For a perfect holiday dinner, try this Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham. With little prep and the crock pot doing all the work, this is the ultimate easy recipe.
Prep: Place the ham in a lightly greased 5-6 quart slow cooker.
Make glaze: Mix the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring from time to time, until bubbly. Pour over the ham.
Slow cook: Cook on LOW for around 6-8 hours, or until the internal temperature of the ham reads at least 145°F (older crockpots may need a little longer, they tend to run less hot). Rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with the pineapple glaze.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Use a boneless ham labelled as “fully cooked”. A spiral-cut ham is NOT preferable for this recipe, they tend to dry out in the slow cooker.
Brown sugar: I always use light brown sugar for this recipe, because I like the taste best. Dark brown makes the glaze more intense.
Cider vinegar: This adds a nice note to the glaze, but it’s optional. Your glaze will not taste vinegar-y from this. Please don’t use any other vinegar in place of cider vinegar, just skip it if you don’t have it.
Mustard: I use Dijon mustard because that’s what I always have on hand. Feel free to use yellow or whatever favorite you have.
Ground cloves: I used both ground and whole cloves for maximum flavor. If you only have whole cloves, you can use 5-10 pieces of those in the glaze without using ground. Or leave them out entirely if you’re not a fan!
Recipe tips
The glaze doesn’t need to cook for long, just simmer it until it looks glossy and has thickened.
Make sure to use a 5-6 quart crockpot to hold a 5 pound ham. You need to be able to close the lid, and I prefer the ham not to touch the sides too much. They can scorch.
The glaze thins out a little during cooking, due to the juices the ham releases. If you prefer it very thick, either add ½ an extra tablespoon of cornstarch at the beginning, OR place it back into a saucepan after slow cooking and thicken it on a low simmer on the stove with a slurry made from ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water.
How hot should a ham be in the middleIf you have a vacuum packed, fully-cooked ham from a government-inspected plant (I know that’s awfully specific, but ham cooking times are somewhat confusing), 145°F is the recommended internal temperature to heat it to.Refer to this page on the USDA website for more information.Oven instructionsYou can bake this in a Dutch oven!Simply follow the instructions, but instead of cooking the ham in the slow cooker, baked it in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 350°F for around 20 minutes per pound. If you have time, baste it a few times with the glaze during baking time.LeftoversPlace leftover ham and glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. I reheat it in a pan on the stove with the lid closed, or use just the ham diced up in casseroles and soups.