Julie Clark
Posted: Updated:
Ham Loaf
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This ham loaf recipe is one of the best ways to use up leftover ham. Baste with a sweet pineapple glaze during baking for a delicious caramelized flavor. You may also love our easy ham recipe!
Ham Loaf Recipe
Thanks to the Ohio Pork Council for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Premiere Solutions in Sabina, Ohio. This is a company whose motto is “helping farmers feed the world” and that is exactly they do! I met Rebecca Surber there and she was kind enough to take me out to one the Surber Family hog farms so I could experience first hand what raising pigs on a pig farm looks like.
If you’re anything like me, someone who was not raised around farming, I’m sure you may have a lot of questions about what it is like. Blogging has given me many opportunities, but getting to know local farmers and their families and experiencing what they do each and every day has been one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done. Let me tell you why.
- Farming families are passionate about what they do. This is the second time I’ve visited the Surber family and they are lovely. They are very knowledgeable about what they do and are more than happy to answer any questions to share their knowledge. Much of the Surber family, although now they are grown and married, still work for the family farm business which shows they love what they do.
- Farming families love their animals. Rebecca shared many stories with me of different pigs and their personalities, even giving some names. I saw first hand Rebecca pick up and love on one of the littlest pigs to give them extra attention. They really do care for their animals and want to see them healthy and happy.
- Farming families care about health. And that’s not just of the animals but also the importance of maintaining health standards to keep quality at its highest.
- Farming families in want to see farmers thrive in Ohio and do what they can to help and support them! I was so impressed with the history of Premiere Solutions. John Surber is an amazing businessman but isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He started in the feed business but about 20 years ago built his own hog barn which was the start of showing Ohio farmers that they can be successful. He paved the way for much of pig farming coming back to Ohio.
I’ve been blessed to get to know the Surber family and they were kind enough to share their favorite ham loaf recipe with you! Oh…and this was an awesome day because we got to have dessert BEFORE dinner. We stopped by Batter Up Bakery in Leesburg, Ohio. It was their prep day and we sampled fresh from the oven blueberry donuts and lemon blueberry cookies. Mouthwatering!! If you’re ever in Southwest Ohio, stop by this bakery and sample some of their donuts or other baked goods, many made with locally sourced fresh fruits!
How to Make Ham Loaf
Ham loaf is an easy recipe to make. If you’ve ever made meatloaf, it is very similar. You start by running 2.25 pounds of ham through a food processor to chop it up. If you have a meat grinder, you could do that too. Add ground pork, mustard, ketchup, chopped onions, milk and …..graham crackers! Unique, right? Graham crackers really add to the flavor of this ham loaf.
This ham loaf will take about an hour and a half to bake. You’ll want to baste it 3-4 times during cooking. The glaze will caramelize on the outside of the ham loaf. It’s amazing! Save any leftover sauce to drizzle over the ham loaf slices while serving.
Ham Loaf Glaze
This ham loaf is basted with an easy 4-ingredient glaze. Crushed pineapple (with the juice!), brown sugar, vinegar and a touch of mustard. Cook it together on the stovetop and allow it to boil for 1 minute. The sweet flavor pairs so well with ham.
Ham Loaf Recipe
This ham loaf recipe is one of the best ways to use up leftover ham. Baste with a sweet pineapple glaze during baking for a delicious caramelized flavor.
Servings 12
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the Ham Loaf:
- 2 ¼ pounds ground ham (precooked ham)
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 1/2 cups graham crackers (crushed)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple (with juice)
Instructions
Make the Ham Loaf:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground ham, pork, eggs, mustard, ketchup, onion, graham crackers and milk. Mix well.
- Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Shape the ham mixture into a loaf, packing the meat firmly.
- Sprinkle the top of the ham loaf with paprika.
- Bake the ham loaf for 20 minutes. During this 20 minutes, make the pineapple glaze.
Pineapple Glaze:
- Combine the glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the sauce comes to a boil, then boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and set aside until the ham loaf is ready to glaze.
Finish Baking the Ham Loaf:
- After the initial 20 minutes of baking, brush the top of the loaf with the pineapple glaze.
- Bake again for 70 minutes, basting the ham loaf 2 or 3 more times during baking.
- Serve warm with any leftover pineapple glaze drizzled on top.
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the loaf being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 466mg | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2.8mg
Loved the taste of this ham loaf but, in my opinion, it needed more of something to bind it together better. Maybe adding more graham crackers would have worked or less milk. Also, next time, I will split into 2 separate loaves and freeze one. This makes a huge batch in a 9×13 casserole. It was delicious, no matter how big and loose it was.
Made this last night for the first time. I have two kids – 7 and 10 years old. They’re very picky and they loved this! Asked that it be added to the rotation (which so far only includes 2 meals 😉 Thanks for a great recipe.
So good!!!!!❤️ We all loved it!! I didn’t add the onion or paprika, because of personal preference but it was really good! Thanks 😊
Made this tonight. I haven’t had ham loaf in, dare I say, decades. It tasted wonderful but it completely fell apart. I followed the recipe to the letter, basting every 20 minutes. Baked it uncovered in a 9×13 pan as one loaf for almost 2 hours. Any suggestions?
I just made this ham loaf & it was super…however the glaze was burnt on bottom of my pan which I had sprayed according to instructions…it is now soaking. Did I do something wrong or is this expected?
When the recipe calls for ground pork is that COOKED pork, ground sausage, or what? Really looking forward to trying this recip
I have been looking for this thing for years. My grandmother made it like 2 times and I thought it was amazing. And thank you
Thus recipe doesn’t call for an egg or two?
Poor, poor turn out!!!! I think these internet cooks have never made the recipes they publish