Jamie Knowlson was spotted running off to a nearby hostel, and when mosque staff followed they had offensive taunts shouted at them.
The 30-year-old's behaviour left the community of the Al-Baseera mosque on Wade Street in St Judes "disgusted and saddened".
Muslims are banned from eating any form of pig meat by their religion, which teaches that it can make them impure and unclean.
After he was arrested Knowlson said he had no idea that putting ham in worshippers' shoes would be offensive, saying it was just a prank and a practical joke. But he later admitted to police that he had been fully aware of the implications. Knowlson, of Charlton Road, Kingswood, pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment last month at Bristol Magistrates' Court.
Magistrates sent the case to Bristol Crown Court for sentencing, and Knowlson could have faced up to two years behind bars. Instead he was given a six-month suspended sentence, only escaping prison because he returned to the mosque to apologise in person for his actions.
The court heard that at 6.30am on January 9 Knowlson had gone to the Al-Baseera mosque from Redwood House, a homeless hostel opposite.
He was seen putting slices of ham from the hostel on to the railings and into the shoes of worshippers, which were left outside the mosque while they prayed.
CCTV showed him returning to the hostel, and the mosque's caretaker, Abdi Djmaa, followed to complain.As Mr Djmaa returned to the mosque he heard someone shouting "bad meat", "girls" and "the next visit will be harder". Police were called, and as officers and another man removed the ham, they heard laughter coming from the hostel.
Prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, David Hunter said it had been a "premeditated offence" and that the Muslim community had been specifically targeted.
Defending, Ian Halliday said Knowlson felt deep remorse and regret, and said he had been drunk when he carried out the act. Mr Halliday said: "This was a brutal, misconceived, drunken prank. He returned to the mosque and offered his apologies in person."
Knowlson, 30, sat red-faced and in tears as Her Honour Judge Carol Hagen handed down sentence.
She said: "It is difficult to imagine a more offensive incident. Not only the fixing of meat to railings, but aggravated, in my view, by the fact that members of the mosque were inside praying at the time."
She also ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Knowlson refused to comment after the hearing.
The Al-Baseera mosque opened in 2005, and more than 2,000 Somali Muslims use it every week. Mubarak Mohamud, one of the three imams, or teachers, at the mosque, said: "There wasn't anger, people were more upset and shocked "We don't eat pork and we are banned by our faith from eating it, as it makes us impure when we are going to our prayers. We don't hate the man, we just suppose he doesn't know us."
A second man will go on trial in connection with the incident later this month.
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