Slow-Cooker Glazed Ham

Chef notes

Serving a glazed ham for your Christmas dinner or Easter buffet doesn't have to be hard work. Use your slow cooker or multi-cooker to do the heavy lifting! This so-simple method ensures a centerpiece dish that's tender and full of flavor — and never dry or overcooked. Topped with a sweetly spiced mustard glaze, every slice is quite literally dressed to impress.

To make things even easier, this recipe calls for a pre-cooked spiral-sliced ham. Look for one that’s not pre-glazed since you’ll be making your own. While it’s fully cooked and safe to eat, you’ll still need to reheat it all the way through for a hot entrée. The best way to do that without overcooking the meat is heating it in a slow-cooker on low heat for about four hours. This cooking method is gentler on the meat than the oven.

The glaze is made with a combination of brown sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice, honey, stone-ground (or whole-grain) mustard, orange marmalade and cloves. And if you’re worried that making a glaze from scratch is too time-consuming or too much effort, think again; all you need to do is dump all of the ingredients in the slow-cooker and cook for 30 minutes until the ingredients start to thicken and come together. Once the glaze is ready, add the ham and continue to cook until it’s time for dinner. 

Swap Option: Use maple syrup or agave in place of the honey. You can also use store-bought orange juice in a pinch (just pick one that’s pulp-free for a smooth glaze).

Technique Tip: You’ll need about ⅓ pound of boneless ham per person. This recipe calls for a 6-7 lb ham, which should feed about 12 people. Feel free to scale the recipe up or down depending on the size of your crowd.