I decided to try cooking a ham in my crock pot, thinking it would make an occasional Sunday dinner a bit easier. I don't want to be sitting in church and wondering if the ham in my oven is burning, so thus the crock pot reasoning. If I cook Easter dinner this year, I want it to be easy. I want a great meal, and I want my day of rest too! Ha Ha!
Technically, the crock pot did work. I knew that other people use it for ham, but I hadn't tried it. Also, I love an orange glaze on ham, but decided to try pineapple this time. I had the idea of using crushed pineapple, so I poured a can of it over the ham, added some brown sugar, (I wanted to add some maple syrup but was out), and let it cook away. Son number 1 stopped by to pick up my little granddaughter, and couldn't resist carving himself a hunk of ham. He declared that it had great flavor. Really great flavor.
My husband and daughter said it was good also. Me? I have to admit that the combination of the brown sugar and pineapple was delicious. It cut through the saltiness of the ham quite nicely. Here's the experiment; I thought I'd try cooking down the juices and the crushed pineapple to use as a chunky sauce. It was very rich, way too rich, and it was hard to skim all the fat off of the chunky pineapple broth. I won't try that again. The next time, I'll just cook the ham in the pineapple and brown sugar, and leave it at that. The ham was very flavorful and it was so easy. I will not thicken the sauce next time. So, using the slowcooker did work for me, I just need to tweak my method some. Here's what I did this time. I'll update this post when I am completly satisfied with the outcome. UPDATE: 3-23-12- we still love the ham cooked this way. Don't mess with making a sauce, but you can spoon the pineapple over the sliced ham if desired, but it really doesn't need it.
Slow Cooker Ham with Brown Sugar, Pineapple Sauce
1 6-9 pound ham- I used a fully cooked Pork Shoulder Picnick Ham half
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice, or 2 cups of pineapple juice
1/2 cup packed, light brown sugar
Place the ham in slowcooker cut side down. Pour the can of crushed pineapple over it along with the brown surgar. Cook covered for about3-4 hours on high, or 5-6 hours on low. Since I used a fully cooked ham it mostly just needed to be heated, but I like it cooked a bit longer for tenderness. Just don't overcook or it will be dry. Here's how I made the too rich sauce; pour it into a sauce pan and let set untill the fat separates and rises to the top. Carefully skim all the fat off the pineapple mixture and discard. Bring the mixture to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until it is reduced and somewhat thickened. Serve along side the ham. So, the results of my experiement? I will use my slow cooker for ham again. But don't thicken the sauce. So, cook your ham in the slowcooker with brown sugar and pineapple. It will be delicious. But don't make my sauce!
Have you tried using the slow cooker for ham and were you happy with the results? I could use some ideas!
NOTE: If you don't use a fully cooked ham, cooking time will be longer. Also, make sure the ham you buy will fit into your slowcooker.
I've had such a craving for ham and while I was hoping to make one for Easter, my husband seems less than thrilled. I'm going to have to get one and try it out in the crockpot--my kids and I can just work on it!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI bet the sauce would be excellent on the ham... it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteSuch a grand idea - for Easter - we couldn't fit the ham into anything... we feed a lot of people. But for a weekend dinner - I think this has the sweet and salt perfectly combined. The slow cooking method must really let the ham infuse the flavor of the pineapple... or oranges.
ReplyDeletePerfect for Easter, Lynda. I don't have a slow cooker any more, but you've done a great job with this! I think I'd like the pineapple and brown sugar better than an orange glaze.
ReplyDelete(You'll probably work out the minor problems next time.)
Wow great recipe - looks real yummy too
ReplyDeleteyum--that sauce sounds like it'd complement some ham perfectly, but it would also go well with lots of other stuff. nifty experiment, lynda!
ReplyDeletecould this simple recipe be used on a pork shoulder roast?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,The crockpot makes a delicious and tender pork roast.But I don't know how these flavors would work on a pork roast as I've not tried it. The only pork shoulders I've cooked were more of a pulled pork type, like my Crock Pot Pulled Pork on my blog.If you want to view that recipe, use the Search this blog, on the top left side. Or scroll down to the tags on the right side and click on pork.Thanks for the question, I just don't know the answer.
ReplyDeleteI made this a couple of weeks ago and it was a big hit with the family...so moist! Looking forward to making it again for the extended family this Christmas. (no need for extra sauce...the brown sugar/pineapple mix poured over the ham works great. Thanks for this recipe!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you loved it;thanks for letting me know!
DeleteThanks for the recipe. It was a hit at our Easter Dinner this year! The whole family loved it. Everyone said it was cooked really nicely & soft and tender (that's the main thing). I cooked it for about 5 hrs and just on low heat using the slow cooker as suggested. It was SOOOOO Easy to prep. Awesome! Thanks again. Oh, as a tip, because the ham is so big in the slow cooker, the pineapple juice mixture was sitting on the bottom, so every once in awhile, I scooped some juice to pour it on the exposed part of the ham (if I was around or remembered) to keep the top part of the ham moist too. It's not a much, I'm sure, but it helped. Thanks Again! ^.^
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your family enjoyed this ham, and I aprreciate your comment, and the extra tip so much. I love hearing how my recipes work for my readers.
DeleteI've always made ham with pinapple and brown sugar but what I do is place slices of pinapple on the ham, put a cherry in the middle of the slice and stick a toothpick through the cherry to hold it all in place!
ReplyDeleteHow long 1.9 pound smoked ham on low setting?
ReplyDeleteI have not cooked one that size so I'm not sure of the time,especially since cookers don't always cook at the same temperature.But I'll guess at maybe 3 hours forsuch a small ham. But this is only a guess. If you try, please let me know how it does.
DeleteI used this recipe for my family Christmas dinner yesterday and the ham was wonderful. So easy & simple, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI used this recipe yesterday for my family Christmas party and the ham was wonderful. So easy & simple, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThankyou Gina-so glad your family enjoyed it. I'm so glad you left a comment!
ReplyDeletePeople are afraid to use their slow cooker for cooking ham for fear of overcooking. I don't have an oven so use a pre cooked ham and basically just heat it for an hour or two on high. I pan cook some pineapple rings and their juice with a little brown sugar then brush the juice on the ham while it cooks. When finished it looks pretty much like a baked ham and tastes pretty good as well.
ReplyDeleteI have done the pinapple on my ham in the crockpot several times and it comes out great. I have a ham in today for Christmas with the family, I will be adding the brown sugar on top for the first time. Hope it turns out as good as it sounds.
ReplyDeleteI will never cook ham any other way. I have cooked a LOT of hams during my 50 years of cooking and I do believe this had the best flavor of any ham I have ever cooked. I think it is better than Heavenly Ham Store or Honey Baked Ham Store hams.
ReplyDeleteIf the ham is too tall, just use a large pan for a lid. Wrap some aluminum foil around the seal and cover with a towel.
ReplyDelete