Brown Butter Maple Ham

Brown Butter ( Buerre Noisette) is a classic French staple in the kitchen.  Brown Butter is melted butter with accelerated flavor, can be made in less than 10 minutes, and has a nutty and bold flavor. This Slow Cooker Ham is delectable and can be made with just a couple of minutes of prep time.  This dish can be made any day of the week but is fancy enough to serve for a holiday meal.  The slow cooker is an easy way to cook a ham.  I have included Instant Pot instructions for you as well!  

Your family will go crazy for this slow cooker ham recipe.  All you need is a fully cooked ham, either a boneless ham or a bone-in ham, and a few additional ingredients.  All you will need is a few side dishes, and you will be all set for a Thanksgiving,  Christmas, or any other holiday dinner main dish!  You will be able to taste the tenderness of this sweet crockpot ham, and you will have meals for days when you use the leftover ham for sandwiches or casseroles.

You will save oven space by cooking your holiday ham in your crockpot.   Like the French eat, this dish is rich, and a little goes a long way. Don’t think about volume eating when you make this, and savor every bite.

What is the Brown Specs in Brown Butter?

The brown specs in brown butter are toasted milk solids. They’re actually where most of the flavor in brown butter comes from, so make sure you scrape them out of the pan!

How to Brown Butter 

1. You will want to brown butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
2. Cut the butter into even slices.  You want your butter to cook evenly.
3. Stir continuously for 10 minutes.  Brown butter is melted butter with an accelerated flavor.  Melt butter until the butter sizzles and foams.  Once you see the butter foam, It will turn into the most incredible flavored ingredient.

Ingredients

Spiral Cut Ham or Fully Cooked Bone-in Ham– As small or as large as you like, make sure it will fit in your color cooker or your Instant Pot.

1/2 cup or one stick of butter that has been Browned.

1/4 cup of maple syrup.  You can substitute honey

Two cloves of garlic, minced

One bay leaf 

One Cup of Chicken Broth 

These ham slices make the most delectable main dish!  Children will love the sweetness of this ham!  You will love the way your house smells when you open up the lid to your Instant Pot or Slow Cooker!  You will have so many delicious leftovers!

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Brown butter and set aside to cool.
2. Place the trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot.  Place your spiral ham on top of the trivet in your instant pot.  Pour cooled brown butter, maple syrup, garlic, chicken broth, and bay leaf over the ham.
3. Close and secure lid.  Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes per pound.  Let pressure naturally release.
4. Remove ham from Instant Pot using the handles on your trivet.  Pour juices from the bottom of your Instant Pot over the ham.
5. You can add cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it.

Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Brown butter and set aside to cool.
2. Place ham in the bottom of your Slow Cooker.  You can wrap it in foil if you want to, but it isn’t necessary.  Pour brown butter, maple syrup, garlic, chicken broth, and bay leaf over the ham and cook your ham on low for 4 hours.  Make sure you hydrate the top of the ham with the juices as your ham cooks.
3. You can add cornstarch to the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker to thicken the ham glaze.

Side Dishes that taste delicious with this ham

Sweet Potatoes 

Creamed Spinach 

Roasted Broccoli Salad 

Recipe Note:  If your ham came with a brown sugar glaze, you could add it to the super-rich flavor of this main pork dish.

Serve your ham in a casserole dish or a serving platter.  Make sure you serve it with the sauce on top to moist it.  This is such a delicious crockpot ham recipe!  You will want to stock up on hams after the holiday season to make this all year round!  This recipe is the perfect sweet and savory ham.   This ham would also be a delicious Easter dinner!

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Ingredients

• 1 fully cooked spiral ham
• 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1-2 bay leaf

Instructions

Instructions for Browning Butter

1. You will want to brown butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.

2. Cut the butter into even slices.  You want your butter to cook evenly.

3. Stir continuously for 10 minutes.  Brown butter is melted butter with an accelerated flavor.  Melt butter until the butter sizzles and foams. 

4. Set brown butter aside to cool

Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Place ham in the bottom of your Slow Cooker.  Pour brown butter, maple syrup, garlic, chicken broth, and bay leaf over the ham and cook your ham on low for 4 hours.  Make sure you hydrate the top of the ham with the juices as your ham cooks.

2. You can add cornstarch to the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker to thicken the ham glaze.

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Place the trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot.  Place your spiral ham on top of the trivet in your instant pot.  Pour cooled brown butter, maple syrup, garlic, chicken broth, and bay leaf over the ham.

2. Close and secure lid.  Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes per pound.  Let pressure naturally release.

3. Remove ham from Instant Pot using the handles on your trivet.  Pour juices from the bottom of your Instant Pot over the ham.

4. You can add cornstarch in order to thicken the glaze if you like.

This Ham was out of this world good!  We not only enjoyed this for a super delectable fancy dinner, but we enjoyed leftover ham sandwiches and a ham casserole in the days that followed.   If you make this Ham, I would love to hear how it turned out for you!  Would you mind commenting below or tagging me on social media and letting me know how you like it!  You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.