Slow Cooker Christmas 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.

Shank or Butt

Shank: Ham from the shank end is the picturesque ham profile that pops into most people's heads when they think of a Christmas ham. The pork comes from the leg portion of the pig and tends to be a bit leaner. Bone-in ham from the shank has one long bone, which can make carving a breeze.

Allow 20 minutes per pound when calculating how long to bake a fully cooked ham. For example, if the ham weighs 8 pounds, the cooking time would be 2 hour and 40 minutes. A fully cooked half ham will weigh approximately 3 to 4 pounds. Cooking time for a 3 pound ham would be 1 hour.

Do you have to cook Christmas ham? While most hams come fully cooked and can be enjoyed without further cooking, some are typically perfectly baked in the oven. Find the best Christmas ham recipe for you, and then follow its method for cooking a Christmas ham, whether it be in the oven or the slow cooker.

Pour in the cola, and make sure the ham joint is submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on medium/high. I find that 5 hours is enough in my slow cooker. You want the gammon joint to be cooked through and tender but still retain its shape.

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.

A traditional Christmas ham is usually ham on the bone – either a shank or a slightly larger leg cut. The meat from these bone-in hams is usually more flavoursome and juicier than what you'd get from a boneless cut.

Naturally smoked hams usually have less water-weight and better flavour, so look for one that has a dark colour on the rind and is naturally smoked. Choose one with a good layer of fat of you are going to glaze, as that's where the flavour melts in. Keep the rind to help store your ham and stop it drying out.

We recommend 1/4 to 1/3 pounds per person at most, though you can round up slightly for a bone-in ham.

Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with lid or foil. Bake at 325 F for 15 to 18 minutes per pound until a meat thermometer registers 140 F.

How long do you cook a 5 pound already cooked ham? ›

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.

But you do need to cook it at a gentle simmer, as if you boil a ham too briskly then it can also become dry. Overcooking the ham can also cause it to become dry. It can help to take the ham out of the fridge an hour before you start to cook it, so that it loses its chill and cooks more evenly.

For years, I've been making my glazed ham the day before serving then just reheating it on the day of. It comes out 100% perfectly. The glaze is just as good as freshly made and the ham flesh doesn't dry out at all.

The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out. The best way to do this is to place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F.

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.

Cover with tightly with foil. 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.

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.