If you need a holiday ham recipe this simple 4 ingredient Crock-Pot Brown Sugar Picnic Ham is just the ticket!
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Picnic Ham
Recently we found a great deal on picnic hams at our local grocery store and even though we had never made this particular cut of ham before we decided to go ahead and grab one and toss it in the shopping cart.
Ham is always a popular meal, not only for the traditional holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. But our families enjoy it for a family-style Sunday dinner too!
Served with something like mashed potatoes and green beans a ham makes a perfect dinner!
This simple and easy 4-ingredient recipe tastes fantastic and the ham comes out moist and tender too.
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Brown Sugar Picnic Ham Recipe:
- 6 Quart, 6.5 Quart Or 7 Quart Slow Cooker
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Dry Measuring Cups And Spoons
- Wooden Spoon
- Chef Knife
- Baster
- Meat Thermometer
- Platter
- Aluminum Foil
Frequently Asked Questions
A picnic ham comes from the shoulder or arm of the pig and still contains the bone (also known as the shank or hock). This is less expensive cut of meat than other types of ham because it usually involves less work for the butcher. The meat from this ham is tender and juicy, especially when cooked in the slow cooker.
It is recommended by the USDA ( United States Department of Agriculture) that a fully cooked smoked ham is cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F (or 60°C) with a meat thermometer. A small ham should reach that temperature in a slow cooker set on LOW in 2 to 4 hours. A larger ham should reach that temperature when cooked on LOW after 4 to 6 hours.
Cooking your ham in the slow cooker is the perfect cooking environment for making a tender and juicy ham. Adding some liquid to the slow cooker (in this recipe we used pineapple juice) and cooking it covered helps keep the ham moist and juicy.
The other key is to let your tent your ham under foil and let it rest after it is done cooking before slicing the ham. This steps allows the juices to pull back into the meat and you end up with delicious juicy ham that is not dried out.
Special Diets
More Tasty Crockpot Ham Recipes To Try!
Crock-Pot Baked Pineapple Ham + Video
This Slow Cooker Baked Pineapple Ham recipe will melt in your mouth it is sweet and tangy! A fabulous recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter!
Crock-Pot Brown Sugar Ham
With just three ingredients, this recipe for Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham could not get any easier to make. Enjoy this recipe at your holiday table!
Crock-Pot Orange Soda Ham
Perfect for Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving or Sunday dinner, this 2-ingredient recipe for Slow Cooker Orange Soda Ham is super easy to make & tastes fantastic too!
Crock-Pot Apple Cider Ham
Perfect for the holidays! Slow Cooker Apple Cider Ham is smothered in apple cider, brown sugar & maple syrup with a dusting of ginger, cinnamon & vanilla.
Recipe Collections:
- Entrée Recipes
- Pork Recipes
- Easter Recipes
- Thanksgiving Recipes
- Christmas Recipes
- 35 Crock-Pot Christmas Recipes
Crock-Pot Brown Sugar Picnic Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Pounds Cured Picnic Ham (Bone-In (See *Ham Note Below))
- ¾ Cup Pineapple Juice (Plus 2 Tablespoons)
- 2 Cups Brown Sugar (Divided)
- 12 Whole Cloves
Instructions
- Add 3/4 cup of the pineapple juice to the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar to the pineapple juice and mix until all the brown sugar is moistened.
- With the fat side down, place the ham inside the slow cooker.
- Using a sharp knife, score the ham about 1/4 inch deep all over the top of the ham.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice carefully over the top of the ham to moisten the ham.
- Rub the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar into the top of the ham.
- Poke the whole cloves into the cross sections of the scoring lines.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, basting the ham 2 to 3 times with the liquid in the slow cooker.
- Cook the ham until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 145° on an instant read meat thermometer.
- Carefully remove ham from the slow cooker and place it on a platter. Tent the ham loosely with foil and allow the ham to rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing the ham.
- Remove cloves before eating and enjoy! (See **Sauce/Gravy Note below if you would like to make a sauce or gravy to serve with your ham)
Notes
Nutrition
I did this and it turned out Perfect!! Even had room to stick in sweet potato halves.
That is such a good idea with the Sweet Potatoes!
I have a farm fresh picnic ham that has not been smoked. Do you think this will still work for that?
Hi Sara, we have not tested this recipe with an unsmoked/cured picnic ham. I am sure it would be fine but I don’t think it will taste the same as a smoked and cured ham would.
My family and I loved this recipe. It was so easy and the end product was great! My family could nothing but go on about how great it tasted. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you so much.
Thanks Deborah for your kind words. I am so glad to hear how much your family enjoyed this recipe for Brown Sugar Picnic Ham!
I did this but instead of pineapple juice i used fresh squeezed orange juice and itwas delicious 😋
That sounds amazing April. Being a lover of all things citrus I may have to give that a try some time!
Just love these crock pot recipes!!!! I am 70 and helps so much😉💓
So glad you enjoy the recipes Mary Sue!