From the Spicekeeper’s Cottage - Coca-Cola Mustard-Crusted Holiday Ham

Inspired by a 1970s family recipe, finished with Wiggly Piggly

Why This Ham Exists

Some recipes don’t come from cookbooks—they come from kitchens that smelled like holidays.

This ham is rooted in my mother’s 1970s recipe: yellow mustard, brown sugar, cloves, and Coca-Cola, baked low and slow until the outside turns glossy and the inside stays tender.

This version keeps her method intact, with one small upgrade from the Spicekeeper’s Cottage: Wiggly Piggly, which brings warmth, spice, and just enough kick to balance the sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (6–8 lb)

• Yellow mustard (enough to generously coat)

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon Wiggly Piggly seasoning

• Pinch of ground cloves (optional but lovely)

• Coca-Cola (about 1–1½ cups, poured slowly)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Place ham cut-side down in a roasting pan.

3. Score the surface in a diamond pattern, cutting just through the fat.

4. Slather the entire ham generously with yellow mustard.

5. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, Wiggly Piggly, and ground cloves.

6. Pat the mixture all over the mustard-coated ham, pressing it into the scored diamonds.

7. Slowly pour Coca-Cola over the ham, letting it run into the pan—not washing off the topping.

8. Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 2 hours, uncovering for the final 30 minutes to deepen the glaze.

9. Rest 10–15 minutes before slicing.

Flavor Notes

• Sweet from brown sugar and cola

• Tangy mustard backbone

• Warm spice and gentle heat from Wiggly Piggly

• Classic, nostalgic, and deeply comforting

The Cottage Note

In the 1970s, this kind of ham showed up on folding tables, buffet lines, and holiday sideboards across America. It wasn’t fancy—but it was dependable, generous, and always disappeared first.

This version honors that spirit.