Crockpot Spiral Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
This easy Crockpot spiral ham recipe is the perfect way to cook your holiday dinner while your family is out of the house at church on Easter morning or Christmas eve. Come home to a hot ham ready to be glazed and broiled for the picture perfect finish in just 10 minutes. Choose a traditional sweet brown sugar and mustard glaze or use hot honey for a delicious sweet and spicy spin on a holiday classic.
Ingredients
- 1 spiral cut ham 5 to 10 pounds (see notes)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Double check that your ham will fit in the bowl of your Crockpot. If it does, proceed. If it is too big or oddly shaped, see "How to Slow Cook in Oven" in the notes below.
- Place the ham in your Crockpot and set aside.
Prepare the Glaze
- Add the brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, minced garlic, ground cloves, and water to a small saucepan and whisk them together.
- Continue to gently whisk and cook the glaze over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour the glaze over the ham in the Crockpot, gently separating the spiral slices so the liquid drizzles down and flavors the ham from the top through.
Cook the Ham in the Crockpot
- Cover the slowcooker and cook the ham on LOW for 3 - 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 - 3 hours. There is no need to baste the ham during this process.
Broil the Glaze
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Transfer the ham to a roasting pan and loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat while whisking to prevent it from burning. Cook until the glaze has reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Brush the glaze all over the ham in the roasting pan. Place the glazed ham under the broiler for 5 - 6 minutes, until the glaze is caramelized. Do not walk away during this process, as it can go from perfect to burned very quickly. If desired, baste the ham every 2 minutes as the juices run to the bottom of the roasting pan.
Recipe Notes
Ham sizes
- The glaze in this recipe works for any spiral ham between 5 and 10 pounds. Even though the weight of the ham varies, the surface area does not change much, allowing the glaze to work for a variety of ham sizes.
Ingredients
- Use hot honey in place of regular honey for a sweet and spicy ham.
How to slow cook in the oven
- If your ham doesn't fit in the Crockpot, you can slow cook it in your oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the ham in a deep roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Cover the entire pan in aluminum foil and tightly seal the edges to catch all the steam as the ham cooks.
- Cook the ham for 20 minutes per pound. (A 5 pound ham would cook for about an hour and a half, a 10 pound ham would cook for about 3 hours.) The internal temperature should be 163°F when tested with an instant read thermometer.
- Finish by broiling as noted above. If your roasting pan is stovetop safe, you can cook the glaze right in the roasting pan while the ham rests on the side as shown in the photos in the post above.
