Slow Cooker Ham Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you heat a fully cooked ham in the slow cooker? ›

A large slow cooker, with its moist environment, is perfect for reheating a fully-cooked ham. As the ham heats up, it releases juices that blend with the glaze, creating a delicious sauce to spoon over the sliced meat.

I recommend that you add enough water so that your gammon is ¾ submerged. You don't want it to become too full because otherwise as the gammon produces its own liquid you could end up with too much in the slow cooker.

A 5- to 7-pound ham will take five to six hours to fully heat in a Crock-Pot. Cook it too much longer, and the ham could start to dry out.

Pre-Cooked and Bone-In Ham

If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

If the ham is labeled "fully cooked" (does not require heating), heat it in the oven for about 10 minutes per pound, or to an internal temperature of 140 F. If the ham is labeled "cook before eating," heat in an oven set no lower than 325 F to an internal temperature of at least 145 F.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).

Since the ham comes from the grocery store pre-cooked, this is an easy extra step that results in major flavor. Plus, it gives it that gorgeous glossy, lacquered look that just screams holiday ham!

Whether you are cooking a bone in or boneless ham, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Start by removing the packaging from the ham (and bone guard if you're cooking a bone in ham), and you can rinse the ham before cooking if desired.

When to put glaze on ham? ›

The glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30 minutes, in order to avoid burning the sugars. What you're going to do with the glaze ingredients is just combine most of them into a paste, and then apply it to the ham. After that, the heat in your oven will take care of everything.

Make sure that the ham will fit into your slow cooker. Place the ham in the appliance and add the glaze ingredients. You can also just add some co*ke or Pepsi, chicken broth, or water; about 1 cup will do it. Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours, until ham is thoroughly heated.

Set the slow cooker to its low setting, and cover the pot. Most hams will reheat in between three and six hours, depending on their size. A three pound ham may take two and a half to three hours whereas a six or seven pound ham may take up to six.

While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours. According to the USDA, food kept at between 40 and 140 degrees is more at risk of forming bacteria. In this temperature range, bacteria can double in number within just 20 minutes.

As a rule of thumb, an eight to 10-pound precooked ham will take about four to six hours on low in a slow cooker. But a smaller ham that's four to six pounds may only need two to three hours when cooked on low.

Reheat in a 325-degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 to 140 degrees. You can also place the ham in an oven bag. Figure no more than 10 minutes per pound for reheating. For hams that are fully cooked (again, check the label) and not spiral sliced, first cut off any skin.

Most appliances will automatically shut off after 20 or so hours on this setting, but you shouldn't leave food in a slow cooker for an extended length of time. The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm.

Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.