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How to Make Ham in a Crock-Pot — An Easy Two-Ingredient Recipe

Here’s how to make ham in a Crock-Pot! Your trusty slow cooker saves the day (yet again), leaving the oven free for other purposes.

‘Tis the season for ham — but you know how sometimes you are cooking for a crowd and want to make a ham and a turkey? Or how sometimes you’re running last minute errands and won’t be home long enough to let a ham heat through in the oven before dinner time?

Never fear: Here’s how to make ham in a Crock-Pot! Your trusty slow cooker saves the day (yet again), leaving the oven free for other purposes.

ham and a crock-pot

I only make ham a couple of times a year, waiting for it to go on sale at the holidays (or on clearance after). Usually when I do, however, I use this slow cooker method; it makes even the super cheap shank ham (like the one I had here) taste great, but is also just gorgeous for spiral cut.

You’ll want to use a larger slow cooker for this recipe, and a 7 quart Crock-Pot will be optimal. Even though your ham may even still be a bit too tall to fit nicely, never fear — I’ll show you what to do!

How to Make Ham in a Crock-Pot — An Easy Two-Ingredient Recipe

Ingredients

7-11 lb ham portion
Brown sugar

Directions

brown sugar in slow cooker

Add a thin layer of brown sugar to the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the ham on top of the brown sugar, cut side down. Sprinkle additional brown sugar across the top of the ham.

cover your crock-pot with a towel to keep heat in

Cover the Crock-Pot. If the ham is too tall to fit completely inside, make a tinfoil hat for it by layering a couple of pieces of tinfoil across the top of your slow cooker and crimping around the edges to completely cover. Lay a dish towel on top of the foil to help keep it weighed down and prevent heat from escaping.

Cook ham on low for 5-6 hours. Flipping the ham over and basting halfway through will help prevent it from drying out on top, but it’s not strictly necessary.

ham on a plate with apples

That’s it! Carve your ham (reserving the ham bone to make broth for soup tomorrow — like this leftover ham soup with kale, maybe), trim fat, and serve.

Note: Two ingredients is really all you need for a tasty ham (and all I used here), but if you’d like you can either add in some canned pineapple, or make a brown sugar-mustard-honey glaze rather than using straight brown sugar. My ham here cooked for 5.5 hours and was perfectly done, but I did lose heat by opening the foil to flip it halfway through.

That’s an easy ham

Two ingredient ham in the slow cooker, a photo

There’s enough going on this season, so why make things more difficult than they have to be? Stick with simple, and simply enjoy your two ingredient slow cooker ham. Always a hit, always juicy, always delicious, and always hands-free time to spend on other holiday cooking!

How to Make Ham in a Crock-Pot, printable recipe

How to Make Ham in a Crock-Pot

Here's how to make ham in a Crock-Pot! Your trusty slow cooker saves the day (yet again!), leaving the oven free for other purposes.
Course dinner
Cuisine slow cooker
Keyword crock-pot, ham, slow cooker
Total Time 6 hours
Servings 10

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 7-11 lb ham portion
  • Brown sugar to taste

Instructions

  • Add a thin layer of brown sugar to the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the ham on top of the brown sugar, cut side down. Sprinkle additional brown sugar across the top of the ham.
  • Cover the Crock-Pot. If the ham is too tall to fit completely inside, make a tinfoil hat for it by layering a couple of pieces of tinfoil across the top of your slow cooker and crimping around the edges to completely cover. Lay a dish towel on top of the foil to help keep it weighed down and prevent heat from escaping.
  • Cook ham on low for 5-6 hours. Flipping the ham over and basting halfway through will help prevent it from drying out on top, but it’s not strictly necessary.
  • That’s it! Carve your ham (reserving the ham bone to make broth), trim fat, and serve.

Notes

Two ingredients is really all you need for a tasty ham (and all I used here), but if you’d like you can either add in some canned pineapple, or make a brown sugar-mustard-honey glaze rather than using straight brown sugar. My ham here cooked for 5.5 hours and was perfectly done, but I did lose heat by opening the foil to flip it halfway through.

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Recipe Rating




Lisa

Friday 29th of December 2023

Can I put two smaller hams that total about 8-9 lbs in together? Then is it still 5-6 hrs on low?

rachel

Friday 29th of December 2023

I've never tried, but don't see why it wouldn't be the same.

Jo

Thursday 25th of November 2021

Easy and delicious. This is my third time using this recipe. Flavorful. Am I the only one who doesn't care for pineapple and cloves on my ham?

Ramona Barlow

Monday 22nd of April 2024

@Jo, My mother always used brown sugar and pineapple and cloves. She loved it that way but I prefer maybe a little dark brown sugar on the skin and a tiny bit of Jack Daniels

Dianne

Sunday 28th of March 2021

I have a 10 lb butt end ham and want to cook it in the crock pot. Is 6 hrs enough time for it.

rachel

Sunday 28th of March 2021

These Hans are precooked so don’t worry. You want it heated through but not dried out. 10 lbs does not require extra time.

Marcy R Schell

Friday 29th of November 2019

Should you put a little water i the crockpot firsta

rachel

Friday 29th of November 2019

Nope, it makes plenty of its own liquid!

Terry

Saturday 20th of April 2019

What if you cook it on high for less time or half high then low

rachel

Sunday 21st of April 2019

Sorry, I haven’t tried so am not sure.