Shaved Ham With Coca-Cola Sauce

Easy, Nostalgic, and Crowd Pleasing

Shaved Ham With Coca-Cola Sauce features fully cooked, smoked ham sliced thin and baked until glossy in a sweet and tangy sauce made with mustard, honey, and that sweet pop. It’s an easy, nostalgic crowd-pleaser that’s made for rolls and extra sauce on the side.

One of my family’s all-time favorite recipes is my classic baked ham with my infamous glaze. I usually make it with an Aldi spiral sliced, bone-in ham.

Every single time I serve it, people lose their minds. It’s one of those recipes that shows up for holidays, birthdays, and parties.

It is reliable, affordable, and nostalgic. My family would be mad if I didn’t make it.

For a recent holiday party I wanted to do something similar to my classic ham recipe but with a Milwaukee, Wisconsin twist so I made this Shaved Ham with Coca-Cola Sauce.

Discovering Wisconsin’s Hot Ham & Rolls Tradition

I often go back and forth between our house in Northern Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, just about ten miles over the border near the town of Land O’ Lakes. I’ve picked up on some very specific regional food traditions and one of those is hot ham and rolls, which is a Milwaukee area staple, especially on Sundays after church.

A lot of convenience stores sell thin sliced ham swimming in a delicious sauce, bundled with a bag of fresh rolls. It was meant to be something easy you could grab between services.

Like all good Midwest foods, it became a beloved tradition. We can get hot ham in rolls in our little neighbor town of Land O’ Lakes, but I wanted to make this at home.

Turning a Classic Into a Tipsy Housewife Version

For my Christmas party, I wanted to recreate that hot ham and rolls vibe but also make it feel like my ham. Specifically, I wanted it to taste like the glaze so many of you already know and love from my baked ham recipe.

That’s when I decided to combine the two ideas: deli style sliced ham with my sweet, sticky, nostalgic glaze.

Using a Meat Slicer (And Why It’s a Commitment)

My mom bought me a meat slicer for my birthday by the brand Vevor.

*This is an Amazon affiliate link, if you use the link I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.*

While I absolutely love it, I’ll be honest, owning a slicer is a commitment. You have to clean it, and that part is not always fun.

That said, being able to slice meat for parties has been a game-changer. We keep ours in the garage in a storage container and we bring it in when we need it, clean it with soap and water, and then store it again.

If you entertain a lot, it’s worth it, but it’s definitely not required for this recipe.

Choosing the Right Ham 

For this recipe, I bought a 4 pound boneless smoked ham, which I believe I picked up at Costco. You do not want a ham that’s already sweet or honey glazed, because this sauce is very sweet on its own.

If you’re slicing at home, aim for very thin but still foldable slices, just not paper thin. How thin you slice the ham will directly affect how long you bake it, so keep that in mind to avoid drying it out.

If you don’t have a slicer, the deli works perfectly. Ask for thin sliced smoked ham off the bone.

One of my favorites is from Mickleberry Farms. I would avoid honey ham or Polish style ham for this recipe.

As much as I love Krakus ham and have a million Krakus ham recipes, this is not the place for it.

How This Ham Gets Cooked

I layered all the sliced ham into a 9 by 12 roasting pan lined with foil, poured the sauce over the top, covered it tightly, and let it steam in its own juices and glaze. Once everything was heated through, I uncovered it and let the ham caramelize.

You can absolutely customize this part. I personally love crispy bits and slightly dried edges, so I cook mine longer but you don’t have to.

This recipe is very forgiving and easy to adjust to your preference.

Why Coca-Cola Works So Well in the Sauce

People always ask why I used Coke, and it’s because it adds a deep sweetness, almost like molasses, that plays incredibly well with the grainy mustard, brown sugar, honey, and spices. That sauce steams into the ham and gives it so much flavor.

Once it’s done, you can drain the sauce and serve it on the side, or even simmer it down in a saucepan if you want it thicker. I usually just leave everything in the pan and let people help themselves.

What to Serve With It

This ham is perfect for Hawaiian rolls, but it also pairs beautifully with my Au Gratin Potatoes, green beans, or any of my macaroni salads from the website. It’s great for holidays, football Sundays, casual parties, or anytime you want something comforting that feeds a crowd.

And no, the ham doesn’t have to be shaved thin. I just think it tastes better this way, looks more appealing, and feels extra special.