How the Easter ham hack came to be is easy to explain – just not so easy to explain why it didn’t happen earlier. Don’t you hate it when you’re expecting a boat load of guests, and the logistics of cooking a bunch of Easter dishes at the same time just won’t work. All of a sudden, a commercial kitchen seems like a good idea.
Even if you have dessert ready to roll, there are so many dishes that need to cook or at least warm up all at the same time: mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, sprouts, casseroles – plus that ham!
Pity cooks aren’t born with built-in timers…
Whether I just got older or maybe also wiser a few years ago, but it occurred to me that it was time to get smarter. That’s when I started buying my hams pre-cooked, so at least I could check that item off my list. It’s definitely been one of my best moves, and I haven’t looked back since.
Buying a slow cooker (or two or three) was also key in freeing up oven as well as countertop space. It makes a huge difference even when you just think of the square footage that ham alone would hog. A 6-quart cooker minimum should do the job, depending of course on the size of your family.
If it’s a close fit and you can’t close the lid, you can make a tent over your slow cooker with heavy duty aluminum foil. Just make sure you seal everything well around the rim in order to prevent too much heat and moisture from escaping.
Whether you use a whole ham or a spiral sliced one, there is no need to add water or any type of cooking liquid. Cook the ham on low for six to eight hours or on high for four to five hours or until your entire ham is heated throughout.
When your ham has finished heating up, carefully transfer it to a baking dish and broil for a few minutes until it develops a nice lightly browned crust. Watch it very carefully as it will burn in no time at all.
Prefer a glazed ham? Cook up a batch of your favorite glaze and pour it over the ham as you start to cook it in the slow cooker. For best results, baste the meat every hour or two with the glaze and once again before broiling.
Find our Slow Cooker Easter Ham recipe on our Easter Menu page.
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