This Brown Sugar Glaze for Ham is so easy to throw together with just a few simple ingredients you already have in your pantry! Made in just 5 minutes, you pour it over your spiral cut ham in the slow cooker and in a few hours, you have the perfect easy holiday meal.
This brown sugar glaze for ham makes the perfect tender ham every time. Serve your slow cooker ham with the best scalloped potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus, and roasted honey glazed carrots and have an easy and delicious holiday meal!
A few weeks ago when I was planning what I wanted to post before Christmas, I asked on facebook what people typically eat for the holiday meal. First of all, I need to ask these types of questions more often. It was awesome to have so many people take the time out of their lives to engage with me and answer it! Second, I loved everything that I read! The responses truly made me hungry and made me want to sit down to a big feast.
Some people mentioned side dishes like corn casserole. Others talked about desserts like red velvet bundt cake. Some mentioned traditional family dishes I had never heard of. But one thing I got a lot of was, a big Christmas ham! So I knew that I needed to make a ham for you all before Christmas. And I figured what better way to do it than with a nice brown sugar glaze for ham and in the slow cooker. This leaves your oven free for fast easy biscuits and baked brussel sprouts casserole.
THE BEST BROWN SUGAR GLAZE FOR HAM
I love this super simple glaze because it is easy, and it is also the back bone of this recipe. I mean, beyond this, all you need is your slow cooker and your ham. It doesn’t get much more simple than that!
WHAT IS IN A BROWN SUGAR GLAZE FOR HAM?
- honey
- packed brown sugar
- ground mustard
- apple cider vinegar – these gives the glaze such a delicious unique flavor and just a hint of something extra
HOW DO YOU MAKE GLAZE FOR HAM?
This recipe is as simple as combining the above ingredients in a small sauce pan, bringing them to a low boil, and allowing it to cook until it becomes fragrant. It should take about five minutes of cook time. It’s helpful if you have your ham all ready to go in the slow cooker before you start the glaze. That way when the glaze is finished you can pour it over your ham and turn on the slow cooker.
HOW TO COOK A HAM IN A SLOW COOKER
- Make sure that the ham fits! The ham that you are buying is fully cooked. If necessary, you can cut off some of it and save that for later in the refrigerator.
- I recommend that you trim the ham to fit so that the lid fits properly. It is also important that it isn’t jammed in the slow cooker. If you have ham that is jammed up against the sides of the slow cooker, it will likely over cook and become too tough to eat.
- As mentioned, pour the glaze over the top of the ham, moving apart the pieces so that the glaze can get in between them. While the ham is cooking, each hour, spoon the glaze from the bottom of the crock pot up over the top of the ham basting it.
- Keep in mind that you have purchased a fully cooked ham. So you are not bringing it to 140 for food safety. At that point, the flavors of the glaze will have fully cooked into the ham, and it will be a good temperature for serving.
THIS BROWN SUGAR GLAZE MAKES A MOIST HAM
This recipe is great because it really does create a very moist and flavorful ham. You can taste the delicious flavors in the ham, and it makes it irresistible. The perfect recipe for a holiday meal. If you are serving a smaller crowd, you can feel free to get a smaller ham, and still use the same glaze recipe, though you will need to adjust the cooking time.
If you wish, you can take the brown sugar glaze for ham that is in the crock pot after taking out the ham and brush it over the top of the ham, though at that point, it should be flavorful and delicious without doing this step.
Though I doubt you will have any left overs, I have a delicious brunch recipe that will help you use up any you might have coming this week. Keep an eye out for it! In the mean time, left over ham would be perfect in this ham and cheese quiche.
GREAT SIDE DISHES TO SERVE WITH THIS BROWN SUGAR GLAZED HAM
Brown Sugar Glaze for Ham
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 10 pound bone in spiral cut ham
Instructions
- Combine the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Allow it to come to a small boil and full combine, about five minutes.
- Place the ham in the slow cooker. Discard any flavoring packets that may have come with the ham. Trim the ham to fit into the crock pot if necessary.
- Pour the glaze over the ham, separate the spiral pieces to allow the glaze to get in between them. Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or until a thermometer reads 140 degrees. Keep in mind that your ham is already fully cooked, so you are just brining into to a good temperature and allowing the glaze to cook into the ham.
did you make this
Brown Sugar Glaze for Ham
Other great holiday recipes!
Cheesy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
Linda says
Great recipes!
Thank you Linda!
Melissa says
Can I put the ham in the oven?
Yes!
Norah Robinson says
Enjoy your recipes!
I’m so glad to hear that, Norah!
Noreen says
I made the ham glaze..skipping mustard that I don’t like..next time I will skip the water..it was too thin. Good but too thin
Irma says
Can I add pineapple slices on top gor would it be too sweet?
It will definitely be sweet, but I don’t think over the top.