Old Fashioned Ham Balls

Old Fashioned Ham Balls are tender, sweet and salty meatballs of bliss! Serve over rice, in a stir fry, cut in half on pizza, as sandwiches, or all on their own as an appetizer.

I’ve made these old fashioned ham balls so.many.times.

I finally decided to document them on my site because I got tired of digging for the recipe.

What they lack in name (say ham balls without giggling, really), and appearance (zzzzzz), they fully make up for in taste. Tenfold. I’ve eaten myself sick off of these gems. It’s not hard to do – they’re like candy!

Similar in quantity as my classic meatballs, this recipe makes plenty – approximately 80 – which I guess sounds like a lot. But I love that. I use meatballs in so many dishes.

You can freeze them for later, making meal time super easy…think Hawaiian stir-fry, or sliders on brioche buns, or on top of fried rice. My kids happen to love them in their lunchbox!

Old Fashioned Ham Balls

Old Fashioned Ham Balls are tender, sweet and salty meatballs of bliss! Serve over rice, in a stir fry, cut in half on pizza, or all on their own as an appetizer.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings: 80 meatballs

Ingredients

For The Meatballs

• 2 pounds leftover ham , rough chopped
• 2 pounds ground pork
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

For The Glaze

• 3 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat (2) 9x13 baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the ham and ground pork in the bowl of a food processor (if yours is small, you might need to do this is two batches.) Pulse until it resembles hamburger meat.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl and combine with the eggs, milk, and breadcrumbs.
• Using a tablespoon sized cookie scoop, form into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange the meatballs in the baking pans; set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together all the glaze ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Pour the glaze over the ham balls, dividing it between the two baking dishes.
• Place in the preheated oven and cook, uncovered, for about 75-80 minutes, until the ham balls have browned and the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency.
• Serve over rice, in a stir fry, cut in half on pizza, or all on their own as an appetizer.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: Let the meatballs cool and then transfer to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or an airtight container. Pour all remaining glaze over them and press out any air. Let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven or on the stove-top.

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As seen on Barefeet in the Kitchen, originally from Foodie with Family