CrockPot Maple Ham Recipe

How to Make An Absolutely Perfect Ham in the CrockPot Slow Cooker HAM! FINALLY!
And it's so very, very easy. I was told that this was "better than normal ham" which is evidently a pretty big compliment.

After I picked the kids up from school we spent the afternoon at the library just so I wouldn't have to be in the house with the amazing smells coming from the kitchen.


The Ingredients
serves 10

How to Make An Absolutely Perfect Ham in the CrockPot Slow Cooker
7-8 pound bone-in spiral-cut ham
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all natural maple syrup
2 cups pineapple juice

The Directions.

Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham, and discard flavor packet. Place it into your stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. 

Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours. Ham is already cooked so you are really just heating it through and allowing the juices to permeate.

If possible, baste ham with collected juice from the bottom of the crock an hour or so before serving. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes before carving.

I had a hard time carving. I've never been very good with a knife.

The Verdict

I packed this ham up to give to my brother and sister-in-law, and for my dad. They were very complimentary. Adam had 3-4 sandwiches with the remaining meat.

April 2014:  {PS: I used to be allergic to pork products, but I no longer am. My last pregnancy seemed to reset my body.  #booyah!}
Better than Honey Baked Ham's ham! Seriously! I make this each and every year during the holidays and my family goes on and on about how awesome and amazing it is! make this one!

use your crockpot slow cooker this holiday season so you can enjoy your family!
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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at February 26, 2009

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What they say about this article

  1. Yaay! I'm excited to make this. Glad you're done with pork. I don't make much pork, but will try this out (hubby loves ham).

    Can't wait to see what else you have cooking up!

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  2. okay...that just looks drooly scrumdillyicious!

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  3. I assume this spiral-cut ham is one of the ones that is fully cooked (just heat and eat) as opposed to one that needs to be cooked?

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  4. Oh man! I just made a ham YESTERDAY! Wish I'd have seen this first because it looks DELICIOUS! I'll definitely try it next time :)

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  5. Oh and carving is a lot easier with an electric knife...

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  6. Sounds like a winner!

    For extra yummy; after crockpotting it you can put it in a foil-lined pan and baste it with the sweet stuff from the crockpot and then broil for just 4-5 minutes until it carmelizes. You get something close to that honey-baked ham sweet crunchy topping.

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  7. Anonymous2/27/2009

    Can I just say I love the "A Year ago today" recipe link?!? It makes finding "new" recipes even easier on your site.

    Side note, I made the turkey meatballs (with cheese and apples) this weekend and they were wonderful! I have been talking htem up all week and cannot wait to make them again :)

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  8. nice picture ;) That looks and sounds delish...excited to try that one!

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  9. Just put a spiral ham in my crockpot! thanks for the idea!

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  10. Oh, I adore ham. I've been getting away with my little 4 quart crockpot, but now I may just have to get a big one just for this recipe. Yummy.

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  11. yum! Ham, where were you at Christmas? We will be making this for Easter for sure. I am making your tomato soup for dinner tonight. It is one of my top 5 favorites. And I made your chocolate marshmallow fondue yesterday for my mother's group. I'm very excited that a lot of them gave up chocolate for lent and was able to bring home quite a bit of leftovers. Fondue and pineapple for dessert tonight.

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  12. Anonymous2/27/2009

    Thanks for including the picture of the cute pigs -- now I am sooo hungry! ha ha (vegetarians must really be cringing right now)

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  13. i just discovered you via crispy cook--here's a little poll question i'm posing on my blog:

    what's your favorite gluten free food product? (no pressure to respond though)

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  14. wow this sounds great,pam

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  15. Anonymous2/27/2009

    I learned that you can bake ham like this the hard way- After buying a ridiculously large ham I was going to bake it before realizing the pan I needed was in use already. So I stuck it in the crockpot after meticulously cutting diamonds into the skin, applying a rub, and anal-retentively sticking in cloves, only to find that the sucker didn't fit in my crock pot (I didn't know that was possible- my crockpot is 8 quarts or something). I apparently have ADD because I just shrugged and told myself I can make it in the oven later. Later comes and my roasting pan is no more vacant than it was that morning, so I decided to hack off the top of the ham I worked so hard on so it would fit in the crock pot. It cooked pretty well (despite me not cutting off enough on the top so when as it cooked it expanded and pushed up the lid anyway) and was probably one of the better hams I've ever made, even if it was one of the worse preparations.
    Anyway, that was a long, dumb story. Thanks for listening. And if any readers are interested, it's totally possible to make an uncooked ham in the crock pot.
    -Karell

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  16. Anonymous2/27/2009

    So, I have a question not related to this post but I could not find where to email you so I had to go this route, sorry.

    I once made a recipe from your site that was chicken with bacon and cheese on it and you mentioned that it reminded you of a cheeseburger. I cannot find that recipe anywhere and would love to make it again. Help! Thanks, and sorry if I am just blind and it is right in front of me. :)

    CourtneySamantha at aol dot com

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  17. Hi Courtney, here you go: Bacon and Cheese Chicken.

    Karell, oh my. I'm sorry you had such a bizarre experience. If this ever happens again and you find that the lid of the slow cooker doesn't fit properly, you can make a make-shift lid with an aluminum foil tent. I'd double the foil over to have it a bit thicker than normal, and crimp tightly around the edges. Your food will cook just fine, but if you don't crimp tightly you'll get condensation drippings on your countertop. BE CAREFUL when you remove the foil----the steam will shoot straight out and will be quite hot.

    xoxo
    steph

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  18. Cool! I know how I'm cooking the Easter ham this year now.

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  19. Anonymous2/27/2009

    Wow! Wow! and WOW! I'm deeply impressed. Was that a spiral ham you had? I'm betting it wasn't if you had so much trouble carving it. I love the spiral hams and now know how I'm cooking my next one. Just waiting for the next sale. Never buy a spiral ham unless it is on sale.

    My youngest son is allergic to ham. He avoids most pork due to this but has found in his growing up and moving away from home that SOME pork cuts don't cause him breathing trouble like the cured hams do. We truly believe that it's not really the pork but some of the stuff on the treated meat or what ever they use to cure it with.

    I'm only mentioning this because it could be what your problem is too.


    Love All your Posts.

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  20. Anonymous2/28/2009

    My friend just turned me on to your site and I am excited! I am GF and pork wrecks me and, yes!, I love my crockpot. Are you my twin? I must call my mother...

    This site is so helpful to me and I am grateful for you, Steph!

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  21. Why on earth have I never thought of doing the ham in the crockpot???? DUH!

    You've just saved my bacon (ha ha) for this next Thanksgiving.

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  22. Anonymous2/28/2009

    Definitely a great idea for Easter, thank you so much!

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  23. Sniff... You had me at ham... I am so happy I came across your blog, it is interesting and fun to read! Plus, I have a ham in the freezer that I have been procrastinating with. What is the next meat?

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  24. I am sure that was absolutely delicious! Love that combo of ingredients. I don't cook whole hams often, but I'll remember this recipe for when I do.

    thanks!
    Shirley

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  25. I don't eat pork, but I'm still enjoying your weblog via "reruns". I made your fish chowder on this surprise snow day, and my first attempt at yogurt is in the crockpot right now. Thanks again, Crockpot Superhero Lady!

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  26. Oh, how I love ham!!

    In my Independent Living class, the foods experiences focus on cooking with convenience products and convenience appliances. One of my girls said "Mrs. Geffre, I'm pretty sure we won't be getting a crockpot when we move out" Well, I hope she has to eat her words someday! Anyway, all the other students have been very considerate. We have made Crockpot Cavatini, and Crockpot chicken and dumplings.

    I love looking at the recipes your site. Take care ~Natalie

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  27. I'm sooo not a ham person, but this looks so good I might try it for hubby! Thanks!

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  28. I just made this tonight after seeing it a couple of days ago on your site. Oh my goodness... so yummy. I don't know that I've ever made a whole ham before (usually when we have it, it's because we're at someone else's house), but it was worth it. I told my dad about the recipe and he's excited to try it himself (although I don't think my parents actually have a crockpot).

    Thanks so much for the great ideas for crockpotting. I've had mine for several years and I've never used it before a couple of weeks ago. And now that I'm working crazy hours at work, I can just set something up for my husband to throw in all the ingredients at the appointed time (since he stays home with the kids) so that dinner is ready when I get home. :)

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  29. So I made my version of this tonight. It turned out great! Thanks for the idea...

    Instead of just pineapple juice, I used 2 cans of sliced pineapples. (poured the juice in and covered the ham with the slices). Yum!

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  30. I am so excited to have a ham recipe for the crockpot that doesn't call for mustard. This will be perfect for Easter dinner.

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  31. I have to tell you I was just introduced to your blog! I made this for our Sunday meal yesterday and it was fantastic! I had to tweak it a bit because I didn't have Maple syrup so I used homemade Pomegranete syrup instead...it was delightful. I also put in the pinapple chunks...I liked them, my family not so much. Anyway, thank yo for a really great recipe!

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  32. This is soooo gooooood!!! thank you!

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  33. Stephanie, your blog is awesome. I'm definitely going to try the maple-ham recipe, a yummy change from the same-old/same-old.
    Portia

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  34. Anonymous3/02/2009

    Is there something to use instead of REAL maple syrup. Here in Texas one cup of the syrup is over $10. Add that to the cost of a ham, the small spiral cut were $16 and I could go to Honey Baked Ham Co. and buy one of theirs!

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  35. Hi Sandy,
    holy toledo! you could use honey or "fake" maple syrup.
    xoxo
    steph

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  36. Oh my little pony! This was delicious!!!

    I (sorta) made it tonight. The grocery store didn't have any ham (What? Did the ham stocker forget to come to work?) so I got a big hunka pork shoulder. And I followed a previous poster's suggestion about using a can of pineapple slices. DELISH!

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  37. I am so glad I found this blog... I just asked for a crockpot on my wedding registry, and I have been dying for some good ideas on how I can use it!! Thank you!

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  38. I made this for diiner yesterday. Big hit in my family. Thanks for the recipe.

    CJ

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  39. This is a pork recipe I would do...sounds yummy !

    I'm glad you're nearly done with pork...what are you doing next ?

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  40. Made this the other night, and it was AWESOME! I actually skipped the syrup (we try to avoid sugar), and used a can of crushed pineapple instead of juice because I didn't want to buy a huge can of juice when I only needed 2 cups. It wasn't "maple", I guess, without the syrup, but it was so delicious.

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  41. Great recipe! I made it for Easter today and everyone raved - and it was wicked easy! The hardest part was fitting the darn thing into the crockpot in the first place - I ended up having to hack it into pieces first, but hey, it ended up being really tender. I'm definitely going to make this again.

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  42. I made this last week and it was delicious. Although, I was WAY too big for my 6.5 qt. crock pot so i ended up cutting it off the bone. It was very tender but it fell apart a little.

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  43. This was delicious. The only change I'll make next time is to reduce the cooking time. My ham was a little overcooked after 7 hours on low in the crockpot. Regardless it was so delicious and the only way I'll make ham from now on!

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  44. Thanks for the Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan recipe. Last summer I ate them at a party and has been looking for an authentic recipe ever since. Now I will be able to make them myself. Thanks again for shearing your post.

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  45. Anonymous6/23/2009

    Hi! Potentially dumb question, but does the ham need to be spiral cut? Those are more expensive around my neck of the woods, so I usually just buy a butt portion ham.

    Thanks!

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  46. Hi Anon,
    not a dumb question! It doesn't need to be spiral cut at all----that's just what we happened to get.

    --steph

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  47. Anonymous8/03/2009

    When I bake a ham it gets bit dry.I tried this recipe and it was the best tasting ham I ever made

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  48. So glad I found your blog. Made this tonight and loved it! Our family loves what others are calling "overcooked" ham. We call it "stringy" ham as it just peels off rather than slicing it. This was a little sweet for us but that didn't keep us from eating it all!

    Also, I made the lid with foil like you suggested since it didn't quite fit in my 6 qt pot. I had to use a 9 lb shank portion because that's all my grocery store had. Everything worked like a charm!

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  49. I have a 8.5 pound spiral ham cooking in my crock right now and I added some of the things here. I had very little maple syrup, so i used what I had left of it and mixed it with a little bit of imitation maple extract and cola. I had a small can of crushed pineapple so i squeezed as much juice as i could out of it, then added some pineapple to it. The ham was too tall for my crock so i turned it to the side and it seems to be cooking just fine, i rotate it every 1.5 hours or so. thankz so much for posting ur recipe on here. i have never cooked a ham in my crock pot before. I smell the aroma of the ham and it is making me hungry right now!

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  50. Anonymous12/10/2009

    Quote me if I'm wrong but you can't get sick from nibbling on a spiral sliced ham since they are fully cooked. Also...I'm curious as to why anyone would have trouble carving a spiral sliced ham since it is "sliced" for you and ready to go!!!!

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  51. I did this for Christmas yesterday, and it went over SO WELL. My husband, who loves ham, said it was the best he's had. I only did half a cup of brown sugar (a full cup seemed like a lot, and then halfway through I realized I'd bought a brown sugar cured ham.....) and 1.5 cups of pineapple juice, but did a full cup of maple syrup (my husband's family is from Maine :). After 6.5hrs on low the meat was falling off the bone. I'd set the timer for 7hrs, but with less than 40mins to go I noticed the meat was starting to fall off. I didn't even need a knife once it was out of the crockpot-just used two forks to lightly pull the meat off the bone. My husband's family loved it, and I'm heating up the rest for my family today-I saved the juice so it doesn't dry out the second time around (although I'm only putting it in for maybe an hr, hr and a half on low). Thank you so much for this!

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  52. I dont know where I went wrong, but mine turned out super dry. I have a 3.5 qt slow cooker, but I used a small ham, which totally fit into the crock. I put it on low for...about 6.5 hours and I even basted it once or twice. Even the bottom part of the ham, which was sitting in the liquid came out kind of dry. Id like to try again, but I dont know if I can risk another 25$! It was the first recipe tried from your book-Im eager to try some more and obviously hope I get better results :)

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  53. Hi Nancy,

    oh no! I'm not sure what happened either. I wonder if your crock has steam release holes? Was there condensation on the lid, or did the lid stay dry? If you have gaps in the lid, or indentations in the rim of the crock, you might want to put down a layer of foil to help trap in steam and moisture.

    I hope you were able to cut the ham up and use it for something! I hate the idea of wasting food---I'm so sorry this has happened.

    xoxo steph

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  54. Anonymous1/01/2010

    I made this for Christmas this year and even though it turned out a little dry it was still really tasty!

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  55. I'm trying this recipe today... The ham is a little taller than I thought (I found a 7lbs ham) and so I had to turn it on it's side... we'll see how it goes. It's smelling good though!

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  56. Anonymous4/05/2010

    I made this for my 1st easter dinner last night and it was big hit. The guests kept commenting on tender it was.

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  57. Anonymous4/08/2010

    AWESOME recipe! Our Easter dinner cooked while we were at church.

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  58. My whole family loved this recipe. I love your site. So many wonderful recipes. I linked to it on my blog. Hope thats ok
    http://myjourneyasablog.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-maple-ham-recipe-for-my-future.html

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  59. mmmm looks yummy!! i think this'll be dinner tonight! Thanks for a delicious looking recipe that I actually have all the ingredients for! :D

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  60. I'm cooking the Maple Ham in my slow cooker right now. I use pure 100% maple syrup, and not the store bought kind made with HFCS. This ham has got to be delicious. The smell is awesome, I'm drooling waiting for it to cook.

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  61. Steph, I'm behind on giving you my review, but I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and we all truly loved it! :-) There are rumors that I'll be doing the ham for all the future holiday events. ;-)

    xo,
    Shirley

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  62. Thanks for all the help, really didn't want to cook it in the oven and have the skin to be too tough, I wanted to try it a new way and this sounds like a great way to do it. I thank you very much. I doubled the ingredients because the ham I have is 14 to 15 pounds. Thank you so much.

    Stephanie Horne

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  63. I just bought my first slow cooker at the post Christmas sales, I asked my friends on facebook for recipe ideas and one of them gave me a link to your blog and I am so glad they did! It took me almost 2 days to get through your archives, but now I have gone from having no idea what to cook in my slow cooker, to having TOO MANY ideas!

    I had a ham in the fridge that didn't get used for Christmas so decided to make this recipe. It is in my slow cooker now christening it and it smells soooo good! Can't wait to try it tonight.

    Thank-you so very very much for all of your great ideas, I'm sure I will make many more of your recipes :)

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  64. I had a thought about cooking my ham in a crock pot, googled the idea and got here. Will give it a try even if my ham is not pre-sliced. My hubby wants to make pea soup so said to get a ham with a bone. Looking forward to cooking and smelling this today. Will look at more of your recipes, so thanks for all. :-))

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  65. rebecca3/31/2012

    I made this for a large gathering and everyone loved it! Instead of just using the juice, I used a can of crushed pineapple which was delish too! Thanks! I'm going to try your Applesauce chicken tomorrow. :)

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  66. as a note, when your ham doesn't fit, tent it with foil, works just as well .........I've done this plenty of times and comes out moist and tasty every time, also I do the pineapple rings along with the cloves

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  67. I am so making this for Easter this weekend, sounds yummy!! Thanks for the recipe.

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  68. Made this today, with a few changes. Did not use any pineapple juice (just don't line pineapple on my ham). Instead I combined the brown sugar, maple syrup, ground mustard and half and half in a small pot. Once combined I poured it over the ham and slow cooked for 6 hours. I can tell you this I will not go back to cooking ham in the oven anymore. Thank you!

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  69. I made this for Easter, and totally spaced the 6-7 hours needed. I started cooking this about 3 hours before I intended to serve it, and ended up chucking it into the oven to heat it through. Luckily, I used a fully-cooked (hickory smoked) ham, so it wasn't the end of the world.

    The recipe was delicious, and using a hickory smoked ham made it like eating bacon with maple syrup (one of my favorite things on earth).

    Thanks for posting the recipe! I can't wait to try it for "real"!!

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  70. I can't believe I forgot to comment on this ham last year. I made it for Thanksgiving 2011 and it was such a hit. My little brother called it the best *expletive* *expletive* ham he has ever had.

    So, I made it again for Christmas Eve!

    It's on the list for one week from now, and I cannot wait!

    Last year, I bought a tremendous ham that didn't fit in the crock pot in any way possible! I decided to cut the ham into large chunks and just let the chunks soak up that juice for 8 hours. It worked out very well, and I think I might even do it that way again this year.

    Thank you!

    Love, Cindy

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  71. I am curios about this ham as I am wanting to make it for Thanksgiving dinner- I have a 9lb UNCOOKED ham. Should I cook it the same amount of time? I didn't see anywhere whether this was for an uncooked or cooked ham?

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  72. I found this recipe last year and made it many times from Thanksgiving to New Year's. And then just because. We don't even care where the retail honeyed hams are anymore. This is easy, affordable and SOOOO delicious! Thank you for teaching me how to better use my crockpot. This is one good blog!

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  73. So I am not someone who eats ham or has ever cooked it, so maybe making ham for Christmas for my in-laws for the first time isn't smart but I am. I have a turkey planned as well. I bought an 8lb BONELESS spiral cut ham. I feel like it would need less time in the slow cooker or it would get dried out, no? Can you advise? Thank you

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  74. Hi Lara,
    No problem! 8 pounds is still pretty big and will fill your pot nicely.
    I would suggest checking after 4-5 hours on low or 2.5-3 hrs on high.
    All you need to do is make the ham hot, it's already fully cooked.

    I hope this helps a bit! Merry Christmas!!

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  75. My ham, after only 5hrs on low, was very overdone, internal temp 150 F. I wish your original directions of 6-8 hrs was changed to reflect your last post suggesting 4-5 hrs, as we ruined a meal.
    Cooks Illustrated recommends temp of only 120 F.

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  76. Unknown, that stinks. I am so sorry. I hate it that I made this mistake. I will update the directions to reflect your notes right now.

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  77. Stephanie3/26/2016

    Do you have a suggestion for keeping sliced ham warm in a crockpot? I have guests coming at different times for Easter. Would keeping slices on the warm setting dry them out? Should I add an inch or so of water?

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  78. Hi there, yes! Slice the ham and add some apple juice or chicken broth. Before serving, pull the slices from the bottom of the pot to the top with some tongs.

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  79. I know this post is about 9 years old and I don't know if you are still blogging but this is hands down my families favorite ham. Even my ULTRA picky (think they only eat like 5 foods and one of them is cereal) nephews and niece LOVE this ham and I have to make it every time we are together! Thank you for making my family love my cooking :)

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