Slow-Cooker Garlic Butter Honey Glazed Ham Bistro Roast

The honey-garlic butter doesn't just sit on top of this ham. It runs down between the spiral slices and settles there, so every slice you lift off the platter is glossy and fragrant all the way to its edges. And while it warms in the slow cooker, your oven is free for the rolls, the potatoes and everything else on the holiday table.

This Slow-Cooker Garlic Butter Honey Glazed Ham Bistro Roast starts with a fully cooked, spiral-sliced half ham, the kind sold at every grocery store around the holidays. You're not cooking it, you're gently warming it, and the slow cooker on LOW is a calm, steady way to do that. A simple glaze of honey, unsalted butter and fresh garlic goes between the slices at the start. At the end, the juices from the bottom of the cooker become a second, glossier glaze.

Why You'll Enjoy This Recipe

• A free oven. The ham warms on the counter while the oven handles the sides.
• Glaze in every slice. Brushing a little butter between the slices gets the flavor inside, not just on the outside.
• Moist edges. Low heat, the cut side facing down and a closed lid keep the thin slices from drying out.
• A real glaze, not a thin puddle. The juices are reduced on the stove until they coat a spoon.
• Five ingredients plus water. No glaze packet, no brown sugar, no long list.

Ingredients and Notes

Exact amounts are in the ingredient list above. A few notes on choosing them:

Spiral-sliced half ham. About 7 pounds, bone-in and fully cooked. Look for "fully cooked" or "ready to eat" on the label, plus "spiral sliced." Anywhere from 6½ to 8 pounds works, but the ham has to fit in a 6-quart slow cooker with the lid completely closed, so check before you start (see step 1). Throw away the glaze packet; this recipe makes its own.

Unsalted butter. ½ cup (1 stick). Ham is already salty, and its juices get saltier as they reduce, so unsalted butter keeps the final glaze balanced.

Fresh garlic. 6 cloves, finely minced. It warms gently in the butter so it softens and sweetens without browning.

Honey. ½ cup. Any mild honey, such as clover or wildflower, works well.

Dijon mustard. 1 tablespoon. Just enough tang to keep the honey from tasting flat. If you don't have Dijon, use 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar instead.

Water. ½ cup, poured into the bottom of the slow cooker. It keeps the honey that drips down from scorching on the bottom of the insert, and it gives you enough juices to reduce into the finishing glaze.

Equipment

• A 6-quart oval slow cooker. The oval shape matters: a half ham fits much better in an oval than a round cooker.
• A small saucepan for the garlic butter, and again for reducing the juices.
• A pastry brush and a spoon for getting the glaze between the slices.
• An instant-read thermometer. The most reliable way to know the ham is warmed through.
• A ladle for the juices.
• Two large spatulas, or a spatula and tongs, for lifting the ham out.
• A serving platter and a sharp knife.
• A broiler-safe rimmed metal pan, only if you use the optional broiler finish.

Fully Cooked Ham vs. Raw Ham

This recipe is written for a fully cooked spiral ham, which is what almost every spiral ham in the grocery store is. A fully cooked ham only needs to be reheated. USDA guidance is to reheat a fully cooked ham packaged in a USDA-inspected plant to 140°F. That's the number this recipe uses.

Two other situations are different:

• A ham labeled "cook before eating" or "fresh ham" is raw. It needs to be cooked to 145°F with a 3-minute rest, it needs different timing, and it isn't what this recipe is written for.
• Leftover ham, or cooked ham that was repackaged (for example, sliced at a deli counter), should be reheated to 165°F.

If the label isn't clear, ask at the meat counter before you buy.

How to Glaze Between the Slices

The goal is to get glaze inside the ham without pulling it apart.

1. Keep it cut-side down. The flat cut face sits on the bottom of the cooker, and the slices stay pressed together and protected.
2. Open just a few slices at a time. With the back of a spoon, ease two or three slices apart near the top, about ½ inch, no more.
3. Brush or spoon in a little butter, then let the slices fall back into place.
4. Work around the ham. You don't need to get between every slice. A few places all the way around is enough, and the rest of the glaze runs down the outside.

How to Turn the Juices Into a Glossy Glaze

At the end of cooking, the bottom of the slow cooker holds thin, buttery, honey-sweet juices. They're full of flavor but too thin to cling to the ham, so they get reduced.

1. Ladle 1½ cups of juices into a small saucepan.
2. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 8 to 12 minutes, until it has reduced to about ¾ cup.
3. Check it on a spoon. Dip a spoon in and lift it out: the glaze should coat the back of the spoon in a thin, even layer. As it cools on the ham, it thickens a little more.
4. Brush it on right away, over the outside and between the outer slices.

Taste the glaze before brushing. Ham juices vary in saltiness from brand to brand, and reducing concentrates the salt. If it tastes too salty, stir in a splash of water.

Recipe Notes

• Times at a glance: 15 minutes of prep, 4 to 5 hours on LOW, and about 15 minutes at the end to reduce the juices and glaze the ham. The 5 hours 30 minutes on the recipe card uses the longest warming time.
• Yield: about 12 servings from a 7-pound bone-in half ham.
• No browning in the slow cooker. The slow cooker warms the ham and keeps it moist, but it doesn't brown or caramelize anything. The glaze stays soft and glossy. For darker, bubbly spots, use the optional broiler finish.
• Slow cookers vary. Go by the thermometer, not the clock.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the ham on a platter with a small pitcher or bowl of the remaining glaze. Holiday sides that bake in the free oven while the ham warms are a good match:

• Mashed potatoes. Try Cream Mashed Potatoes.
• Green beans, simply buttered or roasted.
• Dinner rolls for leftover-ham sandwiches the same evening.
• Roasted carrots or sweet potatoes.

If you prefer a brown sugar glaze, see 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham or Slow Cooker Amish Christmas Ham.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of serving. Take the slices off the bone, wrap them well or store them in an airtight container, and use them within 3 to 4 days. Store any extra glaze separately in a covered container.

Reheating. Reheat leftover ham to 165°F. For a few slices, put them in a covered skillet with a spoonful of water or glaze over low heat, turning once, until hot. For a larger amount, wrap the slices in foil with a little glaze and warm them in a 325°F oven until heated through. The microwave works for a single plate; cover it so the edges don't dry out.

Freezer. Freeze sliced leftovers in freezer bags or airtight containers for 1 to 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

The bone. Save it for soup, like Split Pea Soup with Ham. Refrigerate it for up to 3 to 4 days or freeze it.