This crock pot ham is a spiral cut ham topped with a 3 ingredient glaze, then slow cooked to perfection. This is the BEST way to make your holiday ham, the slow cooker does all of the work!
I’m always looking for ways to make holiday entertaining easier, and this crock pot ham is about as simple as it gets. All it takes is 5 minutes of prep time, and you end up with the most tender and succulent ham of all time!
Whenever there’s a holiday, there’s a ham on my table. I love to cook ham because most of the work is done for you before you even open the package. All you need is a delicious glaze and a slow cooker to make this simple crock pot ham. Best of all, it frees up oven space so that you have plenty of room to cook up your sides and desserts.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CROCK POT HAM?
The first step is to choose your ham. I always go with a smoked spiral cut ham. You’ll want a ham around 7-8 pounds in size. If you go any larger, you may have trouble fitting it into your crock pot. You can always trim off the end to make it fit if needed.
The ham is coated in brown sugar, then doused in honey and pineapple tidbits to form a sweet glaze that simmers away along with the ham.
TIPS FOR CROCK POT HAM
- You’ll need a large oval slow cooker for this recipe, 8 quart is preferred.
- The glaze is fairly thin when it comes out of the crock pot, so I like to transfer it to a pan on the stove top and simmer the glaze until it thickens.
- Not a fan of pineapple juice? Try apple cider instead.
- I like to garnish my ham platter with orange wedges on a bed of green leaf lettuce for a beautiful presentation.
HOW MUCH HAM PER PERSON?
You’ll need about 3/4 pound of ham per person for a bone-in ham. If you want plenty of leftovers, you can increase that amount to 1 pound of ham per person.
HOW LONG TO COOK A HAM?
It takes approximately 3-4 hours to cook a ham in the crock pot on low heat. You can check to make sure your ham is heated through by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. The thermometer should read at least 140 degrees F. Remember, the ham is already cooked, you are simply warming it up.
HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER HAM
One of the best parts about a holiday meal is enjoying the leftovers the next day! You can reheat your ham by covering it with foil and warming it in a 275 degree oven.
INGREDIENTS
8 lb spiral cut ham
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
20 oz can pineapple tidbits, 1/2 drained
navel orange, garnish
green leaf lettuce, garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
❶ Coat a large 7-8 quart crock pot with cooking spray or line with a crock pot cooking bag. Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar on the bottom of the crock pot, place the ham cut side down in the crock pot.
❷ Rub the remaining brown sugar all over the ham, then pour the honey, pineapple tidbits (only half the liquid).
❸ Cook on low heat for 3 hours or until a thermometer registers 140° F when inserted into the thickest part of the ham. Transfer the ham to a serving platter.
❹ Pour the liquid from the crock pot into a medium size pan. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until just thickened, add cornstarch slurry if desired.
NOTES
If you prefer a thicker glaze, you can whisk together 1 TB of corn starch with 2 TB of cold water and add it to the sauce pan when you simmer your liquid from the bottom of the crock pot.