If you’re looking for a ham that even non-ham eaters (it’s me, hi, I’m the non-ham eater) will enjoy, it’s this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham. You make the glaze, put the ham and glaze in the slow cooker, and ignore it for seven hours. So easy.
For more ideas, check out all of our recipes.
Ham is such a holiday dinner. But, if I’m being honest, it’s so boring. Ham is really plain and kind of chewy and salty and it’s not my favorite. Bacon? I’m all in. But a large ham? Count me out.
Unless, of course, I’m cooking it.
I say this a lot (at home, not really on the blog), but I like my food. I like the flavors I put together and I like how I cook things. So if I’m making it, it’s gonna be the way I like it. Which this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham recipe definitely is.
The bottom bits are like a delicious crunchy bacon and are phenomenal. The middle pieces are more traditionally ham-like, which is good for people who like a meatier piece of ham. Everyone wins.
And, don’t worry about the fact that the ham is cooked mostly in soda. It tenderizes the meat, so it doesn’t have the chewy mouthfeel that ham often has. And, soda is sweet, but the mustard, vinegar, and salt balance it out so well.
Try it. Even if you don’t like ham. Try it. Trust me. This is the best ham.
Slow cooking ham is actually the best way to cook ham. And that’s science. Slow cooking it breaks down the connective tissues and collagen, so the meat is more tender when it’s done. It also renders down the fat as the ham cooks, which adds a lot of flavor to the ham.
Plus, the best part about cooking a ham in the slow cooker (if you’re cooking it for Thanksgiving or Easter dinner) means that you save your oven space for all your delicious side dishes.
We love our slow cooker to make really tasty and easy recipes. If you’re looking for new recipes for your slow cooker, our list of Budget-Friendly Slow Cooker Recipes is for you.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham Recipe
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Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 oz. cola soda
- 7 to 8 pound bone-in shank portion ham
How To Make A Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham:
Put the brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, and 4 oz. of the soda in a pan.
Quick note: If you can’t find stone ground mustard, Dijon mustard would be a fine substitute because they’re both made from brown mustard seeds. We don’t recommend using yellow mustard. That tangy mustard will change the flavor too much.
Heat over high heat about two minutes until the sugar melts into the soda.
Lower the pan to medium heat and simmer for about seven minutes until the cola glaze starts to reduce. Remove it from the heat.
Pour the rest of the soda (8 oz.) into the bottom of a slow cooker.
Place the ham into the slow cooker.
Remove 1/4 cup of the glaze (save the extra sauce for later) and use a pastry brush to brush it all over the top of the ham.
Cook the ham on low for seven hours.
When the ham is done (when the internal temperature is at least 160 F), reheat the remaining glaze on the stove for about two minutes.
Brush it over the top and sides of the ham.
Remove the ham from the slow cooker, carve with a sharp knife, and serve.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham: Frequently Asked Questions
Bone-in ham has better flavor than a boneless ham because the bone actually adds flavor while you’re cooking it.
The shank portion (which is usually the cheapest) has a single bone to cut around, while butt-end hams (the next cheapest) have two bones to cut around. In this recipe, we use the shank portion because of the price and because it’s easier to cut around. What’s also good about bone-in ham is you can save the ham bone to make soup in the future.
A bone-in shank portion ham from your local grocery store is sold as a fully cooked ham, but it’s unseasoned, so it’s good to use in recipes like this one.
A spiral ham already comes glazed, so you’re not really able to use spiral cut ham in any recipes, like this one. You mostly just heat that and serve.
If you thaw a frozen ham completely before cooking, you can use it in this recipe. But, we don’t suggest you cook a ham from frozen in a slow cooker.
If you’re making ham for a holiday meal, you want to purchase about 3/4 to 1-pound of ham per person.
For reference, I have a 6-quart slow cooker and it perfectly fits a 7.5-pound bone-in ham.
If you bought a ham that’s too large for your slow cooker, put on the top then cover the entire top in aluminum foil. This will create a lid that will keep the steam inside.
Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham to check the temperature. Be sure to avoid hitting the bone as that will be hotter and may not reflect the actual temperature of the ham.
You do. If this is your first time carving a ham, I promise you: It’s really easy to differentiate between the fat and the meat. The fat is really squishy and can easily be cut from the meat.
For some help, check out this video before carving.
Cut the ham off the bone. Store the bone in the freezer until you’re ready to use it for Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup.
When the ham has cooled to room temperature, store leftover ham in an airtight container in the fridge for three to five days. If you’re not going to eat it in that time frame, you can store it in the freezer for about a month.
We love to use it for split pea soup.
If you don’t have cola handy, you can use Dr Pepper or root beer in the ham glaze. Those will give a slightly different flavor, but experiment and see what you like best.
I wouldn’t suggest using a diet soda because you won’t have enough sugar for the recipe to taste right.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham
If you’re looking for a ham that even non-ham eaters will enjoy, it’s this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham. You make the glaze, put the ham and glaze in the slow cooker, and ignore it for seven hours. So easy.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 oz. cola soda
- 7 to 8 pound bone-in shank portion ham
Instructions
- Put the brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, and 4 oz. of the soda in a pan.
- Heat over high heat about two minutes until the sugar melts into the soda.
- Lower the pan to medium heat and simmer for about seven minutes until the cola glaze starts to reduce. Remove it from the heat.
- Pour the rest of the soda (8 oz.) into the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Place the ham into the slow cooker.
- Remove 1/4 cup of the glaze (save the extra sauce for later) and use a pastry brush to brush it all over the top of the ham.
- Cook the ham on low for seven hours.
- When the ham is done (when the internal temperature is at least 160 F), reheat the remaining glaze on the stove for about two minutes.
- Brush it over the top and sides of the ham.
- Remove the ham from the slow cooker, carve with a sharp knife, and serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 142Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 29mgSodium 660mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 0gSugar 17gProtein 11g
Have you made this Slow Cooker Brown Sugar And Cola Glazed Ham recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.