Ham can be a real bargain meat. I frequently see it for less than $2 a pound in my area. Of course the “honey baked” style hams are more expensive. But never fear, here is a great (and frugal) way to make any type of ham taste like a “honey baked” ham.
Homemade “Honey Baked” Ham
This is all you need for delicious ham!
Ingredients:
1 bottle of syrup
Apple Juice
Spiral Sliced Ham
Directions:
1. Remove ham from the net it came in-being careful to save the net. Remove plastic wrapping.
2. If you got one of those “glaze” packets in your ham throw it away. Or, if you can’t bear to do that (like me) use the spice & sugar mixture to make cinnamon rolls 🙂
You don't need this!
3. Wash the net. (who knows what it touched in the store!), then place ham back in the net and secure it tightly with a clean rubber band, zip tie, string. . . whatever works.
Tada!
***Now I know at this point some of you are saying “what the heck? What’s up with the net?”. Well, I’ll tell you. You are going to be picking up and flipping over this ham multiple times. That is a very messy (if not impossible) proposition for a steaming hot, partially cooked spiral cut ham that is half submerged in hot liquid. The slices will flop all over the place, things will drip and splatter, and that is IF you can get a grip on the dang thing to begin with! If you net it up again, the whole ham stays together and it flips like a breeze.***
4. Put ham in your largest crockpot. Don’t worry if it sticks out-we’ll get to that in a minute.
5. Pour the entire bottle of syrup over the ham. Yes-you heard me.
Ooey and gooey...
6. Add an equal amount of apple juice. I just filled the syrup bottle up with apple juice then poured that in too. The liquid should come about half way up the ham.
Fill 'er up.
7. Take tinfoil and tent it over the top of the crockpot to make a lid. (I told you we would get back to that.
Just use a couple of pieces and crimp it down well.
I like to add a couple of kitchen towels on top of that to really hold in the heat.
8. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning the ham every hour to really get the apple/syrup mixture into the meat.
Can you imagine trying to flip this over without the net?
9. Remove ham from crockpot and enjoy!
10. Don’t throw away all that lovely juice. . . how about cooking some beans in it, or using it as the base for a lovely soup. Mmmm.
Oooh, too good to throw out.
Variations:
Buy a non spiral ham and jab the heck out of it with an ice pick so the flavors can get in.
Instead of the fake “syrup” you can use real maple syrup or honey. Of course those options are much more expensive.
Substitute orange juice or pineapple juice for the apple.
Kick the flavor up even more by using frozen juice concentrate and not adding any additional water.
Bake on low in the oven instead of using a crockpot.
OH, I am going to have to try that. It looks so yummy!
Me too!
Me too!
Not sure if I’ll try this recipe exactly (we’re real maple syrup snobs), but I’ve been looking for a way to cook my Easter ham in the crockpot!
I understand! I’d prefer the real stuff myself-but that would really tip the price way over the top! I’ve just cooked a regular ham in the crockpot before-I usually add about a cup of liquid (apple juice if I’ve got it), tent it with the foil & towels, and let it go for 6-8 hrs. The great thing is you don’t have to worry about it being done at a specific time 🙂
I had to smile at your Crockpot. I have the exact same model, bought at Goodwill when the last of my wedding shower Crockpots died a few years back. Good $5 investment, I use it several times/week
This is a new idea I am looking forward to doing! Years ago, I had one crockpot, and broke it. I was in Goodwill one day not long after and found a crockpot for $5 that had no glass lid. I bought it and took it home, and the glass lid from the broken one fit exactly. I am still using that crockpot plus a couple more. Crockpots are indispensable.
my daughter requested honey baked ham for her birthday TOMORROW! since i can’t afford a “real” one…this is perfect…as is your timing!
thank you 🙂
xo,
lisa
You know how us southern folk love our gravy. Well, I take all those wonderful juices and thicken them with a water/cornstarch mixture and serve it to pour on the ham. Delicious!
That recipe seems really simple and boring. The flavors that would come out of the ham would only be just sweet and syrupy. A better recipie would be:
-2 tablespoons of Course or Brown Dijon Mustard (Spicy is better)
-1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
-1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey
-1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
-1/3 cup of water
-9 to 10 pound Spiral ham
Combine sugar, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard in a sauce pan on medium for 2 to 5 mins until ingredients melt and whisk thoroughly. Remove from heat. In a roasting pan put the water in then the ham. Tent with aluminum foil and bake 15 to 20 mins per pound, at the last 20 mins put on the glaze on and between and between each slice of ham. Be generous with the glaze, you will have enough. I recommend you use a clean kitchen brush to apply glaze.
This glaze is both sweet and tasty. It has a little bit of a spice to it but its great. It makes “Honey Baked hams” taste like store brand sliced lunch meat. Plus its nearly half the price. About $30.00 for this recipe vs $55.00 plus for a HB ham. Which one would you rather do?
Dee-thanks for your suggestions~they do sound tasty (although calling my recipe boring did hurt my feelings a bit)
This comment has niggled at the back of my mind since I saw it a couple of days ago. How absolutely rude to come on to someone’s blog and not only flat-out criticize the recipe they took the time and effort to post (along with great photos) that you apparently didn’t even try, mind you — but then post one of your own saying it would be better…? I agree with you in that it *seems* it would be very sweet but until I try it I cannot say, I have been surprised by recipes before — regardless, I surely would not say it in the way you did. Frankly I could sit here in judgement of of your recipe saying ‘it would not taste as good as you say because’…but I won’t as I haven’t tried yours either and the thing with recipes is that they are often very subjective. Offering comments and suggestions and even “I generally don’t care for xyz in my dishes” is fine and helpful (especially if one has actually made the recipe posted). Even saying “I would have to use real maple syrup but the recipe in general looks great thanks” is one thing. But what you did…geez, use some tact.
Yeah, I have to agree there would have been a more tactful way for DEE. to offer up her recipe.
Thank you so much for the recipe – that is awesome, easy and frugal! All my favorite things – I am definitely trying this one!
I hope that you enjoy it!
I’m so excited to find this thread – was searching to see if I could use that packet that came with my Easter ham for cinnamon rolls, and I CAN!!!! Thank you.
I’ve made a note to try your way to crockpot (yeah, it’s a verb) my next ham, since I only just found your site. I love the simplicity and yet it sounds delightful!
Pat-so glad that this helped you!
I want to use your recipe for Thanksgiving but I have a question before I commit. I will be making my ham at my house but eating it at my parents house, 45 minutes away. How would you suggest traveling in the car with it?
Jeanette-I think I’d drain the liquid out and reserve some of it in a thermos, jar etc with a lid that won’t drip just before leaving, then put the hot ham back into the still hot slow cooker and wrap the whole thing in several towels to retain heat. When I got to your parents house reheat the ham with some of the liquid by pouring the liquid (heat it up on the stove or in the microwave so it’s hot) over the ham and then turn the crockpot back on.
first off screw you dee and your expensive complicated recipe , i think its perfect and not boaring at all!!! i was looking for simple and this beyond easy =)
Could you possibly use this recipe with a whole chicken?
Kaci-I’ve never tried a chicken and honestly I probably never would. It’s very sweet, which gives that “honey baked ham” flavor. . .somehow the salty & smoked ham can handle it. Of course you can just cook a whole chicken in the crockpot without all the juice stuff–just season like you would for baking in the oven and pop it in there. You won’t get the crispy skin, and it will be so tender that it falls apart when you try to take it out-but it will be cooked in the crockpot while you are out of the house or busy! I’ve seen quite a few folks suggest making some balls out of tinfoil to hold the chicken up off the bottom of the pan so that it’s not stewing in it’s own juice and has a bit more of the “roasted” texture. Hmmm. I think I need to do a pictorial tutorial on this soon.
Jenn- Yes please do! That sounds wonderful! Thanks for the info. I will be looking for the tutorial post soon! 🙂
Used this recipe today 🙂 but added pineapple juice and a half a thing of honey. 🙂
Ohh-that sounds good–I hope you enjoy it!
I made this tonight and I have to say I am extremely dissapointed. This seems to be a fairly popular pin on pinterest and was a cheap dinner so I was a little excited for it. After about 6.5-7hr of cooking on low just like you said I ended up with ham jerky. Gross. The overall flavor wasnt great either. Do you know how extremely irritating it is to waste money on food when youre on a tight budget and THEN have to a) spend more money on take out or b)rush around with screaming hungry children hanging all over you while you figure out something quickly? Next time I think I will be trying Dee’s recipe
I’m so sorry that this didn’t work out for you-this is the first time I’ve had anyone state they’ve had a problem with the recipe. I’m also really surprised with all the liquid that your ham came out dry.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say “Amanda” is really “Dee” under another user name (note the nod to Dee in the post) or someone who did not follow the directions correctly. With the excessive liquids the ham cooks in, there is no WAY “Amanda” ended up with “ham jerky” as stated above. Crock pots are one of the best things to use if you want a moist, fork tender finished product. Suffice it to say, I think “Amanda” might want to try out for the “Worst Cooks in America” television program if she bungled a straightforward, photo documented recipe like this. Just saying.
Everyone is entitled to their differing opinions on a recipe–but I must say with all the liquid, being covered and cooking on low I don’t see how you could have had a dry ham.
^ True that! 🙂
My mother still has that same crockpot from my childhood. It must be over 40 years old!
It is a seriously old crockpot–was my mother’s and I snagged it when she downsized.
Thank you for this recipe. I used this at Easter and it was sooooo delicious!!! I’m not very good in the kitchen so this recipe was great for me, simple but yummy, not boring as someone earlier said…rude. Will definitely be using again, my family loved it!!!!
Vicky–I’m so glad you-and your family-enjoyed the recipe! And I always appreciate when folks take the time to come back and let me know, it gives me a smile for the whole day!
Where did you find the net for the ham? Seems like a great idea!
It’s actually the net that came around the outside of the ham when I purchased it. I just washed it well and then put it back on 🙂
I don’t normally do spiral hams but my mother in law bought one for Christmas and asked if I would cook it up. I was looking for a crock pot version and this looks very good. I will trying it for sure. Do you think if I cut the slices up before heading over to their house and putting back in the liquid, it’d be fine? Or should I just wait until I get there to cut it up?
I think it would be fine to cut it, bring it in some liquid and then reheat it.
Thank you for your recipe. I used it yesterday for Christmas dinner and using the net was a great help, for turning and also at the end, as the meat was falling off the bone. It was very delicious; my husband said it was the best ever. I’ll be using this from now on.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And yes–the net makes all the difference when you want to turn it 🙂
I’ve made this a couple of times (and plan on making it for tomorrow’s Easter dinner), but it seems like every time I make it, despite turning it every hour, the outer edges of the spiral ham get really dark and hard. Should I be cooking it for less time? I want it to stay bright and pink like yours, still juicy, but despite me following this recipe exactly, it keeps cooking the edges too much. Any advice?
Sariah-what I’ve learned is that the newer crockpots are much hotter than the old ones. The one you see in the photos here is my moms old slow cooker, so it cooks a bit lower. If you are having yours come out too hard then you probably do need to shorten the time. Most hams are already cooked and you are just warming it up and flavoring it–so you can cut the time without worrying. If you have a pot with a “warm” setting you might try doing a couple hours on the low setting and then turn it to the warm setting. Good luck!
Jenn,you said in oven on low….for how long? My crock isn’t large enough for the ham my husband bought…lol
I have made this and we loved it!
Well, I just tent up tinfoil when the ham is too big! For low your crockpot/slowcooker is right around 200 degrees. . . you could bake at 350 and reduce the time. Good luck and enjoy your ham!