The Best Crock Pot Christmas Ham

One of my favorite foods around the holidays is the traditional Christmas ham. I love to use a spiral cut bone-in ham and endow that with a wonderful, flavorful glaze. Besides just the flavors in the ham, I love the fact that it’s so easy to make!

And as the glazed ham cooks in the crock pot and the fabulous aroma fills the entire house, your family will be so excited to flock to the Christmas table and feast on this festive holiday tradition of Christmas ham.

With this Christmas ham recipe, I borrow a page from the baker’s cookbook and infuse the glaze for our Christmas ham with ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and allspice.

And what could be more simple than Christmas ham slowly warming up in your crock pot anyway? Most of the heavy lifting has already been accomplished for you. The store-bought ham is precooked and spiral-sliced around the leg bone. All you need to do is add the ham to your crock pot, create a crispy, crackling glaze to enhance the luscious porcine goodness, and then slice and serve.

And another kitchen secret comes with this crock pot Christmas ham; it is a space and time saver as well! Your holiday planning and cooking are hectic and busy enough. So simply prep the ham, place it in the crock pot on low heat, and don’t think about it for 3 hours. And the ham provides another Christmas bonus as well. The stove top and oven are freed up to use for cooking all your other Christmas dishes and sides. So, let the crock pot do all the hard work!

BEST HAM TO BUY FOR USE AS CHRISTMAS HAM

• What kind of ham should I buy? – We suggest that you buy a bone-in, spiral-cut ham. The bone in the ham adds so much more bold, porky flavor and character to the meat. And a spiral cut ham allows the glaze to enter and flavor the entire ham. It also makes the ham so much easier to cut and serve.
  
• What size ham should I buy? – A seven-quart crock pot perfectly holds an 8- to 10-pound bone-in ham. A larger ham will require a larger crock pot. If the ham is too large for your crock pot, simply trim the ham down until it fits. You can fry the trimmed ham pieces in a skillet and enjoy them with eggs for breakfast as your ham cooks in the crock pot. You’re welcome!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR YOUR CROCK POT CHRISTMAS HAM

• What size Crock Pot should I use? – You will want to use a larger unit, such as a 6 to 8 quart cooker.

• Be sure to lay the ham sideways in the crock pot – Laying the ham sideways allows you to pour the glaze on each slice of ham all the way to the bone, completely covering each slice and ensuring that each bite of ham has a Christmasy flavor.

• Why we like orange marmalade in the glaze – Marmalade is a chunky (not smooth) type of fruit jam. So, the chunks of orange in the orange marmalade add more flavor and texture to the ham as the glaze cooks.

• Add whole herb sprigs or fruit to the crockpot – After placing the ham and the glaze in the crock pot, add sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, or fennel, and slices of oranges, figs, or peaches to the crock pot for an extra flavor punch.

• Use whole cloves – Take a handful of whole cloves and liberally stick them all over the ham, pushing them into the meat. This adds a bolder Christmasy piquant flavor to your ham.

• How do I make a thicker finishing glaze? – If your finishing glaze seems a bit runny, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water and stir it well into your finishing glaze as it reduces.

• Be sure to finish your crockpot ham under the broiler – After you have liberally brushed the finishing glaze on your Christmas ham, be sure to set it in the oven under the broiler. The fat of the ham and the sugars in the finishing glaze caramelize under the broiler, creating a crispy, crunchy crust of porky goodness

What REALLY Makes this a Christmas Ham?

Why is it called a Christmas ham? Because we use traditional spices that were used in Old Europe for Christmas cookies, and are still used today. Cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. I love that aroma coming from the kitchen when Christmas cookies are being made.

Steep Tradition

• Ham has been associated with Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter for quite some time, but eating ham for festivals was a common practice many centuries before Christianity. Yuletide, a Pagan Germanic wintertime festival, served wild boar as the center attraction. Likewise, wild boar was the centerpiece of the feast during the Winter Solstice festivals to honor Freyr, the Pagan Nordic god of fertility and abundant harvests.

• In the fourth century, Pope Julius I picked December 25^th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Although the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ is not known, he chose this date to coincide with many of the Pagan festivals already occurring, celebrating the Winter Solstice and abundant harvest, as mentioned above. Thus, the leap of our porcine friend, known as the Christmas ham, into the celebration of Christmas began.

Special Christmas Spices

• The spices for our Christmas ham and cookies have a long past, stretching all the way back to European medieval times. As there was no refrigeration, meat spoiled very quickly. One way to preserve the meat was to brine it in liquid and spices. Luckily, the spice trade from India and Indonesia was in full swing, bringing whole spices that did not spoil on the long voyage, like cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, to Europe in the cargo hold of sailing vessels.

• The spices were so expensive that only the very wealthy could afford them. They were hoarded and often used as trade, money, and even to pay wages. The common person rarely tasted or even saw these spices, except at Christmastime, when the wealthy felt festive and generous. This is why the tradition of using these very particular and unique spices at Christmas time in our cookies and Christmas ham is carried on today.

CROCKPOT CHRISTMAS HAM INGREDIENTS

The Ham

• One – 8 to 10-pound spiral-cut, bone-in ham Try to get one without a bunch of seasoning already added. Otherwise you may not get the Christmas seasonings to come through as well.

Ham Glaze

• 2 cups orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 apple cider vinegar
• Juice and zest of one orange

The Spices

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING CROCK POT CHRISTMAS HAM

1. Make the liquid glaze – Combine all the glaze ingredients and spices in a medium saucepan. Mix well over low heat until a liquid is formed. Let cool slightly. Remove half of the liquid glaze to a separate pourable measuring cup, leaving the remaining liquid glaze in the saucepan with a lid on top.

2. Place the ham in the crockpot – Place the ham in the crock pot sideways, with the bone horizontal and the spiral cut slices facing up.

3. Place the liquid glaze on the ham – Slightly spread apart each piece of spiral-cut ham, pour the liquid glaze in the measuring cup between the slices, and brush the liquid glaze all over the ham.

4. Turn on the crock pot – Place the lid on the crock pot. Turn the heat on low, and cook for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the lid and let the ham cool slightly. Keep in mind that we are only warming up the Christmas ham since it is already cooked. Heating it too long in your crock pot will dry out your Christmas ham.

5. Make the finishing ham glaze – After 2 1/2  hours of cooking, reduce the remaining liquid glaze in the saucepan over low heat until a thick, syrupy finishing glaze is created.

6. Place the Christmas ham under the broiler – Carefully remove the ham from the crockpot and place the ham right-side up with the bone vertical in a shallow metal pan large enough to hold the ham. Liberally brush the finishing glaze all over the surface of the ham. Place the ham in the oven under the broiler until a crispy, crusty surface is achieved, approximately 10 minutes. Watch it carefully to avoid charring the ham.

7. Serve – Cut the slices off the bone into two halves per slice.

Have Leftovers?

No problem. Use leftover ham for any of the following recipes!

• Easy Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes
• Slow cooker 15-Bean Soup with Ham
• Sandwiches!
• Diced or sliced with any breakfast