My Best Slow Cooker Ham is deliciously tender, smoky, savory and just the slightest touch of sweet. Perfect, really. lol No, seriously, you guys. It’s so good! This could be your Easter ham and you’d be the dinner hero!
Serving ham always makes the meal feel a little bit celebratory and yet, cooking a ham is very simple. I’m not sure why we don’t do it more often.
As proteins go, I would say ham is mid-range on price, It’s not quite as inexpensive as chicken, however, it is much cheaper than ground beef, per pound. I purchased a whole ham, this week, and it was only $3.48 per lb. It was almost 9 pounds, so of course the initial cost was more at once, than a pound of hamburger, but I will get 5 or 6 different meals from it. That’s economical to me.
What Other Recipes Can I Make with Leftovers from Best Slow Cooker Ham?
There are so many ideas for using leftover ham, that it won’t seem like leftovers at all when you’re enjoying the meals. Remember, adding meat to any side dish instantly transforms it into a meal/casserole! Think mac and cheese and stir in chopped ham and frozen peas. Instant meal!
- Ham and Cheese Frittata — Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? Serve a frittata with my Ultimate Gluten-Free Pancakes and there’ll be a stampede to your dinner table!
- Ham and Cheese Sliders — Soooo delicious!
- Crazy Good Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
- Ham Sandwiches
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Pasta Salad with Ham
- Cheesy Ham Chowder
- Sweet Potato Hash with Ham
- Denver Omelet
- Chef Salad
- Ham and Cheese Scones
- Ham and Beans Soup
- Hawaiian Fried Rice
- Crescent Dough Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
- Cheesy Pull-Apart French Bread with Ham
- Baked Beans with Ham
- Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Cheesy Potatoes with Ham
- Wild Rice and Ham Soup
- Hawaiian Pizza
- Chicken Cordon Bleu — essentially a chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese. Delish!
And, that’s a small list. There are so many more. An investment in a whole boneless ham nets tons of money-saving meals for the rest of the week, for lunches or for the freezer!
How to Make My Best Slow Cooker Ham
Don’t blink. These instructions are short. Remove the netting from the outside of the ham. Place the ham into your slow cooker. Mix the brown sugar and mustard paste and spread it over the top of the ham. Cook the ham on low for 6–8 hours. Ta Da! Best Slow Cooker Ham deliciousness! See this doesn’t just have to be Easter ham. This scrumptious, savory and simple ham recipe is for any time of year.
Whole boneless hams are usually “netted”. Holding everything together after the bone has been removed is made easier with the netting, so the ham can be smoked. You will want to take that off before you cook the ham.
Mix together the stone ground mustard and brown sugar to make a paste. Yellow mustard or even Dijon would work, too. I always have dark brown sugar in my pantry, but if yours is light that’s perfectly fine. Go for it.
Smear the mustard/brown sugar paste over the top of the ham. As the Best Slow Cooked Ham is cooking, the paste will melt and drip down the ham. Their won’t be a massive amount of drippings in the bottom of the slow cooker when the ham is done. It will be just enough for drizzling the delicious slices and adding a perfectly balanced sweet acidic zing to the meat’s flavor.
Boneless Hams vs Bone-In
My personal preference is boneless. It slices easier, cooks faster and I don’t have the fat, gristle and bone waste of a bone-in-ham.
My guess is you could use the Best Slow Cooker Ham recipe on a bone-in ham, but would probably need to roast it in the oven. My slow cooker sure wouldn’t accommodate one.
The bone in ham will require extra work after cooking, too. You’ll want to remove the excess fat and bone etc. before slicing it for the table. You will most likely have a lot more drippings in the bottom of the roaster, too.
The reality is there is no right or wrong. It is 100% a personal preference. Since, mealtime is usually hectic for me, I go with ease of serving and cleanup. For me, that’s a boneless ham.
This delicious ham will make a fabulous dinner for your family whether it’s an Easter ham or an everyday easy dinner ham. And you won’t believe the flavors from just 3 easy ingredients! Enjoy!
Best Slow Cooker Ham: 3‑Ingredient Simple
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 25-35 servings 1x
Description
This ham tastes too good to be such a simple recipe. But the reality is dinner couldn’t be more special, or easy, with this dish. The recipe makes leftovers for many, many more dishes throughout the week. The number of servings will honestly depend on all the different ways you use it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8-9 lb whole boneless ham
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup stone ground mustard
Instructions
- Remove the netting from the ham and place the ham into an 8 qt slow cooker.
- Mix the brown sugar and mustard to form a thick paste.
- Spread the paste over the top of the ham.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook the ham on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Notes
You can sub yellow mustard or Dijon for the stone ground.
Light brown sugar can be substituted for the dark.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Main Dish, Meat
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Now, THIS looks like a slow cooker ham recipe I would love! I’m obsessed with how easy it is!
★★★★★
Samantha, I am, too! Great to have you stop by, today!
What a delicious ham. I will save this recipe and make it for Christmas.
★★★★★
It will be a perfect holiday meal centerpiece, Natalie! Enjoy!
Can this be done with a precooked bone in shank ham.
Hi Jean. Yes, I think it would be delicious! You’d need one small enough to fit your slow cooker, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
I like simple! This 3 ingredient ham was so good and so easy. Thanks!
★★★★★
Thank you, Scarlet! I’m so glad you liked it.