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Crockpot ham has a quick prep and requires minimal effort. Covered with a brown sugar glaze, it’s our favorite way to make a holiday ham!
Served with Funeral Potatoes and Rolls, you can’t go wrong with this simple slow cooker recipe. It’s perfect for family get-togethers.
Holiday ham
Ham is one of those foods that we don’t typically have on an average weeknight. Sometimes we’ll have it for Sunday dinners, but you better believe it ALWAYS makes an appearance at holiday dinners!
We love this Holiday Ham because:
- SIMPLE. Takes less than 10 minutes to prep. That’s a win!
- MADE IN SLOW COOKER. Most of it is done in the crock pot, which makes this slow cooker ham recipe even better!
- DELICIOUS. It is the juiciest, sweetest, and tender ham you’ll ever try. With a delicious glaze made from brown sugar and pineapple juice, it’s impossible not to love it!
- HOLIDAY MUST. Whether it’s Easter dinner, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, I can count on enjoying my Aunt Georgie’s crockpot ham.
how to cook a ham in a crock pot
This ham is made in the slow cooker which translates to EASY!!
- PREP. Add your ham to a greased slow cooker, cut side down.
- SEASON. Rub 1 cup brown sugar all over the ham, then pour the syrup and pineapple juice over the top.
- COOK. Heat in a slow cooker on LOW for 3-4 hours. Remove the excess liquid in the slow cooker into a separate pot. Make the glaze (recipe below) and pour it over the sliced ham in the crock pot. Cook on warm/low for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
- SERVE. Remove this easy crock pot ham to a platter, and garnish with fresh herbs.
How much ham per person?
- Bone-in ham – ½ pound per person, or 1 pound per person if you want lots of leftovers!
- Boneless ham – ¼ to ⅓ pound should do the trick.
Depending on the size of your crockpot, it might only be able to fit 7-8 pounds of ham. If you need more than that to feed your guests, you may need to borrow an extra crock pot or two!
Brown Sugar Glaze For Ham
This glaze might be simple, but it packs a lot of flavor! It’s perfectly sweet, to compliment the flavors of the meat. All it takes is three ingredients:
- leftover juices from cooked ham
- brown sugar
- pineapple juice
COMBINE. Just mix the ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove.
BOIL. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
GLAZE. Pour the sauce over the ham, cook in the crock pot a little longer, and you’re set.
If desired, try adding additional spices to taste: ginger, ground cloves, cinnamon, or nutmeg. You can even add pineapple chunks ,if desired.
Recipe Tips
Crock pot tips. This spiral ham is already cooked through, so using the slow cooker is to add flavor, and warm it up. Some crock pot cooking tips:
- Don’t put frozen meat in a crock pot. Even though this ham is already cooked, you still need to make sure to thaw it beforehand.
- HIGH on a crock pot is about 300°F. LOW is about 200°F. One hour on high equals about two hours on low.
- Use the right size crock pot. The ham should fill the pot between ½ and ¾ of the way.
Spiral cut ham. These pre-cut, even, slices make it easier to serve the ham at dinner. Spiral ham can come in both bone-in and boneless forms.
- Bone-in: like the name states, it still has the ham bone intact and is supposedly more flavorful than boneless.
- Boneless: no bone, which allows for easier cutting and serving.
Storing info
STORE any leftover slow cooker ham in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FREEZE. Once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and tinfoil, or freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Leftover ham is great for sandwiches, soups, casseroles, or bakes. If you know you’re going to use it in a recipe that calls for diced ham, like Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Creamy Ham and Bean Soup, or Ham Potato Corn Chowder, dice it up before putting it in the freezer – for convenience down the road!
To reheat. Pop it in the microwave, or wrap the slices in foil and heat in the oven at 275°F, until warmed through.
Side Dishes for Ham
Crockpot Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 pounds bone-in spiral-cut cured ham
- 2-2½ cups packed brown sugar divided
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (not artificially flavored pancake syrup)
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place ham cut side down in the greased slow cooker.
- Rub 1 cup brown sugar all over the ham, then pour pineapple juice and syrup over the top.
- Cook on low for 3–4 hours.
- Remove excess liquid from the slow cooker and transfer to a pot. Add remaining 1–1½ cups brown sugar to pot, using more sugar if you prefer a sweeter ham. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat and pour over the ham. Cook on warm for an additional 30–60 minutes.
- Remove ham to a platter. Spoon extra juices over ham slices and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I could eat brown sugar ham every week and not get tired of it
Cooking your ham in the slow cooker makes it so tender!
I JUST signed up to bring a ham to a funeral luncheon so finding this was perfect timing- thank you!
I will be making this masterpiece tonight for valentines day dinner for my girlfriend lynette 🙂 I will let you know how it goes 😉
Oh, I hope it’s a hit!! Thank you!
Do you cook this on high or low in the crockpot?
How fun! I love being able to spend extended time with family! This ham looks amazing!
Great idea using a crockpot! I think ham is always a welcome addition to any holiday – have a Happy Thanksgiving!
How wonderful that you are going home for Thanksgiving! I bet your kids are so excited and this ham makes me dream of the holidays (and hopefully, some cooler temps in FL 🙂
So, I have a small ham in the fridge that I need to do something this week with. I kid you not. I was grocery shopping and just thought it would be a great idea to buy one. No special occasion or celebration. I just wanted one. And there it sits. . .in the fridge. I’m truly trying this recipe this week and will try to remember to report back on how it turned out. I can’t wait. . .I finally have a plan. . .thanks to you!
I am all about the crock pot for thanksgiving! I may need to buy or borrow a few more! PS. When I saw you at Blogher this weekend, I kind of freaked out! 🙂