Cheerwine Glazed Ham in the Instant Pot

Cook your ham wrapped up in foil in the Instant Pot, then apply a glaze made from Cheerwine soda (or your favorite soda) for the most outrageously delicious ham you have tried. And if you are looking for an Instant Pot ham recipe that doesn't include pineapple this recipe will do you well.

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You have looked all over online for a recipe to cook a ham in the Instant Pot. You absolutely hate pineapple. You click on recipe after recipe and find that they nearly all contain pineapple. Even my original recipe contains pineapple juice!

I wanted to come up with a recipe that would work for those that don't like pineapple but still want to cook a flavorful ham in their Instant Pot.

This time around I am losing the pineapple juice and replacing it with soda or as what a Michigander calls it "pop". I am also changing up the technique a bit while I am at it. I am not never one to "leave well enough alone"!.

Jump to:

• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📋 Instructions
• 🍖 More Ham Tips
• Cheerwine Glazed Ham in the Instant Pot

🛒 Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make this ham:

• A 4-6 lb semi-boneless ham
• 6 ounces Cheerwine
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow, brown, or Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (to thicken the glaze)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

You can use whatever ham you like that will fit inside the pot for your Instant Pot. I always go with a semi-boneless ham. Spiral ham can be used but they are easier to dry out since they have been pre-sliced.

Click/tap here to learn more about what ham will fit in your Instant Pot.

You can use any soda that you like. Here are some suggestions.

• Cola
• Root Beer
• Orange
• Black Cherry
• Dr. Pepper
• Ginger Ale

We choose Cheerwine because my wife is a big fan and we are in the south right now. So why not! If we haven't had it before, the best way to describe it is a cherry tasting Dr. Pepper style soda. That flavor made for the perfect glaze for a ham.

Whatever you do choose something that you would drink. Don't just pick the cheap store brand soda, unless it's really good.

As far as the mustard, again it's up to your taste. I used yellow mustard last time but Dijon, spicy brown, whole grain, etc would all work nicely. I felt the tablespoon I used was enough to taste the mustard flavor in the glaze without it overpowering it.

An optional ingredient but one I like is ground coriander. The flavor is herby and slightly citrusy. the best I have ever had is from Burlap & Barrel. Their Red River Coriander is an heirloom variety that is grown along the Red River in the northern highlands of Vietnam.

📋 Instructions

Start by making sure your ham is going to fit inside your Instant Pot. Most of the time I have gotten them to fit, but on occasion I have had to trim them. That is what did last time. The grocery store was low on semi-boneless hams so I had to pick one that was more wide at the bottom.

If this is the case, no worries. Just trim off enough ham for it to fit. You can diced up the part you trimmed off to use in salads. Or use to make a quiche. Definitely don't let it go to waste.

Once the ham is trimmed, get out some heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the ham on the foil and wrap it completely in foil as tight as you can get it.

If you want you can brush on the glaze now while the ham cooks, but you know I found that the glaze was just better brushed on the ham when it was done. I could taste the soda flavor more. I have always just cooked the glaze on the ham, but I found it way better if I just make the glaze separate and serve it at the table with a pastry brush. Also not all my kids appreciate the glaze.

This technique of cooking the ham in foil is also good for those that don't want a glaze at all. Wrapping the ham tight in foil allows you to steam the ham so that it is hot and keep out excess flavorless water that we don't want to add to the ham.

If you have a silicone sling, it's the best thing to use to easily remove the ham when it's done. If not you can make a sling out of foil or use some heavy duty tongs like you would use for your grill to remove the ham.

Use the trivet that came with the Instant Pot if you don't have a sling. It won't help you remove the ham but it will keep it directly out of the water you are using to cook the ham.

I add enough water to almost come up to the top of the sling. That was around a cup of water. You don't need a lot as the water as is going to stay inside the pot and not evaporate.

Once the ham is in and ready to go, set your Instant Pot for 25 minutes. This is longer than my original Instant Pot ham recipe because you need to add more time because of the foil.

In the meantime, make the glaze.

Combine the Cheerwine or other soda, dark brown sugar, mustard, and corn starch in a pot. Stir with a whisk to make sure all the sugar and corn starch is mixed in well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once it comes to a simmer, stir consistently until the glaze has thicken. Should only take a couple minutes. You can test it by using a back of a spoon, it should coat it. Remove from the heat. It will thicken more as it cools.

Now back to the Instant Pot! Once the time is up, let the pot sit for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. To check to make sure the ham is properly reheated use a thermometer. It needs to pass 140 degrees when inserted into the deepest part of the ham without touching a bone. If it's not at 140 yet, then cook for another 3-5 minutes. I have never needed this but it's possible. Hams are different shapes and have different bones that could effect the cook time which is why having a thermometer is key.

Carefully remove the ham from the pot and onto a cutting board. You can apply the glaze to the ham now or save it for serving at the table.

🔪 Slicing Tip - For a semi-boneless ham, slice your pieces off the ham by cutting perpendicular to the bone.

🍖 More Ham Tips

Want some more ham tips? Check out these topics:

• How to Keep a Spiral Ham from Drying Out
• How in Advance to Buy a Ham
• Should You Buy a Boneless Ham
• Best Ham to Buy at Costco