Whole Foods – Ham Balls
As I mentioned before my first Thanksgiving with my husbands family was quite the ordeal. One item on the buffet were Ham Balls. (Immediately my brain went to the Delicious Dish skit from Saturday Night Live.) Then I matured again and realized I had never heard of this Idaho delicacy! Even at the grocery stores, all the butchers know what to give you when you ask for the ham ball mixture. For people like me who don’t like to eat or cook a lot of ham this is a fun and tasty small side dish. The glaze completes the dish and gives you that perfect taste to the holidays!
Ham Balls
Author/Source:
Kelly @ Onceamonthmom.com
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups crushed saltine crackers, preferably organic
- 2 pounds ground fully cooked organic ham (You can ask your butcher to grind this for you, but go towards the end of the day)
- 1 pound ground pork preferably organic
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 7 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the eggs and cracker crumbs. Crumble ham and pork over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. Place into two greased 9×13 baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar and mustard . Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Mix one tablespoon vinegar with cornstarch, then add to glaze and boil until thickened. Drain ham balls; drizzle with syrup mixture, serve extra glaze on the side.
Freezing Directions:
Prepare ham balls as directed above. Divide among freezer bags prior to cooking. Freeze until ready to serve. TO SERVE: Thaw. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar and mustard . Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Mix one tablespoon vinegar with cornstarch, then add to glaze and boil until thickened. Drain ham balls; drizzle with syrup mixture, serve extra glaze on the side.
Servings: 18 Ham Balls
This Post will be linked at:
- Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
- It’s a Keeper Thursday at It’s a Keeper
This sounds wonderful!
I’m so excited to see this recipe out there! I grew up eating Ham Balls in Western Pennsylvania, and so many people just look at you like you’re crazy when you talk about them–they are delicious!
oh my goodness we LOVE ham balls! it’s a central Iowa thing, too.
my mother in law’s recipe has graham crackers instead of saltines, and a slightly different sauce: tomato soup, vinegar, a bit of brown sugar – and you bake them with the sauce on it. these freeze awesomely, either before or after you bake them, and then you can have them whenever you want!
BTW Ben & Jerry’s makes ice cream named after that skit, and it’s quite good (limited time).
These Ham Balls would just be awesome. We would really enjoy them. My very best wishes to you and your family for a blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again real soon!
Miz Helen