Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Save on oven space and try this holiday ham right in the crockpot. It’s so easy with just 5 min prep, and it’s unbelievably tender and juicy!
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I tend to look forward to the ham more so than the turkey. I mean it is Turkey Day and all but all I can think about is that sweet, juicy ham, coupled with the cornbread stuffing and the sweet potato casserole with extra marshmallows.
The turkey is just there for show anyway, right? Plus, I think Butters prefers the ham too.
Now oven real estate can be quite an issue on the big day but you have nothing to worry about here. This ham is made right in the slow cooker, and the prep time is only 5 minutes. Yes, it’s just that easy! And you can’t go wrong with the combination of maple syrup, brown sugar, pineapple juice and Dijon mustard for that extra kick of flavor.
And depending on the size of your ham, this should be ready in 4-5 hrs. Best of all, you can keep it on the warm function, letting it sit in those amazing juices and keeping it flavorful all day.
No wait. The best part are the leftovers. The ham sandwiches. The breakfast eggs and ham. The ham fried rice. The hambone soup. The possibilities are endless!
Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 7-10 pound bone-in, spiral-cut ham*
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 15 whole cloves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and pepper; set aside.
- Place ham into a slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. Place whole cloves throughout and pour pineapple mixture over ham.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours, basting every hour.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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This recipe looks delicious! I have a 7 quart slow cooker and I could only find a 5 pound spiral ham. Is there anything I should be cutting back on or can I keep the measurements for the ingredients the same? How about the cooking time?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I just found this recipe and would like to try it but I’m allergic to citric acid so no pineapple juice for me. Would you recommend another juice or will water work? Thank you for your help!
Water may be the best option but without having tried this substitute myself, it is really hard for me to say with certainty how this will turn out. Please use your best judgment.
Excellent recipe!! I had to cook it in the oven since the bone was too high for the crockpot. Cooked it at 275, but otherwise did everything the same. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipes!
I’ve defrosted a ham from the half pig we bought from a local farmer. As far as I know these hams are not pre-cooked. In this case, how long should I cook it in the slow cooker for?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise the appropriate cooking time for a non pre-cooked ham. Please use your best judgment to ensure the ham is fully cooked through, about 150-160 degrees F.
I have one more question, not related to the ham. What is the best stock to use when making Asian soups? I love going to Bento Cafe and getting the Chicken and Vegetable soup with Udon noodles, but it gets kinda pricey. I would to be able “duplicate” or come close. Can you advise?
It really depends on the type of recipe, but without trying the Chicken and Vegetable Soup myself, I cannot really advise on which ingredients to use.
Good morning, I know I’m a little late getting In the question and you may have answered this already. If pineapple juice is not available is there a substitute? Thank you in advance. I can’t wait to try some of your rcipes. I get your posts to my email and your photos are exquist it looks like you could just reach out and grab the food right off the computer.
You can certainly try substituting something else for the pineapple juice but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Haven’t tried it yet, but orange juice seems like it could be pretty good
This may sound silly but which side goes on the bottom? I assume the flat side?
Yes, that’s exactly right.
What if I don’t have cloves? Will it turn out ok?
Or is there a substitute?
Yes, it will be fine to omit.
Not to sound rude but these questions people ask u are they for real
Well Dan it was rude for you to say this and I believe you knew it was rude when you posted it. Not everyone has expertise in cooking, especially when it’s different than the norm. People wouldn’t ask the question if they knew the answer, right? So it stands to reason that they need to ask the question. I was taught that there is never a ‘stupid’ question. I believe it’s arrogance that makes people think there is a stupid question.
Totally agree. They were good questions. I would’ve used the wrong brown sugar.
People needed clarity and she was nice enough to provide it for us.
I know they are. I am one of them. Unfortunately, some of us are not intelligent as you!
Hello! I am making this tomorrow, in my new crockpot, that is not a programmable one. Maybe a silly question to the “cookers” out there, but will I need to keep it on the high setting for 4-5 hours, or low? I do know that typically the low setting is 6 hours and the high is 4 hours. Just want to make sure I don’t overcook this. 🙂
Megan, it is best to cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.
Thanks for the quick response!
Hi, you mentioned basting hourly. Doesn’t that slow the process when you open the slow cooker lid? I plan to purchase an HB Forget it and Set it slow cooker tomorrow and wanted to use this recipe. Is it okay to not bast it?
Basting it hourly will not slow the cooking time. It should be fine not to baste it, although it’s really best if you baste the ham occasionally. It doesn’t have to be hourly but I would recommend basting at least once or twice.
Did not realize the ham I have is way too big for my crock pot. And I have a big crock pot.
So I am going to have to bake it in the oven.
Since I have already mixed the ingredients and want the flavors anyway, any suggestions on converting this recipe to the oven?
Thank you 😀
Christine, do you still have the ham label? The ham usually comes with cooking instructions using a conventional oven to ensure your ham is fully cooked prior to serving.
Yes I know how to bake a ham in the oven.
I just wanted some assistants in converting the rest of the ingredients to baking.
Like do I insert cloves into ham and bake for 2 hours then coat with brown sugar and baste for last 2 hours with liquid mixture?
baste last 1/2 hour…I meant
I haven’t tried baking this but it should be safe to keep to the ingredient list and instructions as written.
hi, this recipe sounds delicious and easy to make, especially since my oven will be busy cooking other goodies; my questions is, i have a 10.5 pound precooked spiral ham that is just a tad too big for my crock pot; (obviously the top wont fit), is it ok to use foil as a cover? and will the ham cook evenly ? thank you.
Unfortunately, I do not recommend cooking the ham in a slow cooker without the lid. You can try trimming the ham to fit or you may have to purchase a smaller ham.
This recipe is amazing, I made it to eat during the college football games, and I am making it again Saturday night for our Neighborhood Holiday Party, I cannot believe I have been making ham in the oven for years. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hello. I am currently making this and I have never cooked a ham before either. So after about 4 hours cooking, my crockpot is about half way full of juices. I think I am going to try and cook it for longer in hopes that it will still be warm around 530 or so for dinner as my crock pot does not have a warming feature. Anyway back to the question, I just let this soak in all those juices this whole time? Do I need it to sit out and drain before serving? I would think the ham would get “soggy” maybe? I have no idea 🙂
You may want to drain before serving but I would reserve the sauce for basting. The sauce is heavenly and you wouldn’t want it to go to waste!
This recipe looks delicious. I do not have REAL maple syrup. Would Mrs. Butterworth’s work okay, or do I need to use the real stuff?
You can certainly try substituting Mrs. Butterworth’s but it’s really best when you use the real stuff! 🙂
If you want to save a little money, instead of 100% maple syrup, if you live near a Trader Joe’s, they’ve got a really good half maple/half agave nectar syrup that’s half the price, and still all natural/very mapley
This is a fantastic idea – my question is – would you have an approximate cooking time for a 1/4 spiral ham – which is the size I will most likely be cooking. Thank you so much and I look forward to other ideas.
Cindy, cooking time would be less using a smaller ham. I do not have an approximate cooking time but it is best to reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F to ensure that the ham is fully heated through.
Hi! I’ve never made a ham before but this looked delicious. I realized when I got home from the store that I bought a boneless ham. Will it still work? How will I know when it’s done?
Thank you!
Molly
Molly, that should be fine! You’ll want to cook the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 F as measured with a food thermometer.
Thanks for your response! Just looked up on amazon, there are a few to pick from in the Hamilton Beach 6 qt brand 🙂 Looking forward to making the beef and broccoli recipe 🙂