Recipe Background
This slow cooker glazed ham combines apple jelly and rosemary for an easy holiday centerpiece.
The first time I made a slow cooker glazed ham was on an unexpectedly snowy Thanksgiving. My new kitchen in Chicago felt cozy, yet missing the warmth of family. Deciding to experiment, I dug out a jar of apple jelly from my pantry—perfect for a crowd-pleasing glaze. As it melted into a sugary blend with Dijon mustard and cider vinegar, the scent was both nostalgic and entirely new. With rosemary sprigs fresh from a friend’s herb garden, I felt a connection to people and places that made me feel at home.
Finding a way to make spiral-cut ham in the slow cooker was like a little culinary hug. I discovered that scoring the ham allowed the glaze to seep in beautifully, creating layers of flavor. Smearing the glaze between each crisscrossed section became my favorite part, requiring a little patience yet delivering a huge reward. Pro tip: slightly separate the layers before glazing to ensure every bite is as tasty as the last. The free pass to let it cook slowly left me time to call distant family, making a chilly day feel warmer.
That snowy Thanksgiving, the slow-cooked ham was a golden masterpiece of easy indulgence—a far cry from the stress of holiday meals. Guests became family, gathered over simple ingredients turned splendid. From that day, apple jelly turned into a holiday staple, a little hack for when you crave something special without the fuss.
Ingredients
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup jarred apple jelly
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
For the ham:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 (8-10-pound) spiral-cut ham fully-cooked
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Directions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the apple jelly.
- Add 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, the Dijon mustard, the vinegar, the garlic powder, and the ground ginger and whisk to combine.
- Bring the apple jelly mixture to a boil and allow it to boil, while stirring often, until thickened into a glaze, about 1 minute.
- In a 6-7-quart slow cooker, add the remaining brown sugar and spread it out evenly.
- If the ham has a plastic disk in the center, remove and discard it.
- Using a knife, score the top of the ham in a crisscross pattern.
- Slightly separate the layers of the ham.
- Brush the ham layers with some of the glaze mixture, reserving the remainder.
- Add the ham to the slow cooker.
- Pour the remaining glaze over the ham.
- Add the rosemary sprigs to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 4-5 hours.
- Serve.
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