Last weekend, I worked on a slow cooker ham recipe to share and I am beyond excited with the results. I used the slow cooker to gently heat the ham without drying it out, then made an easy homemade maple brown sugar glaze. Just a few minutes under the broiler caramelizes the glaze and gives it a delicious crunch. This slow cooker ham is gorgeous, and would be beautiful on any holiday table. The best part is, this slow cooker ham recipe is easy and economical. Perfect for feeding a crowd! Try it with my Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes and Corn Casserole for Easter!
I started with a 7 1/2 pound bone-in butt portion ham. My super market also offers shank portions, but my butcher recommended the butt portion and said it is the better quality cut. For this recipe, stick with the unsliced bone-in ham. Spiral sliced hams will dry out in the slow cooker and under the broiler. Keep in mind that hams are precooked, the trick is adding flavor and reheating them without drying them out.
Start by trimming excess fat and skin from the ham. I know it’s not the most attractive picture to share, but I think it’s important to see what the ham looks like going into the slow cooker. Use a paring knife to slice a grid pattern into the ham. The ham will shrink a bit as it cooks and this will leave room for the glaze to drip in and build flavor.
Add a cup of water to the slow cooker to ensure the ham does not dry out, and heat for 5-6 hours on low.
Once the ham is heated through, carefully remove the ham from the slow cooker and let it rest on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes. While the ham is resting, prepare the glaze by combining pure maple syrup, dark brown sugar, brown mustard and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and let it cook 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly, until the glaze has thickened. Set the glaze aside and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
Spoon the glaze over the ham, making sure it is well covered. Finish the ham under the broiler until the glaze starts to caramelize, 5-7 minutes.
- 7.5 pound unsliced bone-in ham
- 1 cup of water
- For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- freshly ground pepper to taste
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Start by trimming excess fat and skin from the ham.
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Use a paring knife to slice a grid pattern into the ham.
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Add ham and 1 cup of water to slow cooker.
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Heat for 5-6 hours on low, until heated through.
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Remove ham from slow cooker and let rest for 20 minutes.
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Prepare glaze.
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Bring pure maple syrup, dark brown sugar, mustard, pepper and cornstarch to a boil.
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Let boil 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly until mixture starts to thicken.
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Let glaze cool for about 5 minutes.
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Pat ham dry and spoon glaze over ham.
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Heat ham under broiler 5-7 minutes until glaze has caramelized.
If glaze cools too long and is overly thick, just reheat to make pourable.
Adapted from Cooks Country Slow-Cooker Holiday Glazed Ham Recipe
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Nat & Holly
April 4, 2014 at 3:45 pmThat looks seriously delicious! I’ve always been intimidated to try ham, but your recipe gives me hope! Thanks!
Melissa
April 9, 2014 at 10:19 amThank you! xo
Tonia
April 6, 2014 at 5:39 pmI love glaze on my ham! Using the crock post is great way to make things easier.
Carrie
April 9, 2014 at 7:46 pmSounds tasty and easy.
Amanda
October 22, 2014 at 11:23 amHi! This looks great… I have a large boneless ham in the freezer that I am wNting to cook for a group! Do you think this will still work? Should I remove the ‘skin’ before heating and applying the glaze if so? Thanks 🙂
Melissa
November 10, 2014 at 1:03 pmI haven’t tried with a boneless ham, but I think it will work for you. My ham did not have skin on, so I would recommend removing it. Let me know how it turns out!
Carol
November 20, 2014 at 7:40 amThis looks great. We always have a ham on Christmas and I may try this one this year.
Julie
April 5, 2015 at 10:42 amDoes the lid to the crock pot need to go on? My ham is a little too big and im not sure if it’ll work still
Melissa
April 9, 2015 at 11:24 amYes, you need to keep the lid on the slow cooker. I hope you it worked out for you!
Tanya
September 21, 2015 at 10:12 amThank you for such a simple recipe. My only issue is with your instruction to “trim the excess fat off.” Ahhhhh no please dont do that lol. We are a small homestead who focuses on raising pastured/wooodlot raised heritage animals, including pigs. Pastured/woodlot raised pork is the best, premium pork you can buy. An i am here to ask you to leave the fat on. The fat not only keep the meat moist, but it holds the flavour. All our customers have quickly learned to not even buy chops without the bone in & fat on. All our pigs that go to butcher for clients have instructions for NO deboned cuts and NO trimming of fat. You want about 1″ of fat on your pork to add flavour. After cooking, you can cut it off. Again, just a suggestion from a passionate pig farmer who hand raises and feeds our pigs. A pig farmer who sits in the pasture giving belly rubs to the pigs. Happy cooking!
Vicky
October 28, 2015 at 2:14 pmI agree, Tanya. Fat is flavor and adds moisture.
Hayley
December 16, 2015 at 2:15 pmI’m in Australia. Is your brown mustard a liquid or powder?
Melissa
February 15, 2016 at 8:27 pmNot powdered mustard, it’s a condiment you would put on a sandwich or hamburger.
b
November 15, 2016 at 8:53 pmI noticed brown mustard only comes in spicy. My kids don’t like spicy foods at all. Does this ingredient make the ham even a little spicy?
Melissa
November 22, 2016 at 6:46 pmI don’t think it does, but you can substitute dijon mustard!
Danielle
November 21, 2016 at 4:08 pmHi there! How far in do you slice when doing the grid pattern? I assume you aren’t cutting all the way through, correct?
Melissa
November 22, 2016 at 6:45 pmI’d say maybe 1/4 of an inch. The slices widen as it cooks and makes the grid pattern more prominent.
Genny L. Brezina
February 15, 2018 at 2:44 pmI’ve made this several times now and it’s super delicious. Easy and yummy. The whole family loves it. 🙂