Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (2024)

Old Fashioned Ham Balls.

Could there possibly be a less appealing sounding name for a dish?*

*Perhaps. But it would have to be exceptionally gross… Maybe “Repurposed Egg Salad” or “Blood Sausage”. You get the idea…

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (1)

Let’s be honest, they’re also not the purtiest meatball on the block. They’re brown on the outside, but they’re a pinky colour on the inside. Not bad when you remember the presence of ham, but a bit disconcerting for the inside of your average meatball.

Here’s the thing of it, though; These ham balls from an ancient Taste of Home (Yes, again with the Taste of Home. I’m feeling nostalgic.) are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in all of my life. Allow me to paint a picture.

The year is nineteen-ninety seven. I arrive at the home of my father and step-mother for Easter dinner with husband in tow. We are expecting our first child. I am quite firmly in mega-morning sickness mode.

No food has sounded, smelled or looked anywhere near good to me for about two and a half months. And I do mean nothing. I’ve choked back sleeve upon sleeve of saltine crackers, sipped tentatively at ice water and seltzer and forced myself to take in enough calories to keep myself going and keep baby growing.

I visit a bit, putz around in the kitchen with Val a bit, and ask what’s fer grub while secretly steeling myself to eat a few courtesy bites before excusing myself from the table. Val pauses, hand on covered casserole pan and says, “These are ham balls!”

If you think you know what’s coming next you just might be wrong.

What I heard was, “These are ham…” and then I blanked out. I could smell the salty ham and see the sticky brown sugar mustard glaze and deep brown crust. It smelled perfect. It looked amazing.

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (2)

All I wanted at that one moment was to stick my face into the casserole and not come up for air until I had licked that pot clean. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, I looked to Val with an awestruck expression.

I’m not sure what I said to her, but the result was her handing me one glorious sticky ham ball skewered on a fork. I nibbled once, twice then made like the Tootsie Roll Owl and on three gobbled the whole thing down.

It was the first real food I had managed to eat in weeks and I made up for lost time. The Evil Genius ate his meagre portion (from which I stole while he wasn’t looking.) Whether anyone got a proper serving after I had my fill, I don’t recall. Quite frankly, I didn’t care. I was a monster.

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (3)

Over the years, we looked forward to ham balls at Easter so much that we eventually skipped the actual ham supper and went straight to ham balls. Nowadays, a triple batch of these sweet, salty, savoury, sour, sticky ham meatballs is eaten on Easter Sunday and for a couple of meals thereafter.

Ham ball sandwiches on soft bread with bread and butter pickles, a bit of mustard and a side of baked beans is good enough to make my husband weepy. Ham balls on steamed or fried rice with sweet garlic chili sauce is a fast and well-loved dinner.

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (4)

Old Fashioned Ham Ball recipe leftover and worked into the world’s fastest stir-fry? Hello, lover. You’ll definitely want to try our Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry.

Old Fashioned Ham Balls snuck from the bowl when all the kids are asleep? Well, that’s the best of them all. A word to the wise: Make sure you wash your hands before you sneak the sticky little ham balls. You will most certainly want to lick that glaze from your fingers and I’d hate for you to be unprepared.Who’s looking out for you? Me. That’s who.

Use this to make Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe:

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Taste of Home Old Fashioned Ham Balls

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Rebecca Lindamood

Sticky, sweet-and-sour, savoury ham meatballs in a brown sugar and mustard glaze. Use up your leftover ham, or make like us and skip the ham dinner going straight to these.

Ingredients

Ingredients for ham balls:

  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • 2 pounds leftover ham
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 1/3 cups crushed shredded wheat cereal You can use a food processor or a zipper top bag and a mallet for the job!

Ingredients for the glaze:

  • 3 1/2 cups brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar Don’t use white vinegar here. It lacks oomph!
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder Or 1 tablespoon prepared British-style mustard, like Coleman’s.

Instructions

  • Use the coarse setting on your meat grinder to grind your ham. (If you do not have a meat grinder, use your food processor to pulse until it is finely chopped like hamburger or chop very finely with a large, sharp knife.)

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  • Evenly coat two 9″x13″ baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray.

  • Combine all the ham ball ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

  • Roll the meat into 2-inch balls. (I use a medium sized disher to get evenly sized meatballs so they cook at the same rate.)

  • Arrange the ham balls in the pans. Set aside.

  • Add all the glaze ingredients to a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking just until the sugar is fully melted.

  • Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Do not cover the pan while simmering.

  • Pour the glaze over the ham balls, dividing evenly between the two pans.

  • Bake the ham balls, uncovered, for 70 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and the ham balls are browned.

Notes

These freeze well, so don’t worry about the high volume of the recipe. Not that you’ll have many left, that is… They’re just a bit too tasty.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

did you make this recipe?

Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (6)

This post was originally published April 26, 2011.

Old Fashioned Ham Ball Recipe - Great Leftover Ham Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are ham balls made of? ›

Ham balls are like meatballs but with a different mixture of ground meats: ground ham, ground beef, and ground pork. The main meat is ground ham. Since ham is a cured cut of pork with a smoky quality, it contains a different flavor than ground pork alone.

What are two ways the ham can be used? ›

Other ham sandwiches include toasted sandwiches such as the Cubano, which uses two types of pork, melted Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard to create a tangy, tart meal. Along with stuffing sandwiches, ham is frequently found topping pizzas in the States, such as the Hawaiian-style pizza that features ham and pineapple.

Is ground pork the same as ground ham? ›

Ground Ham – So ground ham is not the same as ground pork! Ham is almost entirely lean and is saltier than plain ground pork. Which is just what we want! Try not to substitute if you can – it's what gives Iowa old fashioned ham balls their tell-tale taste!

Can you grind your own ham? ›

Grinding ham requires the right equipment. You can use a food processor, meat grinder, or even a high-powered blender to achieve the desired consistency. Ensure that the equipment is clean and in good working condition before you begin the grinding process.

What is honeybaked ham made of? ›

A Honey Baked Ham is the best holiday ham you can buy. Our hams are smoked for up to 24 hours with our special blend of hardwood chips, then spiral-sliced to the bone for convenient easy serving, and hand-crafted with our sweet, crunchy glaze.

Is spiral ham real ham? ›

What Is a Spiral Ham? A spiral ham is, in a nutshell, a bone-in ham that's been sliced with a special spiral-slicing machine, which carves the meat into perfectly thin slices while allowing it to retain its show-stopping centerpiece shape for optimal presentation.

What is grandmother ham? ›

About this product: A fully boned leg which is hand trimmed and tied with the skin left over, then smoked over german beech. A full Grandmother Ham is approximately 3 to 5kg, a half Grandmother Ham approximately 2 to 3kg.

What is Kentucky ham? ›

The renowned Kentucky hams of the United States, for example, are cut exclusively from Hampshire hogs that have been fattened on beans, wild acorns, and clover until the last few weeks before the slaughter, when their diet is restricted to grain.

What makes ham better? ›

Buy bone-in ham. Yes, the bone is a little more work to cut around, but the meat is more flavorful and the hambone can be used to flavor soups and stews. Check the label. City hams can be artificially plumped up with water or solutions, but this dilutes the flavor, so look for one with no added water or juices.

What animal is ham from? ›

Ham is the cured leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. Fresh ham will bear the term "fresh" as part of the product name and is an indication that the product is not cured. "Turkey" ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of turkey.

Why is ham called ham and not pork? ›

The modern word ham is derived from the Old English ham or hom meaning the hollow or bend of the knee, from a Germanic base where it meant 'crooked'. It began to refer to the cut of pork derived from the hind leg of a pig around the 15th century.

Can you freeze ground up ham? ›

Yes, you can freeze ham, but let's start with why you think you need to. Ham has been cured, and possibly smoked, to make it keep far longer than fresh pork.

Can ham become bacon? ›

No, it comes from an entirely different part of the pig. Cured and smoked ham can have a "like bacon" flavor but it will never *be* bacon due to its structure and general lack of fat marbling. It's like asking if a flank steak can be turned into a ribeye. No it cannot.

How to make a carver ham? ›

Remove ham from packaging and place flat side down in a 2-inch deep baking pan, fat side up. Add package drippings and 1/2 cup water in the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil to help retain moisture. Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes per pound, or until reaches desired eating temperature.

How do you ground a ham without a grinder? ›

While the experts agree that the best way to grind meat is with an actual meat grinder, a food processor can definitely get the job done. The only thing they say you'll want to keep in mind is that the motor can heat up the meat if you let it run too long.

What are the white balls on deli ham? ›

These spots can be caused by a number of factors, including the presence of amino acids like tyrosine. When the protein in the ham breaks down during the curing process, it can result in the formation of these white spots. The short answer is yes, white spots on ham are completely safe to eat.

What are sausage balls made of? ›

Combine sausage, Cheddar cheese, flour, baking powder, salt, onion powder, seasoned salt, and dry mustard in a large bowl. Form into walnut-size balls and place on rimmed nonstick baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and no longer pink in the centers, about 20 minutes.

What is the slime on packaged ham? ›

Get rid of it. Slimy, super-wet, or oily textures on the outside of your ham might indicate bacteria growth. Juice can just be congealed oils, so use your senses to see if anything else is off. Slimy ham that's growing bacteria will usually have a smell that indicates spoilage.

How are football hams made? ›

This ham begins with a select leg of fresh Ontario Pork. Skin, excess fat, H-bone and hock are removed. The ham is then cured, smoked and fully cooked.

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