How To Make A Tender & Juicy Slow Cooker Holiday Ham

With a little planning, cooking a holiday meal isn’t really all that difficult. The hardest part is the timing; especially if you only have one oven. Getting everything on the table piping hot, all at the same time is the most challenging part of orchestrating the meal. With Christmas just around the corner ham is traditionally on the menu so finding ways to free up valuable oven space is always welcome. This slow cooker holiday ham is oh so easy to prepare and frees up room in the oven for all the delicious sides you want to serve. We can all use a little less stress for holiday entertaining and this easy method means you’ll have one less thing to worry about. The slow cooker does all the hard work for you.

Jump to Recipe

When you’re shopping for a ham there are a couple things you should keep in mind. First you want to purchase a fully cooked, smoked, half ham (like the ham pictured below). You have two options, a shank half or the butt half. I typically try to pick out the butt end, the bone is smaller and you end up with more meat. The shank cut will taste the same and also work so if that’s the only ham you can find don’t worry about it. It will still work out great in your slow cooker.

TIP: My experiences with spiral cut hams have not been very good. I find that they tend to dry out. I’ve had better results with the less expensive hams, they retain more moisture and cook up juicier than spiral cut hams.

Start by removing the ham from the plastic wrap. Place the ham cut side down in a slow cooker. Trim ham to fit if needed. I purchased a 10 pound ham and it fit in my 6 quart oval slow cooker perfectly.

Add about an inch of water to the bottom of slow cooker.

OPTION: If you prefer a sweeter ham, substitute a can of pineapple chunks (with the juice) in place of the water and add a little brown sugar to the slow cooker. We prefer a savory flavor profile so just water is added to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until ham is heated through.

Slice ham to serve.

This ham comes out nice and tender and juicy, and the leftovers make great sandwiches too! Once you’ve removed the meat from the bone, save that bone! Don’t toss it out. Pull out your slow cooker again and use that bone to make the The Best Ever, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup. That ham hock will give the soup the most amazing smoky flavor! Even if you think you’re not a fan of Split Pea Soup, this recipe will change your mind forever!

MONEY SAVING TIP: If you aren’t going to use that ham hock right away, pop it in a ziplock bag and store it in your freezer until you’re ready to use it.

This slow cooker method is a simple and foolproof way to cook a ham. It produces a juicy tender ham with a minimum amount of effort, gotta love that. Since I started cooking ham this way I never cook ham in the oven any more, this method is so much easier. Give it a try, I’m betting you will agree.

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