With just 3 ingredients, this Slow Cooker Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham is an easy holiday dinner main course! It's a simple recipe for how to cook ham in a Crockpot with a pineapple and brown sugar glaze. And oh so good!
The results are absolutely delicious, with a perfectly cooked and tender ham glazed in a sweet and slightly tangy outer layer.
Ham 101
You can make this recipe with a boneless spiral ham, butt portion or shank portion ham.
While a boneless spiral sliced ham is the easiest because it is already cut for you, it it a bit pricey per pound. A butt portion ham (I wish it had another name!) is less expensive than a spiral sliced ham, but it may have a bone in it. A shank portion ham costs less than both the other options but the large shank bone means much less actual ham for you to enjoy.
Unless a ham is labeled "natural" or "fresh", they are probably already a fully cooked ham and you are basically slowly cooking it so the center becomes thoroughly heated. Be sure to read the label carefully.
When it comes to holiday main courses, it doesn't have to be difficult! A couple of other easy main dish recipes are my Crockpot Chicken and Dressing or this Instant Pot Bone-In Pepper Jelly Ham.
Serve this glazed ham with Instant Pot Collard Greens for a real comforting and hearty meal. You'll love how easy it is to make it, no matter the occasion!
Shortcuts
- It doesn't get much easier than this slow cooker pineapple brown sugar ham! You'll only need 3 simple ingredients, making this an easy entree worthy of Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, and more.
- Reduce the amount of cooking time by at least an hour for a spiral sliced ham. It takes less time to cook.
Ingredients
What you will need to make this Crockpot brown sugar pineapple ham:
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Ham - Aim for a 6 to 8 pound ham. I like to go for a butt portion or a spiral cut half.
- Brown sugar
- Pineapple preserves
How to make Ham in the Crockpot with Brown Sugar and Pineapple
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
Pro Tips
Be sure to remove any small plastic covering that sometimes covers the marrow of the bone.
- Coat the ham with about a quarter cup of brown sugar.
- Place the ham cut-side down in your slow cooker on a rack.
Don't have a rack for your slow cooker? Roll some aluminum foil into a tube-like shape, then bend it into a circle. Voila! Homemade crockpot rack!
- Add some of the pineapple preserves to the top surface of the ham.
- Place the lid on your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
Pro Tips
Place a paper towel directly under the the lid and it will absorb moisture so the glaze won’t wash down the sides of the ham.
- 30 minutes before the ham finishes, remove the lid and spread the remainder of the brown sugar, then the rest of the pineapple preserves. Replace lid and finish cooking.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this slow cooker brown sugar pineapple ham recipe.
- Fruit preserves - If you're not a fan of pineapple or want to try out another flavor, you can use other fruit preserves. Apricot, cranberry, peach, and apple are also delicious options.
- Jam or jelly - Can't find pineapple preserves? You could also use pineapple jam or my Easy Peach Pepper Jelly for similar results.
- Use fruit - Instead of preserves, you could also use regular crushed pineapple in heavy syrup for your ham.
For a more browned ham, remove it from the slow cooker crock; place it on a baking sheet and broil it for 2 minutes.
Helpful Information
Brown sugar is typically just white sugar with added molasses. This gives the sugar a more complex sweetness and deeper flavor profile.
This slow cooker ham is cooked with the pineapple brown sugar glaze already on to seal the flavor in, but an additional glaze is added 30 minutes before cooking is done. Because of the slow cooking process, you don't run the risk of burning the sugars like you might in the oven.
Ham halves are typically cooked, cut side (flat side) down so the fat from the top will self-baste the ham as it heats up and melts. This prevents the cut side from drying out.
What to serve with Slow Cooker Ham
Storage Tips
- To Store. Store any leftovers in the coolest part of your refrigerator, loosely wrapped. If stored properly, ham can last up to 2 weeks.
- To Reheat. Smaller pieces of ham can be heated in the microwave, or else the whole ham can be reheated in a baking pan with a bit of water in the bottom to avoid drying it out.
- To Freeze. Allow the ham to fully cool to prevent ice from forming on the outside, then wrap well with plastic and then foil.
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Want more holiday main dish recipes?
Slow Cooker Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 pound butt portion ham half spiral slice ham half or shank portion ham
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar divided
- 1/2 cup pineapple preserves or jam divided
Instructions
- Unwrap the ham. Rub about 1/4 cup of the brown sugar over the entire surface of the ham. Spread 2 tablespoons of the pineapple preserves over the flat side (cut side) of the ham.
- Place the ham, flat side down in the slow cooker insert. I like to place it on a small rack to lift it up off the insert. If you don’t have one, press together aluminum foil to make circle and place the ham on it.
- Spoon all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining pineapple preserves over the top of ham.
- Put the lid on the ham and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- The last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and rub the remaining brown sugar on top of the ham. Spoon the remaining pineapple preserves over the brown sugar. Replace the lid and continue cooking.
- An instant read thermometer should read at least 145 degrees F. Much more than 160 degrees and the ham will start to dry out.
Notes
- Tip: Be sure to check for a small plastic covering that sometimes covers the marrow if the bone is exposed.
- Spiral Sliced Ham Tips: Reduce the amount of cooking time by at least an hour. It takes less time to cook.
- Shank portion ham halves take a little longer to cook because of the large bone and have less meat on them than the butt portion ham half.
- Remember, you are basically just slowly heating up the ham. Unless the label states that it is a fresh ham or uncooked ham, most ham halves are already fully cooked.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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