Slow Cooker Ham with Honey Mustard Glaze

This Slow Cooker Ham with Honey Mustard Glaze is perfect for the holiday season. It's packed with flavour and the taste is out of this world.

This spiral cut holiday ham is easy to prep and the perfect way to free up oven space on busy holidays.

My slow cooker did all the hard work today. If you love slow cooker recipes as much as we do, this is just the crockpot ham is for you!

This ham recipe is so simple to make and full of flavour. The glaze takes just a few minutes to make and then it is brushed over the ham before cooking. It's a thing of beauty.

Ham is always on our menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We tend to make it for Easter dinner as well. It's a great main course and feeds a crowd.

Making it in your slow cooker is the perfect way to free up your oven for other things, like lots of side dishes. We usually make two main course dishes for holidays.

Generally we make either ham or turkey for most holidays. Then I love making a nice beef option as well. Usually it's sirloin roast or pot roast.

Ingredient List:

• Spiral sliced ham- Make sure your ham will fit in your crock pot. Mine was a 10 pound ham and fit nicely in mine.
• Light Brown Sugar - This is used for the sauce to pour over the ham to sweeten it.
• Honey -  Honestly, honey really helps sweeten the sauce and gives a nice sugary coating the ham. Any honey will do.
• Dijon Mustard - It adds a nice kick to the sauce and gives great flavour to the ham. Any brand will work.
• Pineapple Juice - This helps add flavour to the sauce and balances it all. Buy any brand of juice you like.
• Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon works great with the sauce for the ham. I love the flavour.
• Parsley - Fresh parsley is nice as a garnish but it's completely optional. 

How to Cook This Slow Cooker Ham Recipe:

1. Make the glaze first in a saucepan on the stovetop.
2. Place ham on its side in slow cooker and either brush on the glaze or pour on the glaze.
3. Make sure you get the glaze in between all those beautiful layers of ham.
4. Use all the glaze on the ham prior to cooking.
5. Turn the spiral ham so the flat cut end faces down.
6. Turn on your slow cooker.
7. Baste every hour if cooking on low or every 30 minutes if cooking on high.
8. Once cooked baste one last time then slice and serve.
9. You can slice this when it's warm or allow it to cool.
10. Arrange the ham on a serving platter and cover with foil until you are ready to serve. Or you can slice it and place the pieces back in the slow cooker until you're ready to serve it. This keeps it warm until people arrive.

Tips:

• When making a a crock pot ham recipe you can use any kind of ham, as long as it fits in your slow cooker. You may need to trim it a bit to fit it inside the crock pot insert.
• You can any kind of ham, bone in or boneless. Bone is offers better flavour and presentation.
• The ham bone can be used to make soup so don't throw it out. Freezing the ham bone is a great option if you don't have time to make soup right away.
• Homemade ham glaze is SO much better than the glaze packet that comes with ham. It only takes a few minutes of prep time and cook time. It is worth the extra time to make your own, in my opinion.
• Save your cooking liquid for soup. Or you can use it to spoon over the ham before serving.
• You can use ground cloves when making ham if you like. Personally, I'm just not a fan of cloves.
• When using a meat thermometer for ham it should register between 140 - 145 degrees F when it's done cooking.
• If you're lucky, this easy crock pot ham will net you some amazing leftovers to make a great ham sandwich. I love using leftover ham to make my Ham and Cheese Sliders.

Which Side Should Face the Bottom of the Slow Cooker:

• Personally, I like the flat cut end of the ham to face the bottom of the slow cooker when cooking.
• If your ham will not fit with the flat cut end down you can try placing it on its side.
• You can also trim it if necessary prior to cooking.
• Just remember to brush the ham BEFORE you put the cut side down!!

How Long to Cook a Slow Cooker Ham:

• I recommend cooking this on low for 4 to 6 hours. The internal temperature should reach 140 degrees F when it is done.
• If you are pressed for time you can cook this on high for 2 to 3 hours. Again, you want the internal temperature to reach 140 degrees F.

Should I Baste my Slow Cooker Ham:

• Yes, you should absolutely baste your ham. I highly recommend doing so for a tender, juicy ham!
• Baste it every hour if you are cooking it on the low setting of your slow cooker.
• Baste it every 30 minutes if you are cooking it on the high setting of your slow cooker.
• Give it one last baste before slicing.
• Save some of the liquid to pour or drizzle over top when serving. Don't waste that tasty glaze!

How Much Slow Cooker Ham Do You Need:

• This is always a tricky one for me. We LOVE ham so we eat way too much of it.
• That said, when planning your portion per person it's always best to get a little more than needed. I recommend ½ to ¾ pounds per person if using bone-in ham. It's better to have too much than not enough.
• If using boneless ham plan on ⅓ to ½ pound per person. Again, I would rather have too much than not enough. Leftovers are always good for sandwiches.
• Make sure you calculate how many people you are feeding and do your math prior to buying your ham.
• Keep in mind if will need a bit less if serving another main course along with the ham.

Storing Leftover Ham:

• Store your leftover cooked ham in an airtight container. I love using glass containers for ham.
• You can store leftover ham in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• If using the freezer you can safely store it for 1 to 2 months.
• I tend to err on the side of caution with pork. Some people store theirs longer.

How to Reheat Leftover Ham:

Reheating ham in oven:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place ham in a shallow dish and add a little bit of broth or water to the bottom of the dish. Cover the ham with foil and place it in the oven.

Bake the ham for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove from oven, plate and serve.

This method works for cooking spiral ham that is still on bone, and also for ham slices.

Do not overcook or it will dry out.

Reheating ham in microwave:

Place the spiral ham or ham slices on a microwave safe platter or baking dish. Add a little bit of broth or water over the ham. Cover with paper towel and place in the microwave.

Cook time will range depending on how much you are cooking at one time. Start with one to two minutes for smaller portions, and increase time for bigger portions. Be sure to check 30 to 60 seconds after the first couple of minutes.

Serve!

Do not overcook the ham or it will dry out. Add liquid helps retain moisture so don't skip that step!

Reheating ham on stovetop:

This method is great for ham slices!

Grab a skillet and place it on the stovetop over medium heat. Add a little bit of chicken broth to the pan then add the ham slices. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from heat, plate the ham and serve.

If you want the ham to taste more like a ham steak you can actually sear them on the stovetop. Place a skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat and add a pat of butter or oil to the pan. Allow that to heat for about 30 seconds then add the ham slices in a single layer and cook for about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the heat, plate the ham and serve. Work in batches if doing a large batch so you do not overcrowd the pan.

What to Serve with Slow Cooker Ham:

• Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Balsamic Roasted Baby Carrots
• Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
• Skillet Asparagus with Lime Butter
• One Hour Bread
• Lemon Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

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Thanks for visiting today

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more Christmas recipes as well.

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