Slow Cooker Holiday Ham
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An easy holiday ham! Save on oven space and set it and forget it! So juicy, so moist, so flavorful. And the leftovers taste even better!
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Why you’ll love this slow cooker holiday ham
- 100% holiday worthy. This easy crockpot ham will not only make a stunning centerpiece for a memorable holiday main but it will also be the most talked about dish at the dinner table. A ham so beautifully slathered in a saucy, sticky, finger-licking orange glaze.
- Short ingredient list. A good holiday ham does not have to require a million ingredients. With just a few pantry staples and a bone-in, spiral cut ham, you’ll have the most tender, juicy, sweet and savory ham that basically cooks itself.
- Saves on oven space. The ham gets cooked in the slow cooker from start to finish, saving on precious oven (and stovetop) space.
- Forgiving recipe. This is a very forgiving recipe, easily adaptable to any kind of ham – boneless, bone-in (recommended), spiral cut, whole, smoked, cured or uncured.
- Leftovers taste even better. Leftover ham can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – we’re talking omelettes, potato soup, quesadillas, scones, jambalaya, tetrazzini, sliders, and casseroles – the possibilities are endless.
how to make slow cooker holiday ham
- Mix the orange glaze. Combine the orange marmalade, Dijon, orange zest and juice.
- Season the ham. Place the ham in an 8-qt slow cooker, cut-side down or sideways depending on how it fits. Rub the brown sugar evenly and thoroughly over the ham. Then insert the whole cloves firmly into the ham until the clove bulb meets the surface of the ham meat.
- Add the orange glaze. Pour the orange glaze over the ham until evenly coated.
- Cook. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours (or until the internal temperature reaches 140°F). Baste or spoon the warm juices from the bottom of the slow cooker over the ham every hour.
- Rest and serve. Let the ham rest for at least 15 minutes to lock in moisture. Then remove the ham to a cutting board and cut perpendicular to the bone to make even slices. Serve warm.
pro tip
To baste or not to baste
It is not entirely necessary to baste hourly but doing so will ensure that the ham will not dry out, evenly distributing the juices throughout the cooking process, and yielding the juiciest, most flavorful ham every time. Can’t baste hourly? Flip the ham halfway through cooking, and then once more one hour prior to serving.
favorite ways to use up leftover ham
Ham and Swiss Sliders
Ham, Swiss cheese, Dijon, and oh-so-buttery Hawaiian rolls, all baked to absolute perfection. So easy and perfect for a big crowd.
Ham and Cheese Scones
Easy peasy ham and cheddar scones perfect for any time of day – breakfast, snack-time, or with a bowl of soup.
Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants
Mini croissants toasted and amazingly flaky, baked with Dijon-honey, buttery goodness. WHOA.
Ham and Cheese Drop Biscuits
The easiest, simplest homemade drop biscuits made with less than 20 min prep. And they’re so buttery, so flaky, and just so darn perfect.
Potato Ham Chowder
A warm and filling chowder that’s incredibly creamy and rich with tender russet potatoes, corn and diced ham, warming you from the inside out. It’s the best kind of hug-in-a-bowl.
Leftover Hambone Soup
Transform leftover hambone into the coziest soup! Loaded with tons of hearty veggies and chunks of sweet ham in the most flavorful ham stock.
what to serve with slow cooker holiday ham
Tools For This Recipe
Slow Cooker Holiday Ham: Frequently Asked Questions
The cooking time can be reduced to about 3-4 hours for a smaller ham (4-5 pounds). The internal temperature should reach 140°F before serving.
Make sure to let your ham rest for at least 15 minutes prior to serving. This will allow all the juices to redistribute.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until heated through.
Absolutely! Once cooled completely, you can freeze the leftover ham in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and reheating in the oven (covered) at 300°F until warmed through.
No crockpot, no problem! You can try this recipe instead.
Slow Cooker Holiday Ham
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 8 pound bone-in, spiral-cut ham
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 15 whole cloves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange marmalade, Dijon, orange zest and juice; set aside.
- Place ham into an 8-qt slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. Place whole cloves throughout the ham.
- Pour orange marmalade mixture over ham.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours, basting every hour, reaching an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Let rest 15 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Plan for 0.5 lb of ham per person. For about 16 guests, we recommend using a 6 – 8 lb ham. Anything larger than an 8 lb ham may not fit in an 8-qt slow cooker.
- Bone-in ham will have more flavor. The bone will help retain moisture and distribute heat more evenly, yielding more flavorful, tender, juicy ham. Bone-in ham will take longer to cook through than boneless ham.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 140°F.
- Mix it up. Swap out the orange juice for pineapple juice.
- Let your ham rest. Once your ham is out of the oven, let it rest for at least 15 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Save the bone. The leftover hambone will make for an excellent hambone soup (Instant Pot version here).
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover ham can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 300°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
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Brought this for Easter dinner and everyone loved it! No leftovers!
Just to know I can cook a ham in my slow cooker is enlightening. Thanks!
As I have a boneless ham, how long should I cook it in the slow cooker?
That was a genial idea! It saves me time that I can use doing the rest of the meal.
I realized way too late that the 10 lb ham I got wouldn’t fit in my enormous crock pot. Well, I put it in a roaster, set the temp at 275F, prepared it as directed, and roasted for 3 hours. It came out absolutely perfect.
thanks this is super helpful! ♥
Thanks came to comment section for this as I know my slow cooker is too small
The same thing happened to me, thanks for posting this, I’ll try it!
Do you have a favorite brand of spiral sliced ham? We usually just get a Honey Baked ham but it already has some sort of glazey stuff on the outside. Will one of these work? Thanks.
Wow! You have a lot of people with absolutely no cooking experience who ask questions…yikes! That said, this is a very easy and tasty recipe. The ham was so moist and the orange zest and marmalade gave it that sweet pungent tang. Just the two of us. Christmas dinner. Ham and eggs for breakfast. Ham and cheese for lunch. The bone will be a base for bean soup. Thank you for an easy and fun recipe!
Can you cook this in the oven instead of a slow cooker? My slow cooker isn’t big enough for the size ham I need
Question: It’s a lil early where we live for the stores to carry the precut precooked hams. I’ve found one but it’s Hickory Smoked. Will that flavor compete wth, or ruin, the flavor this recipe is going for?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Well, I will let you know how it turns out!
Soooo… The ham was a MAJOR hit at the party last night!!! Literally left with zero ham; not even the bone as one guest asked to keep it to make stew later because they thought it tasted so good.
The Hickory Smoked Ham flavor blended perfectly with all the other flavors!!! My husband is VERY picky on holiday hams and he LOVED it! (I might add he was at first very skeptical on all the orange ingredients, but he told me to keep the recipie on the way home… which is a HUGE complement from him, cuz he generally dislikes my experiments of recreating online recipes ).
Just one thing I did tweek, other than the smoked ham, was that I omitted the orange zest. However, the marmalade I got had a LOT of zest in it already; which is why I decided to omit the extra zest. Other than that everything was the same and it was AMAZING!!! ❤️❤️❤️
My ham is “fresh” cut ham (not precooked). Should I cook it first then refer to your recipe?
Yes, that may be best!
Hi. If your hams are precooked are they not over cooked after 4 hours in a crock ? ( excuse me but I am totally new to cooking)
Not at all – that’s the beauty of a slow cooker!
Can you cook this a day before you want to serve it and then platter it, and serve at room temp? would it still be as good.
Yes, but I recommend storing in the fridge if this is cooked the night before.
Would 2 hours on high work?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This looks mouthwatering! I love translating recipes to slow cooker recipes =)
I am a huge fan of your recipes. But this is not a recipe to make and set aside and forget it if you have to baster it every hour. Can you just leave it and come back 4 hours later?
Yes, but basting is recommend.
Can you do a smaller ham? There’s only two of us.
Yes, but cooking time may vary.
Are these hams pre-cooked?
Yes.
Can you use a smaller ham? Only two of us.
Yes, absolutely, but cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
Could you use a whole ham in the slow cooker recipe, not spiral.
Am enjoying your recipes.
Yes, absolutely.
New flavor for ham which I haven’t tried till now. I think I should give it a try