Crock Pot Ham
Juicy, sweet, and slow-cooked to perfection, our Crock Pot Ham recipe is the best mess-free, stress-free way to cook your holiday ham!
Crock Pot Ham features bone-in pork marinated in a 3-ingredient sweet and savory glaze of brown sugar, dijon mustard and maple syrup. This slow-cooker ham is SO delicious and is, without a doubt, the easiest, tastiest way to put a smiles on the faces of everyone around your dinner table!
How to Cook the Best Holiday Ham
Once you’ve made a Crock Pot Ham, you’ll be convinced! The pork turns out savory and succulent with a hint of sugar & spice – PERFECT! Plus, it’s virtually effortless, making it a truly brilliant slow-cooker recipe! This method frees up your oven on the busiest cooking days of the year to make room for those soft, buttery dinner rolls and all the other wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter side dishes like mashed potatoes and green bean casserole!
Other Recipes to Serve with a Crock Pot Ham
- Mamaw’s Dinner Roll Recipe are classic yeast rolls that are easy to make and mouthwateringly soft and and fluffy!
- Pecan Pie Recipe – delicious caramel flavors, tons of chopped pecans and a hint of cinnamon – the best pecan pie ever!
Ingredients
Ham: A whole, bone-in ham – you can decide on cured, uncured or smoked!
Glaze: We marinate our ham with pure maple syrup, brown sugar for sweetness, and a little whole-grain Dijon mustard for tangy spice!
How to Make a Slow-Cooker Ham
STEP ONE: Whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy to make the ham glaze.
STEP TWO: Cut a crisscross pattern into the ham’s outer layer using a sharp knife. If you’re using a spiral ham, you won’t need to do this step.
STEP THREE: Place the ham into the slow cooker, then pour the glaze over the top, into the groves, and down the sides of the ham.
STEP FOUR: Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Baste the ham with the drippings/glaze in the bottom of the slow cooker every hour or so.
STEP FIVE: When the ham is done cooking, transfer it to a platter. Pour the glaze from the slow cooker into a bowl to serve on the side so you can spoon it over the ham. Slice the ham (if needed) and serve warm with your favorite sides.
Tips for Success
- This recipe is for a fully cooked, bone-in ham – you can decide on cured, uncured, or smoked!
- Check for a plastic cap on the end of the ham bone, and remove and discard it before cooking.
- You can turn your ham over halfway through cooking and baste it again.
- Optional glaze ingredients are pineapple juice, garlic, hot pepper jelly and cola! You want sweet, spicy/tangy to counter the salty, meaty pork.
- For a crispy brown top, transfer the whole ham onto a backing pan, baste with the glaze from the bottom of the crockpot, and bake it under the broiler for about 10 minutes.
How Long Do You Cook a Ham in the Crock Pot?
If you’re new to cooking ham, you may not realize that most hams at the grocery store are already fully cooked. So, in the crock pot, these hams only HAVE to cook long enough to warm throughout. HOWEVER, to get the juiciest, most delicious glazed ham, cook it on low for 6-8 hours with a sweet and tangy glaze.
A raw ham should cook for about 2 hours PER pound or until the internal temperature reaches 145 F at the thickest part. Be sure to marinate the meat to enhance the flavor and impress your dinner guests!
What Size Ham Do I Need?
The ham size depends on the number of servings you will need. For a bone-in ham, allot ⅓ to ½ pound of meat per person. This means that for a small 6-person gathering, a 2 to 3-pound ham will be plenty. For a feast of 15 people, you’ll need a 5-6 pound ham. (An 8-pound ham is about the maximum size you can fit into a large 7-quart, oval crock pot.)
Luscious, Heavenly Leftover Ham Recipes!
- Ham & Cheese Sliders
- Easy Ham Tetrazzini
- Cheesy Broccoli Ham Casserole
- Ham and Pineapple Pasta Bake
- Slow Cooker Ham & Potato Cheese Soup
- Creamy Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad
Crock Pot Ham
Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (regular or whole-grain)
- 5 pound bone-in ham (see note)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard until smooth to make the glaze.
- Take the ham out of the package and discard the glaze packet. Use a towel to pat the ham dry. If you bought an uncut ham, use a sharp knife to cut a crisscross pattern into it. (If you bought a spiral-cut ham, don't add any extra cuts.)
- Place the ham in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the glaze all over the top and sides of the ham.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Use a pastry brush to coat the ham in the glaze and juice in the slow cooker every hour or so during the cooking time.
- Carefully remove the ham from the slow cooker and transfer it to a serving platter. Cut into slices (if needed) and serve the extra sauce from the slow cooker on the side to pour over the ham slices.
I came across your recipe while looking to cook a bone in ham in the crockpot. Yours looked so simple and easy I had to try it. It was amazing! The best flavor and tenderness of any ham I’ve cooked in the past twenty years. Thank you so much. I’ve passed your recipe on to several others who asked for it. The leftovers were just as good as thanksgiving day. I will only cook a ham this way. Delicious!