This southern 3-ingredient brown sugar glazed ham is the kind of simple, no-fuss Sunday dinner that makes the whole house smell like home. I started making it years ago when money and time were both tight, and it quickly became one of those recipes my family asked for again and again. The glaze is nothing fancy—just brown sugar, mustard, and a splash of cola—but when it bakes down over a good ham, it turns sticky, caramelized, and downright addictive. It reminds me of the church suppers and small-town potlucks I grew up with in the rural Midwest, where a big glazed ham on a plain white platter meant there’d be plenty for everyone and maybe even a sandwich or two left for Monday.
Serve thick slices of this ham with creamy mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes, a simple green vegetable like buttered green beans or peas, and a crisp coleslaw or sliced tomatoes in summer. Warm dinner rolls or cornbread are perfect for soaking up the extra glaze on the plate. Leftovers make wonderful ham sandwiches on soft white bread with a smear of mustard, or can be diced into eggs, bean soup, or fried potatoes the next morning.
Southern 3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Glazed HamServings: 8-10
Ingredients
1 fully cooked bone-in ham, 7–9 pounds
1 1/2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup cola (regular, not diet)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Set a rack in the lower third of the oven so the ham will sit in the center once it’s in.
Unwrap the ham and discard any plastic pieces or packaging. If there is a plastic disk over the bone, remove and discard it. Place the ham, cut side down, in a large roasting pan. If it comes with a thin layer of skin or excess fat, you can trim it lightly, but leave a good layer of fat so the glaze has something to cling to.
Score the surface of the ham by making shallow cuts about 1/4 inch deep in a crisscross pattern, spacing the cuts about 1 inch apart. This helps the glaze soak in and gives you those pretty caramelized edges.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, yellow mustard, and cola until smooth and pourable. It will look a little loose at first, but it thickens and turns syrupy as it cooks.
Spoon or brush about half of the glaze all over the ham, making sure to get it into the scored cuts and over the sides. Pour a small splash of water (2–3 tablespoons) into the bottom of the pan to keep the drippings from burning.
Cover the ham loosely with foil, tenting it so it doesn’t press against the surface. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your ham, basting with the pan juices once or twice. You want the ham to be heated through to about 130–140°F in the thickest part, since it’s already fully cooked.
Remove the foil and pour or brush on the remaining glaze, making sure to coat every exposed surface. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 25–35 minutes, basting every 8–10 minutes with the thickening glaze and pan juices. The glaze should darken, bubble, and turn glossy and sticky, with some caramelized edges but not burned spots. If any area is getting too dark, you can loosely cover just that part with a small piece of foil.
When the glaze is deeply caramelized and the ham is heated through, remove the pan from the oven. Let the ham rest for at least 15–20 minutes before slicing so the juices settle and the glaze sets into a sweet, sticky coating.
Transfer the ham to a white serving platter if you like that classic Sunday-dinner look, spoon some of the thickened pan glaze over the top so it drips down the sides, then slice and serve warm.
Variations & Tips
If you prefer a little tang, you can use half yellow mustard and half Dijon, keeping the total mustard amount the same so you still have just three ingredients in the glaze. For a slightly smokier note, choose a smoked ham and a dark cola like root beer or a cherry cola, again measuring it to the same 1/2 cup. A spiral-sliced ham works well with this recipe too; just reduce the baking time a bit and be gentle when basting so the slices don’t dry out. If your ham is on the smaller side (5–6 pounds), cut the glaze recipe in half and start checking for doneness earlier. To keep cleanup easy, line the roasting pan with heavy-duty foil before placing the ham in it—this glaze gets wonderfully sticky. Leftover glazed ham can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in portions. It’s especially good diced into potato hash, stirred into beans, or layered into grilled cheese sandwiches for another simple, comforting meal.
