Slow Cooker Ham with Honey Glaze -- The Ham That Makes the Kitchen Smell Like a Celebration

Easter was this past weekend, and we did it the way we do everything: with food and family and the specific chaos of four children on a sugar high from too many jelly beans. Church on Sunday morning at the Lutheran church in Grand Island, where the Novak family has been going since before I was born, and where the pews smell like old wood and hymnals and the accumulated prayers of seventy years of Sundays.

Gayle sat with us. She was dressed in her Easter best, which means the same blue dress she has worn to Easter since 2003, and she looked beautiful in the way that stubborn women look beautiful: uncompromising, steady, like a tree that has weathered every storm and is still standing. Larry was not there because Larry was on the road, which is where Larry always is, and Gayle saved him a seat anyway, the way she saves him a seat everywhere, as if he might walk in at any moment, which he will not, but the saving of the seat is the point.

Easter dinner: ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, rolls, and the chocolate sheet cake because Easter is a birthday too, the biggest one, and birthdays get cake. I glazed the ham with a mixture of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and pineapple juice, which sounds fancy and is not. It is easy and it makes the ham sweet and tangy and the kitchen smell like a celebration, which is what Easter should smell like.

The Easter egg hunt was in the backyard. Dave hid forty eggs Saturday night in the dark, which meant he could not remember where he put at least six of them, which meant we were finding eggs in the yard for the next week. Tyler found the most because he is methodical. Justin found the least because he was more interested in eating the chocolate from the eggs he did find than in finding more. Josie found an egg in the garden bed and declared the garden was growing eggs, which is the kind of logic that makes you love seven-year-olds.

After dinner, Gayle and I sat on the porch while the kids played in the yard. She said Darla always loved Easter. She said it the way she says everything about Darla: quickly, factually, like reporting the weather. Darla loved Easter. The sky is blue. The ham was good. I said yes she did. Gayle patted my hand. We watched the kids. The afternoon was warm. The eggs were hidden. The cake was gone. Easter was over. We were still here.

Sitting on that porch with Gayle, watching the kids tear across the yard in the last of the afternoon light, I kept thinking about how some meals aren’t really about the food at all—they’re about the table you set and who you invite to sit around it. The ham had been the easy part, honestly, because I’d let the slow cooker do most of the work while I focused on the rest of it. If you want something that fills the house with that warm, sweet smell all day without keeping you trapped in the kitchen, this is it.

Slow Cooker Ham with Honey Glaze

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 4–6 hours | Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 10–12

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in ham, 7–9 lbs (fully cooked, spiral-sliced or whole)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, ground cloves, and garlic powder. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Prepare the ham. Place the ham cut-side down in the slow cooker. If it’s too large to fit flat, angle it slightly—that’s fine. Pour about half the glaze over the ham, letting it seep between the slices if spiral-cut.
3. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or on HIGH for 2–3 hours, until the ham is heated through to an internal temperature of 140°F. Baste with pan juices once or twice during cooking if you’re home.
4. Glaze and finish. About 20 minutes before serving, brush or spoon the remaining glaze over the ham. If you want caramelized edges, transfer the ham to a foil-lined baking sheet and broil in the oven for 3–5 minutes, watching closely, until the top is bubbling and golden.
5. Rest and serve. Let the ham rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the juices from the slow cooker over the top just before bringing it to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 1420mg