Slow cooker/Crockpot Ham is slowly warmed to perfection for a juicy, flavorful ham cooked in a salty, sweet glaze.
Easter ham is more than a main dish. It’s a tradition as special as Easter baskets, Easter eggs, the Easter bunny, Easter service, and pastel colors. Food is such an important part of our culture in bringing people together. Did you know the words of Companion and Company stem from the Latin root words meaning “breaking bread together?”
I thought about my Nana all day while I was making her Easter ham recipe! The crockpot is so easy and frees up space in the oven for all your Easter sides. It’s also a great way to take a ham over to the hostess’s house if you are cooking the ham.
Tips:
- My Nana’s recipe calls for a 1-4 pound ham. I used a 6.5 pound ham so I doubled the glaze ingredients.
- You can use a bone-in spiral cut or uncut ham. Uncut ham tends to hold more juices and is easy to slice.
- Use leftover ham to make ham sandwiches, dice and add ham to a breakfast casserole, fry a piece up for breakfast with eggs, or dice and add to potato soup.
- You can use Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, or even Root Beer!
- You can flip the ham halfway through cooking to keep the top from drying out, but it isn’t necessary.
Cooking Time
- The ham is already full cooked and can be eaten right off the bone. You are just reheating the ham slowly so it doesn’t dry out.
- My Nana’s recipe calls for cooking the ham on low for 8 hours and flipping it once in between. This will make the ham difficult to slice as it falls apart and is more like a shredded pulled pork.
- I like my ham more in slices so for a 5-7 pound ham, it needs to cook on low only about 4 hours. For an 8-10 pound ham, cook it on low for 5 hours. If you want shredded ham cook it an hour or two longer. I cooked my 6.5 pound ham for 5 hours and it was falling off the bone and starting to shred when I was serving it. Next time I won’t cook it quite as long.
I used a Pederson’s Farms ham! They have a 4-6 or 7-10 pound ham. They are humanely raised, whole-30 approved and a great product. Our cowboy friends work for this company and they are awesome!
Why do we eat ham on Easter?
- Lamb was originally the main course for most Easter dinners in the United States. However, after World War II there was less demand for wall and thus ham became a less expensive alternative to lamb.
- Before there was refrigeration, the pigs would be harvested in the fall and the meat would be cured and stored safely in the cold winter months. The meat would be ready in early spring just in time for Easter.
- Eating ham is a tradition in many American families so we like to serve the same things we grew up eating on holidays.
Serve with Mimi Joy Murray’s cheesy potatoes!
We don’t eat ham without Mimi making her cheesy potatoes. They are so easy and creamy and the family loves to dip the ham in the cheesy sauce.
Get the recipe here: Mimi’s easy two-ingredient Cheesy Potatoes
Crockpot (Slow Cooker) Easter Ham with Coca-Cola Glaze
Course: UncategorizedCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyA moist, tender ham with a salty, sweet glaze cooked in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
1 (6-8) pound bone-in, smoked or fully cooked ham
1/2 cup Coca-Cola
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons mustard
2 teaspoons onion salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Directions
- Rinse ham under cold water then place cut side down in the crock pot.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together brown sugar, mustard, and onion salt.
- Add vinegar and 1/4 cup of Coca-Cola to the bowl.
- Pour glaze over the ham and then pour the remaining Coca-Cola around the ham.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours (or 5-6 if you want a more shredded ham). Brush with glaze 30 minutes before the ham is done.
- Brush with the glaze before serving the ham and spoon the juice in the crock pot over the ham when serving.
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