How to Cook a Ham in Your Slow Cooker – Taste of Home

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

You have created the right Christmas menu on your subsequent household gathering. However there’s a downside: You solely have an oven and restricted area in the fridge to put together sides in advance.

with a batch of do-it-yourself biscuits, and never one however two oven roasted potato recipes, the place will you discover the area to prepare dinner a entire ham?

Don’t fret. your gradual cooker will save the day! Here is how to make a gradual-cooked ham.

how lengthy does it take to prepare dinner a pre-cooked ham?

It relies upon, however normally about 5 hours. Since most hams are pre-cooked, regardless of which cooking methodology you select, you are truly heating moderately than cooking. With the gradual cooker on low warmth, put the ham in about 5 hours earlier than dinner. that is for an eight to 10 pound bone-in ham.

editor’s tip: For a tender ham that’s crumbly, let it prepare dinner longer; 10-12 hours on low. this methodology is ideal for households preferring a extra informal dinner of scorching shredded ham and roll sandwiches. It is also the most effective for making any leftover ham recipe.

how to warmth a ham in a gradual cooker

Making ready a gradual-cooked ham could not be simpler. You may want a ham, a gradual cooker, and a few easy substances to make a completely glazed, moist ham. It would make a stunning centerpiece on your festive quilt!

substances

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

• 1 (8-10 pound) half bone-in ham
• 1 1/2 cups ginger beer

enamel:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon floor mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon floor cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon floor cinnamon

addresses

step 1: put the ham in a gradual cooker

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

place the ham in the gradual cooker reduce-aspect down. Pour the ginger ale over the ham, cowl, and simmer for 4-5 hours till heated by.

step 2: frosting

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

In a small bowl, combine collectively the glaze substances (be at liberty to change to a glaze talked about in one of these Easter ham recipes). then take away lid from gradual cooker and evenly pour glaze over ham. you need to use a basting brush to make sure that each nook and cranny will get lined with the cheesy glaze.

cowl and simmer a further half-hour.

step 3: carve

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

Rigorously take away the ham from the gradual cooker and switch it to a giant carving board. tent with foil and let sit for 15-20 minutes. then, utilizing an electrical carving knife, reduce the ham into even slices and place on a plate. serve scorching and luxuriate in.

Editor’s Tip: Undecided how to carve ham bones? learn this information to find out how to reduce a ham.

how do you reheat a ham with out drying it out?

In case there are leftovers (too many of these pre-dinner Easter snacks, maybe?), the key to protecting leftover ham juicy is to re-moisten it because it heats to hold it moist.

Listed here are our favourite methods to reheat ham with out drying it out:

• your gradual cooker may also help you reheat the ham. place the cooked ham slices in a gradual cooker on low together with a little further liquid; extra ginger ale will do, however you may add broth, barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, orange juice, or apple cider. prepare dinner till heated by.
• simmer leftover ham on the range with a cup of water or broth for a couple of minutes till heated by.
• In a hurry? You too can microwave leftover ham. add a little liquid (ginger beer, broth, water, and many others.) to a lined, microwave-protected bowl and blend till steaming scorching.

Ideas for Cooking Ham in a Slow Cooker

Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home

for good outcomes, comply with these confirmed ideas for the most effective ham.

eat a ham on the bone

Whereas you can also make a boneless ham in the gradual cooker, we discovered that bone-in hams yield extra tender, flavorful, and moist outcomes. it’s because the bone helps the ham warmth extra evenly because it conducts warmth. the bone additionally comprises key proteins similar to albumin and collagen that enrich the ham with taste, richness and moisture.

Spiral hams are a handy choice for these cautious of carving. simply know that spiralized hams can dry out quicker than different sorts of ham (even in the gradual cooker).

think about rump of ham vs. leg of ham

When selecting a ham, you will have to select between a leg or shank portion. whereas each could be efficiently ready in a gradual cooker, every has its personal set of execs and cons to think about:

• Rut of Ham: The cullet of ham is the half that may normally work greatest in gradual cooking due to its even rounded form. whereas this portion could also be simpler to modify to, the rump portion tends not to be as flavorful or moist as it’s leaner than the leg. additionally it is harder to slice because it has two bones operating by it.
• Ham Leg: When it comes to taste, moisture, and ease of slicing, the leg portion of the ham is the place it is at. the shank comes from the highest of the leg slightly below the hindquarters and comprises extra fats and marbling than the hindquarters. the principle disadvantage of the deal with is that its form would not match as simply into most traditional-sized gradual cookers.

calculate the cooking time of the ham primarily based on its measurement

For greatest outcomes, we suggest buying an on the spot-learn thermometer and heating the ham, regardless of measurement, till it reaches an inner temperature of 140°F.

As a basic rule of thumb, an eight to 10 pound pre-cooked ham will take 4 to 6 hours in a gradual cooker. however a smaller ham weighing 4 to six kilos could solely want 2 to 3 hours when gradual cooked.

in the end, crockpot ham is a forgiving recipe, so long as you prepare dinner it on low warmth and hold the ham moist with loads of cooking liquid in the pot.

simmering

Whilst you could also be tempted to fly your ham over excessive warmth (we’re simply reheating it, in any case), warmth it up in a gradual cooker over low warmth. Heating a ham on excessive warmth runs a better danger of drying it out and toughening it. utilizing the gradual cooker’s low setting will produce a a lot juicier, extra tender and flavorful ham.

let the ham relaxation

Though ham would not appear like a steak, the identical rule applies about resting meat. slicing a ham earlier than it rests will trigger these treasured juices to drip proper onto the slicing board. Earlier than slicing, let your ham relaxation for 15-20 minutes to permit these inner juices to settle and redistribute all through the inside of the ham.

what different liquids can be utilized for crockpot ham?

Whereas we love the delicate kick ginger ale provides crockpot ham, it is from the one liquid you need to use when making ham in a gradual cooker. For those who’re feeling adventurous, use a barely spicy model of ginger beer, like Reed’s, for a stronger ginger taste.

For those who like your hams with a candy, maple-like glaze, then think about attempting root beer as a cooking liquid. its sturdy notes of vanilla, sarsaparilla, molasses and cinnamon pair completely with the ham. comply with the recipe, as written above, swapping the ginger ale for root beer. For an additional candy contact, rub the ham with 1/4 cup of brown sugar earlier than including it to the gradual cooker. It is an addition that’s merely divine!