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This amazing slow cooker orange cranberry glazed ham is a perfect easy Christmas ham that’s covered in glaze bursting with orange, cranberry, and ginger flavor!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
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Slow Cooker Orange Cranberry Ginger Glazed Ham
Christmas brunch recipes are always hard for us, since it is such a hectic morning full of presents, church, and lots of preparations. I want to hang out with family and friends not have to slave over the stove while visiting with family. This slow cooker glazed ham is the perfect main
I love delicious hams for Christmas dinner, but all of the prep and work can be a little tiresome on the hectic day. This slow cooker orange cranberry ginger glazed ham recipe is perfect for keeping Christmas easy, light, and fun – just toss it in, and come back to a perfectly delicious ham dinner that is practically prep-free! This one pot slow cooker ham dinner is also a snap to cleanup, which makes it a huge win for the hectic holidays.
How to make Slow Cooker Orange Cranberry Ginger Glazed Ham
For this recipe you will need to assemble the following ingredients:
- Orange Juice – orange juice in the slow cooker will enhance the sweet citrus flavor of the orange slices and add needed sweetness to the ham.
- Cranberry Juice – you want to use unsweetened cranberry juice to cut through the sweetness of the orange juice and brown sugar. It makes a great baste during cooking.
- Orange – I love the look of sliced orange on a baking ham and it adds a citrus and brightness to this ham that you can’t get any other way.
- Brown Sugar – brown sugar is the sweet base for this and melts to glaze the ham thoroughly.
- Ginger – I use ground ginger for a strong spicy hit that will compliment the richness of the ham.
- Mustard – I use ground mustard for a punchy earthy hit of spice.
- Fresh Garlic – you want to use fresh garlic cloves for that pungent flavor that are sliced thin.
- Cloves – cloves have a very strong earthy flavor, you will want to push it into the ham to infuse the flavor.
- Cranberries – fresh cranberries provide a fresh bite and a tart element to this ham.
Once you have assembled the ingredients use the following method
Prep. Place the ham in your slow cooker, you can line it for easy cleanup if you prefer. Score the fat on the top and push 1 tsp of the cloves into the ham.
Prepare the glaze. In a saucepan combine the orange slices, juices, brown sugar, ginger, mustard and other teaspoon of cloves. Let simmer 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Drizzle half the glaze over the ham and leave half for basting as it cooks.
Cook. Cook in your slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Cover to cook. Add glaze or spread what glaze is in the bottom every hour or so.
Serve. When the ham has developed a crunchy dark glaze remove it from the slow cooker and serve hot. See tips and tricks below if you want a crunchier ham. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Slow Cooker Glazed Ham:
Baste. I prefer to baste the ham about once every half hour (when I can remember) while cooking to help form a rich glaze.
Broil at the end. If you prefer a bit of extra crunch on your ham, remove from the slow cooker and place on a baking sheet and pop under the broiler on high for about 5-10 minutes at the end of cooking (watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn) to crisp up the extra sugar in the glaze.
Keep the cleanup easy. line your slow cooker in aluminum foil for truly mess-free cleanup! Simply roll up foil and throw away when done!
Recipe FAQ’s
To cook your ham from-frozen in the slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Estimate 3/4 to 1 pound per person for a bone-in ham.
Yes, you can use lemons for this recipe but stick to orange juice, not lemon juice for the baste.
Other Easy Christmas Dishes You’ll Love:
For more of our Christmas recipes, check out these favorites!
We love Christmas around here – the family togetherness, the smiles, the lights – and the big meal!
- The Best Easy Buttery Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe – these rolls taste like Parker House rolls, and are light, airy, and loaded with buttery flavor.
- The Best Ribeye Roast Recipe – this boneless prime rib style roast is a bit smaller than a standing prime rib, perfect for smaller gatherings and lots of leftover sandwiches!
- Perfect Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe – delicious mashed potatoes that are rich and creamy!
- Easy Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash – this savory squash is always a huge hit.
- Traditional French Vin Chaud (Mulled Wine) Recipe – mulled wine just like from French Christmas markets!
- Easy Cranberry Sangria Recipe – delicious cranberry juice and wine, perfect to wash it all down!
Slow Cooker Orange Cranberry Ginger Glazed Ham Recipe
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Slow Cooker Orange Cranberry Ginger Glazed Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup cranberry juice, unsweetened
- orange, thinly sliced rounds of 1/2 a large
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ginger, ground
- 1 tsp mustard, ground
- 1 garlic, Fresh clove, about 2 tbsp sliced thin
- 2 tsp cloves, whole
- 1 cup cranberries, fresh
Instructions
- Place ham in slow cooker.
- Score top of ham to make cross-shaped slices.
- Push 1 tsp cloves into top of ham.
- In a medium sized saucepot, combine oranges slices, orange juice, sugar, ginger and mustard, and the other teaspoon of cloves.
- Cook on medium for 5 minutes, until glaze has reduced in half.
- Drizzle half of glaze mixture over ham, saving 1/2 the glaze to drizzle as it cooks.
- Set slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, and cover to cook.
- Add more glaze every hour of cooking, and in the last hour, every 25 minutes.
- When ham has developed a crunchy, dark brown glaze, remove from pan and serve immediately.
- If you would like more crunch to your ham, you can place it under a broiler on high and let sugar crisp for 5-10 minutes (watch closely to make sure sugar doesn't burn.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
