding one. I’ve also been told Aldi (as stated above) is a great place to pick one up.
I’m curious to know what the results were with a raw ham! We bought half a pig at the last livestock auction and now I have a raw ham roast that I have no idea what to do with. 🙂
Question for you Mel! I’m making this for Easter but have the one oven problem. I’ll be making your cheesy funeral potatoes and would like to bake them at the same time as the ham. Potatoes cook at 350 and ham at 325. Is it a big deal if I split the diff and bake them both at 337- ham a little less time and potatoes a little more? I’m an amateur! Help! 🙂 not sure if it’ll make a diff or a big no no?
If it were me, I’d bake them both at 325…take the ham out when it’s done and crank the oven up to 375 to finish them up so they are bubbly and golden.
To anyone who has made this and said it was tough or tasteless…. sorry but you probably got the wrong ham. I’ve made this recipe many times and it works out amazingly, and then once I picked the wrong ham by accident and it turned out tough and tasteless and I realized why. Anyway, it’s a family favorite and has been since I found it here on Mel’s. She’s the best!
What exactly is the wrong kind of ham please?
My family loves this recipe!
Huzzah! This ham was my first oven baked ham that wasn’t dry! Not to mention it was absolutely scrumptious.
I used a 9.2lb smoked shank ham, boiled for 3 hrs and used double the sugar/mustard in a 9×13 pan (kept the oven time to one hour).
My toddler gobbled it up like it was cupcakes 🙂
I always use about 1/3 cup of brown sugar and it is still delicious
This is THE best way to prepare a ham. Tried a shank ham once… not as tender or good. Thanks Mel!!
I love this recipe. But wondered if anyone has had success with using less sugar?
We actually use coconut sugar and it works great! It’s lower glycemic and brown sugar. It taste different but we really didn’t mind.
Love this ham recipe. Have made it several times over a couple of years. The tangy sweet taste is a nice change from gold old ham. Love freezing leftovers and putting it on salads, pizzas, or just as a main dish.
My ham went to waste as well. I followed the instructions to the letter. For all the rave reviews I wonder what the difference is for those of us who end up with a flavorless, bone-dry ham. My ham absolutely would not shred, but I wasn’t about to let it cook any longer, the piece I cut off after 2 hours was jerky. I tried to salvage it by cutting it up and adding some of the ham broth with the brown sugar. That made sweet jerky.
I don’t think the recipe or cooking method is at fault (there can’t be THAT many people who like ham the way mine turned out), but I think there is more to this than ‘Buy a ham and boil it’. Maybe a name brand ham, maybe a specific brand of vinegar? Does the pot used to boil make a difference (enameled cast iron vs. stainless steel)? I don’t know. Best of luck to those that try it.
Sorry you didn’t have great luck with this recipe, Oklahoma. It doesn’t sound like you’ll want to try it again, but for reference, I have used stainless steel pots for this, and have used both off-brand and name brand white vinegar (same with hams…a variety of brands). I understand the frustration when food has to go to waste, so I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you!
We don’t need a huge ham this year so I got the smallest one I could find. It is NOT spiraled but is boneless. Should I try a different ham recipe?
This still works with smaller hams!
This was the worst recipe ever! The smokey flavor completely disappeared and made the ham very dry.
I should have done it the “old fashioned” way and it would have taken longer but would have been more flavorful.
I feel like this recipe ruined the ham and made it such a waste.
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Amy!
So I’m boiling my ham right now and all the liquid evaporated, and it’s still not tender. Was I supposed to cover the pot? Eek. Can I add more liquid and continue the boiling process?
Hi Stacy – if the liquid is evaporating while boiling then yes, you can add more and keep boiling until tender. I usually partially cover the pot.
I just put my shredded ham in the oven…
I’m planning on making this for family coming in town. I’d like to get as much done ahead of time as possible. Should I bake day before they come and reheat or cook in vinegar water and wait to bake the day we are going to eat it? Thank you for in advance for your advice, you are my go-to website and my kids always tell me to make recipes from “the internet lady” because your recipes are their favorites!
Thanks Tammy! You can boil the ham the day before – shred the meat and put it in a container with just a little of the boiling liquid to keep it moist. Then on the day you want to bake it, layer the ham with the brown sugar/mustard mixture (drain off any excess water before doing this) and bake.
Hi Mel! My ham keeps popping up out of the water, floating. Is this okay? I keep flipping it over. It is covered by 2 inches when I push it down but then it pops up again? Any suggestions?
Hey Alexis – sorry for the delay in getting back with you. Yes, that’s probably ok, especially if you flip it over every once in a while.
Hey Mel! I have decided to make Thanksgiving in July! After Thanksgiving last year, my husband asked me to make “traditional” dressing for Thanksgiving next year. Since I have never done that I have been looking at tons of recipes regarding Thanksgiving. Needless to say, my family may be in for a surprise this year when all of our tried and true recipes get a new makeover.
I am in the process of boiling my ham now and will get it all ready to put in the oven for dinner tomorrow.
I am trying your sweet potatoes too. I normally make a sweet potato souffle (which is out of this world…I can email you the recipe if you are interested). I am actually going to try to make them ahead of time. I will let you know how that turns out.
Oh and I am sitting here “patiently” waiting for the mailman to come today…my kefir grains are coming in!!! I can’t wait to get that started.
So, CHEERS to my new friend Mel (that is how you are known around my house) and all of her great recipes and ideas! I am having a blast looking through you blog.
What fun to do Thanksgiving in July!! All the recipes sound amazing – send the recipe for the souffle if you have time. I think I have a recipe similar to it but I’d love to check it out. And I’m so excited about your kefir grains! I treat mine like a 6th child. Love them so much.
Sorry I forgot to send you the recipe for the Sweet Potato Souffle
6 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 c softened butter
6 large eggs
1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
Boil whole sweet potatoes until fork tender. Cool, peal, and mash (should have about 6 cups)
In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes with remaining ingredients until smooth and well mixed. Pour into a 9×9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
This can be made a day ahead. Just pour into pan, cover with foil, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Let me know if you have this recipe. It is always a big hit at Thanksgiving!
I was just looking for something to do with the remnants of a ham there’s probably two and a half pounds left with a small bone left in
Have you tried a ham soup?
I used palm sugar and wished I had stuck to the original recipe. Also I think my dry mustard was old, but there was kind of an aftertaste. As this results in a LOT of pulled ham/pork, choose your seasonings carefully, or divide between a number of pans for the baking and experiment with each. They say hell is one ham and two people, lol.
Also, the prep time does not appear to include the shredding of the ham, as it took me more than 1/2 hour to do that. 🙂
Hi Mel! I’ve been making your recipes for years and they’ve always been a family favorite. You were a great help 6 years ago when I became a young newlywed with zero cooking experience. I still have a lot to learn as you’ll see by me asking this question. We bought half of a pig this year and I’m pretty certain the ham is not precooked. Can I still make this recipe by adjusting it somehow? If not, how on earth am I supposed to cook this thing?
Thanks, Kelsey! Was the ham cured? We regularly buy half of a pig, too, and the ham we get is always cured, which means you can cook it the same way as this recipe. I’ve never heard of a fully “raw” ham – since it’s the curing that makes it ham, does that make sense? But I also admit, I don’t totally know what I’m talking about when it comes to the ins and outs of ham.
Unfortunately, I found out it has not been cured. Sounds like I need to cook it at a low temp with a ton of seasonings since it’s fresh. I’ll have to try this recipe out at another time. Bummer, thanks for your help though!
Interesting, Kelsey! You are forging new territory here (at least for me!). Thanks for teaching me something about ham. Good luck finding a way to prepare it!
Hi Mel,
Just wanted you to know that I made this ham this year and it was a HUGE hit. I usually follow Alton Brown’s recipe, which my family loves. After today I had to promise to make the ham your way forevermore. Thanks so much!
So glad it was a hit, Megan!
Thank you so very much for this recipe! I boiled the ham last night and am baking right now for Easter dinner. I can’t wait to taste it finished – it was delicious even after only boiling! Happy Easter to you and thanks again!
Hope it turned out well!
Quick question, I’m making this for Easter dinner tomorrow. I used a SIGNIFICANTLY higher water/vinegar amount but I kept the 2:1 ratio. As long as the ham is totally covered, I should be fine, right? The pot I used was HUGE, 9″ high by 12″ across.
Yep! Should be fine!
I boiled and prepped the ham last night. I was worried unnecessarily about it being too vinegary. I cooked it today, and it turned out so good!! Some of us ate it on your French bread rolls and some of us ate it plain. So, so yummy!!! Tomorrow I’m going to make some biscuits to eat with it.
I love eating this ham with biscuits – SO yummy! Glad it worked out for you!
I would like to make this but was wondering if instead of brown sugar if I could use maple syrup If you think that would be ok how much maple syrup I am thinking a half of a cup or what do you suggest
Hi Michelle – you could certainly try maple syrup; I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how much to recommend, but I’d probably start with 1/4 cup and add more if needed.
I would like to try this! Can I use apple cider vinegar?
I’ve only ever used white vinegar so I can’t say how it would work, but you could definitely experiment!
I’ve made this recipe tons (thanks for the family favorite!) And have used apple cider vinegar in a pinch. It’s works just fine!
Hey Mel, if I make/shred this ham ahead of time, should I mix any water in or reserve any cooking liquid for when I bake it? I am worried about it being dry. Unfounded worry?
You could pour a little broth (1/4 cup or so) around the edges before baking if you make it several days in advance.
Hey Mel! I am planning on making this recipe for my little family’s first Christmas dinner, so I don’t want to mess it up! If I get around a 5 lb. ham, will a 6 qt pot be big enough or should I track down a larger size? What size did you cook yours in?
Thanks for posting amazing recipes! I’ve been using them since I got married 8 years ago. Your adobo chicken tacos is actually the first thing I cooked for my husband and I in our first home!
Every ham is shaped a little differently, but my gut feeling is that a 6-quart pot probably won’t be big enough. You really need a pretty big pot so the vinegar/water mixture can cover the ham. I usually use my large canning pot (or with a smaller ham, my 10-quart pot will often work). Let me know if you have other questions! (So happy you love those tacos – one of my favorite meals EVER!)
What are these adobo tacos Chelsea speaks of?!
Can the ham be cut into chunks??
Sure!
Inquiring minds would love to hear about these tacos??
These yummy tacos! https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-chicken-tacos/
Hi Mel, made this for Thanksgiving, and I just love love love this recipe. This was the best ham, it was simple to make and so delicious, the whole family enjoyed. Thank you. Looking forward to more recipes.
Hey Mel,
Can this recipe be made in a instapot?
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/sweet-baked-ham-how-to-cook-in-the-instantpot/
I just used my lunch break to run to the nearby grocery store for a 9# bone in butt ham, lol…..I have a recipe for lovely soft Bob’s Red Mill Bakery Buttermilk Biscuits that I use whole wheat and white flour in, and another from a Portland, OR restaurant for Mothers Buttermilk Biscuits that also have heavy cream in them….equally to die for!! Just added ham to the Thanksgiving menu!!
Hi! Do I have to boil or bake longer if it’s a bigger ham?
Probably a little longer – just keep an eye on it and boil until the ham is very, very tender.
Thank you sharing such an amazing ham recipe. My family absolutely loved it! I actually served it with your favorite yummy BBQ sauce recipe. SO GOOD!
Hi Mel,
I’m thinking of making this for a family reunion dinner coming up (with your cousin-in-law/my sister, Amy!) and eating it on rolls or biscuits. We have 12 adults and 16 kids (28 total), and I’m just not sure how much ham I need for that many people. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks!
Hi Heidi! It’s always hard to know how much to cook for big groups like that. The ham will go a long way if served on rolls (vs eating it on its own with a side of potatoes or something like that). How big of a ham can you get? Because I always worry about running out, I’d probably do two average sized shank hams (bone-in). That should be plenty!
Thanks, Mel! You’re the greatest!
BOOYAH. So delicious. We made this for dinner and I love it with all my heart. I asked my husband if we could put it into the monthly dinner rotaysh and he said we could eat it daily. Thanks for all your awesome recipes–they are always a success.
Yessssss!
GG and Barbara thank you for your replies. I put the lid on partially. Followup on the ham, Mel it was outrageously delicious! Many compliments today about the ham. Even members of my family who are not huge ham fans loved it. It is definitely a real keeper!
Glad it was a hit, Pam! Sorry I didn’t get to your comment earlier, we had company in town this weekend for Easter. I agree, though – I boil it partially covered.
No problem at all Mel. It was such a hit that my daughter (who is not a big fan of ham) asked me to make it as one of her dishes for her wedding reception. I am so glad I found your site just recently, I look forward to trying many recipes. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to us foodies! 🙂
Making ahead this ham for Easter Sunday and I should have asked earlier, I wanted to make sure I understood correctly…you do not put a lid on the pot but just boil the ham and add water/vinegar mix as needed?
I put a cover on partially and it works fine. I have made this many times and its now Easter (Christmas, New Years etc.) tradition. So delicious and a bargain to boot!
This is a little late for today’s dinner, but I completely covered mine since it is too cold here to open the windows very wide or for very long…. I also used a spiral sliced ham. It was 12 lbs, and I boiled it for an hour and a half. It worked fine. It’s delicious!
I am making this for the 3rd time in a year. I just LOVE this recipe! My mother in law actually gave me the go ahead to make the ham this year for Easter, which is a huge compliment. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My family just loves the flavor.
Hi Mel! I have really been enjoying your pressure cooker recipes and would love your feedback on converting this awesome recipe to work in my instant pot. I am assuming I would still cover with the water/vinegar mixture. How long would you suggest cooking it for? Thanks!
Hey Kelsey! I was actually going to do the same thing this week. I’m going to use a much smaller cut of ham (probably boneless) and still use the same proportion of vinegar to water to cover the ham and then pressure cook it on high for 20 minutes. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hi Mel, did you end up trying this with the smaller, boneless ham in the Instant Pot? I’ve been eyeing this recipe on your site for awhile now, but have never managed to find a bone-in, not-already-spiral-cut ham! I just recently bought an Instant Pot and would love to try out your recipe in it for Christmas with my family, but with limited ham options and no Instant Pot experience whatsoever, I’d love to know how yours turned out before stumbling my way through it!
I posted an Instant Pot update to this recipe here:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/sweet-baked-ham-how-to-cook-in-the-instantpot/
I’ve made this recipe at least twice and my family LOVES it!! I’m planning to make it for Christmas dinner this year but I have someone coming who is allergic to mustard. Have you ever done it without the mustard? Do you think it would taste as good?? Or is there a good substitute for the dry mustard? Thanks in advance!
I haven’t tried it without the mustard, Rachel. I think it needs a contrast to the sweetness of the brown sugar. You might try vinegar?
I made this ham when I hosted thanksgiving last year and it was a huge hit but I forgot to save the recipe. I was just asked last night to bring it tomorrow. I have been googling using various search terms for probably an hour and I’m so happy I finally found this recipe again! I’m definitely saving it this time because I’m pretty sure it’s now my signature Thanksgiving dish lol
My picky kids will eat this whole ham before it’s on the table – combined with home made buttermilk biscuits it becomes heaven on a plate. Hog heaven?
Mel, I put the ham on the stove to boil it and while it was boiling my hubs walked in the kitchen and when he saw I was boiling the ham, he looked at me as though I’d grown an extra head!!!! He walked away saying he trusted me, but I could tell he was thinking of where we could eat dinner tonight if I’d ruined our ham.
Fast forward to the shredding stage, when I asked him to shred it for me. He was pleasantly surprised that it was still tasty and I hadn’t boiled the flavor out of the ham. I can’t wait to taste it after it cooks in all that sugar!! I’m sure he’ll be raving for weeks!!
Thanks for the yummy meals!!! So often I meal plan solely from your site. Please, never stop!! 🙂
Mel, we made this Sunday and it was divine! We loved it. We have a powerstove and cooked it outside like you recommended, which was nice, and the flavor was awesome. I actually ran out of dry mustard, so I used half wet and added some water to the mixture since it wouldn’t sprinkle very well, worked great. We made some yummy pizza with the leftovers last night, I’ll share the recipe with you soon. 🙂
I could only find a 10 lb fresh uncooked ham. How long should I boil it in the water/vinegar mixture?
To be honest, Rachel, I’m not sure. I’ve never cooked a completely uncooked, fresh ham. You might try googling to see how long a ham like that needs to safely cook.
Help! Getting a head start on this lovely ham for Sunday. I have a 10-pound bone-in ham that I boiled today for three hours. When it came time to shred it, about two-thirds of it came apart easily and appears moist and delicious, ready for the second stage in the oven. The rest of the meat is not as tender and won’t shred as easily. I was in a hurry and tossed these less tender chunks of meat into a covered bowl to deal with later. Should I just cut these portions down with a knife and proceed with the recipe, or should they go back into a boil for a while? Any advice?
Hey Tami – if it were me, I’d cut the larger pieces down and just use them in the recipe. Have you tasted them? If they are juicy and tender, they should be fine (even if they aren’t shredding quite as easily).
After boiling so long in the vinegar and water can the ham bone still be used to make ham broth for beans or soup? When I brine a turkey the carcass is too salty to make stock. I wonder if that will be the case here as well.
Good question; I’m not entirely sure since I’ve never repurposed it for soup since I had the same concerns about the flavor/taste.
Mel,
This is probably a silly question but I want to be sure that I’m getting the right ham. I’m buying an “uncooked” bone-in ham, correct?
Thank you ,
Hi Linda – I always buy a cured bone-in ham (it’s really hard to find an uncooked ham so most hams sold in the grocery stores are precooked/cured).
I made this yesterday as a trial run for Easter. It is soooooooooo good! I can’t wait for our whole family to try it.
Great….Thanks! Will try this method over the weekend.
Just wondering how long you cooked the Ham in the slow cooker? I always have to borrow my mothers large stock pot to cook this ham on the stove, however I have an extra large slow cooker that would fit a big ham wonderfully. Also, did you use the same ratio of water/vinegar and enough to cover the ham?? Thanks!
Hey Anne – yes, I use the same water to vinegar ratio; last time I cooked it about 8 hours on low but you can really play around with cooking time (different slow cookers can cook hotter or cooler than others).
This ham took us about 3 days to get around to eating. When I first made my store note, I wrote “bone in ham” forgetting about the weight. So at the store I found only one bone-in ham that wasn’t spiral cut and it was a “shank” it was giant, but I bought it anyway. I compared the poundage to the recipe and was shocked. My ham was 12 pounds. It took almost 2 quarts of vinegar to make an almost 2:1 ratio. I was still short a couple cups of vinegar. (I also used my canning pot) I had no idea how long it would take to cook, but I started at about 12:30pm. A sudden trip to the ER left the ham cooking on the stove the entire time! We got home at 6:30 that night to turn the stove off. most of the water had cooked off, but when I got around to shredding it, it shredded beautifully! (thank goodness! I didn’t like the idea of throwing out $20 worth of ham) but it tasted remarkably like pulled pork. Did cooking it too long do that? or maybe the cut? or too much vinegar? Just wondering, should I try this recipe another time, with a normal sized ham.
Sorry to hear about an ER visit! Hope everything is ok. I think the texture/taste of your ham was probably affected by the 6 hour cooking time. The longest I’ve ever simmered the ham for is a little over 2 hours and I think the longer it boils the more it will take on a “jerky” like taste and texture. I just made this a couple days ago with a bone-in shank-cut ham but it wasn’t a 12-pounder – it fit into my large slow cooker. Hopefully you’ll like it better if you can find a smaller ham or even if you do get a large ham, sticking with the 2 hour boiling time as much as possible.
Can I use a fresh, un-cured ham for this recipe? Should I change cooking times?
To be honest, I’m not really sure, April, since those types of hams are impossible to find in my area and I’ve never used one. You might need to google or search online for cooking/boiling times for fresh, uncooked hams. Good luck!
I also used a spiral cut ham I found marked down. I boiled in the vinegar-water mix for just 2 hours. Nicely shreds but I will cook a bit less next time since some of the thinner cuts were a bit dry. I noticed they got a bit moister during the baking step. I have made this ham and variations 4 times now. It gets rave reviews every time and every way. My friend even commented on liking the vinegar smell in the house!
Mel, I just wanted to let you know that I made this for Thanksgiving by cooking it in my crockpot for about 2.5 hours on high (with the same 2:1 ratio of vinegar to water), with a spiral sliced cut. It shredded perfectly. This really is an incredible recipe, just wanted to let you know it can work in a crockpot too!
Thanks for checking in to let us know – glad it worked out great like this!
Do you think this would work well with apple cider vinegar instead of white distilled vinegar? Just curious!
It will change the flavor slightly, but that should work just fine.
I told my mom to get me a ham for this, and she got the wrong one. She got me a smoked pit ham. It’s boneless as well. Do you think it will still work?
I hate to be “that person” who won’t just follow the recipe, but I could not find a non-spiral sliced ham at the store. Do you think we could just cook it for a shorter time?
I’m not certain a spiral sliced ham will shred into the type of texture you’d get if using a non-spiral sliced ham (I’m a little worried, it might all just fall to pieces). Having said that, I haven’t tried it myself so you could definitely experiment. Good luck!
inwas wondering if you have ever tried this recipe in a pressure cooker to reduce time cooked and possibly less liquid?
I haven’t so I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer any advice; I like the thought, though! Good luck experimenting.
Mel, I just have to share with you how you helped make our Wedding day so special. We came across your recipe 6 months ago and KNEW it would be the hit at our backyard rustic early Fall wedding on Sept. 27th and it soooo was! We spent 5 weekends boiling hams, shredding and freezing them. Two days before we thawed them and the day of roasted them in the oven with the sugar mixture. Guests raved about the ham and still talk about it a month later. I feel as if my weekends are incomplete without smelling the savory sweet aroma of ham and vinegar in the air. You have an uncanny way with food which we completely adore. I feel like I need to become like the movie Julie and Julia and cook my way through your repertoire of scrumptious recipes…Today is the shrimp enchiladas and cinnamon roll cake, yes I know they do not go together but I have all the ingredients on hand….Thank You Mel!!!
Oh, Renee – this comment completely put a huge smile on my face! Thank you! What a lot of work to get ham prepared for your wedding; I am super thrilled your guests loved it so much. Thank you for making me feel so great on an average Saturday afternoon!
🙂 Warm fuzzies all around…You are a fabulous cook Mel and my husband and I are enjoying your recipes! Not to mention his co-workers too. Thank you for taking the time in between being a mom and a wife to share your love for food with all of us <3
This is just scrumptious. Have never made ham before and found this amazing in flavour. Thanks for sharing
I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time now but I’m having trouble finding a ham. I’m a total ham novice but the only non spiral hams I can find are smoked. Is that just the way they come or should I be looking for a non smoked shank ham??
That’s ok if the ham is smoked – the most important part is making sure it isn’t spiral sliced.
Could this be frozen after cooking??
Yes, I’ve frozen and then thawed and gently reheated with good results.
So I wish I had gone with the slow cooker idea! I opted for the oven at a low temp for a few hours (since I was away from home for the afternoon), and ended up with dry ham! It tastes okay, but I’ll try the crock pot next time! Thanks for your reply!
Hi Mel. I’m making this ham today and wondering if the baking portion could be done in the slow cooker? Have you tried it? Or maybe baked for a longer time at a lower temp? Thanks!
Vicky – I haven’t tried the baking portion in the slow cooker but actually think it would work just fine as long as it doesn’t get overcooked.
is there ham temperature that i can check for with my thermometer, so to not over cook?
Hi Jim, I’m not sure of the temperature for ham but you might try googling to find out.
I made (and enjoyed) this again yesterday. Just wanted to share an update about what I did with the leftovers- I made this breakfast hash. http://www.plantoeat.com/blog/2011/11/farmers-breakfast-hash/ This ham makes anything it touches magical, and the hash was no exception! 🙂
Yum, Michelle! I love breakfast hash recipes and I bet it was divine with that ham. Thanks for sharing!
Mel, this ham was absolutely DELICIOUS! I made it last weekend and, boy, was it great! This is Bonnie from PTO, by the way 🙂 Really love your site – it’s a frequent reference for me!
I made this for Easter dinner and it was met with groans of delight!! Definitely a keeper!
I made this for Easter dinner. Cooked & shredded the ham 2 days before. My ham shank was almost 9 lbs, and I used about 1 gallon of vinegar and 2 gallons of water. I didn’t increase the glaze mixture, however, the result was still too sweet for our family. I guess we’re not too hip on sweet meat. I did like that method of cooking a ham shank, though, and may try it again with no glaze! I also made your amazing Carrot Sheet Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting – LOVE IT! Thanks for all you do, Mel. Love your blog and your recipes!
I made this today for Easter and it’s delicious every time!! My family just raved! When I said I was making ham I could see it in their faces they weren’t excited. But they really really loved it.
I also made it yesterday. I also made it on Thursday. Need I say more? We’ve been eating it like crazy and I have spoiled my man sending it to work with him for his lunch. He always wants me to make this and he never asks me to repeat ANYTHING and I definitely haven’t three times in a week. That means out of all my years of cooking this goes in top ten all time favorite dishes! Which you monopolize as owning at least 7 of those.
I only wish I could have made the Parker house rolls I planned on, but I was busy and it takes so much time, and bread is the only thing I can’t just read the recipe once and wing it, I have to go back and keep reading again, and being extra careful. But it is divine by itself. This ham really is life changing!
I have to admit I was skeptical so I decided to do it in advance just in case I needed to rush out and get a spiral sliced ham for Easter. I boiled and shredded it yesterday. Mine was an 8.5 lb. ham. I covered my pan with the lid askew so I didn’t lose much liquid. It only took a little over 2 hours before the top bone was exposed. I shredded it, refrigerated it and took it out today to do the glaze. I am no longer a skeptic. I am not really a ham eater, but I believe this recipe has changed my mind. I can’t wait for the family to eat it (if there is any left. I keep sampling) Thanks to you and your friend Mel.
Also, I did mine inside the house and while there was a little hint of a vinegar smell it was not overpowering and there is just a hint of vinegar in the meat that I tasted before baking it with the glaze.
This may be a silly question, but I am in the process of boiling the ham now and have noticed that the liquid is reduced by at least 1/2 (it’s been boiling for 2 hours). Was I supposed to keep adding liquid to keep it covered? As it is, I used 8 cups of water and 4 cups of vinegar for a 6 pound ham. Thanks!
Hi Karen – if the liquid has reduced enough that the ham is pretty exposed without liquid covering it, then yes, gradually add liquid again until the ham is mostly covered.
‘Im thinking of trying this amazing sounding ham this weekend. I wondered if you’ve ever done it in stages? I would like to boil it on Saturday night, shred it and refrigerate it. Then add the glaze ingredients Sunday after church for the final step. Would you advise against this?
Thank you!!
Hi Joanna – yes, you could definitely do this in stages! I’ve done that before…boiling the day before and the refrigerating after it has been shredded. Then top it with the glaze and bake it on Sunday. Should work great!
Hi Mel,
I am going to look for a precooked bone in ham tomorrow when I do my groceries, but my husband is a vegetarian so it would just be for me and thankfully I can freeze it nicely as you pointed out earlier. My question is, if I buy a smaller ham, should I just keep the amounts for everything else the same? Thank you.
Melissa – if your ham is close to the size in the recipe, you should be good, but if it’s half as big, then I would go ahead and decrease everything by half. Good luck!
I don’t think I commented last year, but I made this for Easter and it was so delicious I can’t wait to make it for Easter again! I know… I don’t have to wait for Easter, but I think it might become a tradition now. Thank you!
Just made this yesterday with a 7.5 # ham, it was great. I will try the slow cooker method next time, it sounds convenient. Thanks Mel, my family loved it. And I also talk about your website a lot, and my husband knows exactly who I am talking about when I talk about Mel. 🙂 I am learning a lot from you.
Ann in Indy
Hey Mel! I made this your way 2 weeks ago and it was fabulous! However, we don’t have a camp stove and the smell was rough and it took ALOT of vinegar as my pan was huge in order to fit the ham. Today, I put it in my slow cooker. It was a huge ham so it didn’t require as much vinegar to cover it. I cooked it on high for about 7 hours and the ham was much more tender than on the stove. I am putting it back in the slow cooker with the brown sugar to finish it off. We are having a family Christmas this weekend and I am dumping it all in ziplock bags to munch on all weekend. Thanks for a great recipe. OH, and I have a locking lid on my slow cooker and there was no smell AT ALL (which was the main reason I wanted to try it this way.) By the time it was done, the vinegar was so mixed with ham juice that it didn’t have alot of odor left either. YUM YUM!
Love this, thanks Beth!
I just pull this out of the oven and it is fantastic! I made it ahead of time for tomorrow. I took a risk and used a boneless 5lb dinner ham and it worked perfectly. I cut off the outside dark casing(?) before cooking it and otherwise followed all the instructions as you listed. Thanks Mel!!
Have you heard of anyone doing it with a partially cooked ham? How many versions of ham can there be!
Made this last night for dinner it was delicious!!!!
wow! I’ll never be the same!!
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.
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!