Crock Pot 3-Ingredient Ham

Struggling to keep up with shopping, cooking and baking for the holidays, yet still need time to prepare your normal family dinner? It doesn’t get any easier than this. How about 3 ingredients and a crock pot? You can prepare the moistest, most flavorful ham and still leave yourself plenty of time for all your other tasks. Stud a precooked ham with whole cloves, pour a generous amount of maple syrup over it, then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Cook on low in your crock pot for 6 to 8 hours and you’ll have a meal that tastes like you spent all day preparing it. I like to call this a “lifesaver” meal, because it’s too easy, yet doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. When ready to serve, you’ll be surprised to discover that this ham is only delicately infused with the maple syrup and clove flavors, but enough to make a difference…a BIG difference. This goes great with my Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups. (Don't worry, if you don't have time to peel, dice & boil sweet potatoes, just substitute a large can of yams and mash with ingredients on that recipe. This time of year, we all need shortcuts.)

Cut slits horizontally and vertically on the surface of the ham, about 1/2-inch deep (checkerboard pattern). At the intersections of these cuts, insert a whole clove.

Place ham on a sheet of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap around top and sides of ham. Pour maple syrup, slowly, over top. I say slowly, because you do want some of the syrup to seep into the crevices you cut on the surface.

Now completely wrap the ham in the aluminum foil and place in the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. If you want more maple flavoring in your ham, add more syrup, or don't wrap in aluminum foil, just place in crock pot without being wrapped (and baste occasionally with the syrup in the pot). The ham will still be moist (not quite as moist), but the maple syrup flavor will be more prominent. Either way, when you slice the ham, you will see a difference in color at the top, where the maple syrup seeped into the crosscuts. (It's not burned in, the coloring of the ham changes where the maple syrup comes in contact.) Here's what it looks like when you take it out of the crock pot, before slicing:

When ready to serve, remove cloves and slice (or the other way around, which is what Mike did...lol).

I apologize if my photos don't do justice to the moistness of this ham. I actually had to pour off a lot of the liquid, in order to put the ham on a serving platter to take my pics. I wouldn't steer you wrong, this ham is unbelievably moist!  And the leftovers? They go great pan fried with eggs in the morning (or for lunch sandwiches)!

CROCK POT 3 INGREDIENT HAM
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) fully cooked ham
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup maple syrup                                        
• Whole cloves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut slits horizontally and vertically on the surface of the ham, about 1/2-inch deep (checkerboard
    pattern). At the intersections of these cuts, insert a whole clove.
2. Place ham on a sheet of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap around top and sides of ham. Pour
    maple syrup, slowly, over top (so syrup seeps into top crevices).
3. Wrap the ham in the aluminum foil and place in the crock pot.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
5. Unwrap from foil. Remove cloves and slice.

Tips:  For more prominent maple flavoring, don't wrap in aluminum foil before placing in crock pot. Ham will still be moist, but not as moist as when wrapped in foil.