Crockpot Ham – a traditional flavor packed bone-in ham made in the slow cooker and finished with a maple brown sugar glaze. The best way to make a holiday ham!
Crockpot Ham
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!
What kind of Ham should I use in the Crockpot?
Start 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 can 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 which is why a Crockpot is perfect!
How to Make Ham in a Slow Cooker
- Start by trimming excess fat and skin from the ham. 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 apple juice 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. Squeeze in fresh orange juice. 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.
What To Serve with Crockpot Ham
Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes
Crockpot Ham - a traditional flavor packed bone-in ham made in the slow cooker and finished with a maple brown sugar glaze. The best way to make a holiday ham!
- 7.5 pound ham unsliced, bone-in ham
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- Start by trimming excess fat and skin from the ham.
- Use a paring knife to slice a grid pattern into the ham.
Add ham and 1 cup of apple juice to slow cooker.
- Heat for 5-6 hours on low, until heated through.
- Remove ham from slow cooker and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Prepare glaze.
- Bring pure maple syrup, dark brown sugar, mustard, pepper and cornstarch to a boil.
Let boil 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly until mixture starts to thicken. Add orange juice.
- Let glaze cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pat ham dry and spoon glaze over ham.
- 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.
More Tips
- I put the ham back into the slow cooker on before serving.
- Let the ham rest before slicing. Don’t slice too early or the ham will dry out quickly.
- Keep a close eye on the ham when broiling. It can brown very quickly.
- I originally used pure maple syrup in this recipe, but have since started using regular pancake syrup and found it works just as well. So I use what I have on hand. They both give a great maple flavor.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
That looks seriously delicious! I’ve always been intimidated to try ham, but your recipe gives me hope! Thanks!
Thank you! xo
I love glaze on my ham! Using the crock post is great way to make things easier.
Sounds tasty and easy.
Hi! 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 🙂
I 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!
This looks great. We always have a ham on Christmas and I may try this one this year.
Does 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
Yes, you need to keep the lid on the slow cooker. I hope you it worked out for you!
Thank 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!
I agree, Tanya. Fat is flavor and adds moisture.
I’m in Australia. Is your brown mustard a liquid or powder?
Not powdered mustard, it’s a condiment you would put on a sandwich or hamburger.
I 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?
I don’t think it does, but you can substitute dijon mustard!
Hi there! How far in do you slice when doing the grid pattern? I assume you aren’t cutting all the way through, correct?
I’d say maybe 1/4 of an inch. The slices widen as it cooks and makes the grid pattern more prominent.
I’ve made this several times now and it’s super delicious. Easy and yummy. The whole family loves it. 🙂
I will try it so excited
I made the slow cooker ham yesterday and it was the best tasting ham we have ever had. I followed the recipe exactly as stated with no changes at all. I did leave it in the cooker for 6 hours. The ham was so tender and tasted amazing. Thank you so much for this simple and fabulous recipe.
Barbara
What internal temperature should the ham be cooked to?
Did the recipe change? I’ve been making this every year for thanksgiving and I don’t remember the recipe calling for Apple juice or orange juice
I just updated the post and recipe! I used apple juice instead of water to heat the ham and added some orange juice to the glaze for freshness. These are the only changes but I think they add a lot of extra flavor!
The maple and orange juice give this so much flavor. Great recipe!
I was looking for a new ham recipe and decided to try this one out, it turned out absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
This is really amazing! A must-have for Christmas!
My mouth is watering!! This ham is so juicy & tender! I need to make ham more often, because my family loves it & this recipe is easy!
I LOVE crockpot ham. This one is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Slow cooker ham is the best!! This one looks absolutely amazing!
What a beautiful ham! This will surely impress my family on Easter; looking forward to enjoying this soon!
This is a delicious ham!! Oh, I am still making one for Easter, even if it’s my little family. Love the maple brown sugar glaze. It adds a yummy flavor!
This takes all the stress out of a special occasion dinner! I was able to focus on side and dessert while knowing that the main dish was just over there doing it’s thing!