This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
I have been wanting to make a Retro 7-Up, Pineapple, and Cherry Slow Cooker Ham for ages now, and now that Easter is coming, I finally stopped procrastinating. This is totally the most retro ham that you can get: pineapple, maraschino cherries, and 7-Up! Now, while our moms used to cook it in the oven, I decided that I wanted slow cooker ham.
Making slow cooker ham frees up the oven to make a turkey.
Laugh all you want, but I can’t have the only family that needs a ham AND a turkey for holiday dinners, am I?! It might be because we are Ukrainian, and our feasts aren’t large enough until the tables are groaning under the weight of too much food, the legs are threatening to give out at any second. It might also be that we do have 13 of us now to feed and one of those is a teenage boy that can out-eat his Uncle. It definitely is because we love leftovers. My Mom and I plan for leftovers the next day, so we cook once and eat two or three times, that’s out family motto!
How long do I cook ham in the crockpot?
Cooking the ham depends on its size. This ham took 4 1/2 hours to heat up—remember, the hams are usually pre-cooked, and we are just heating them up. It also depends on your slow cooker. A lot of them can run hotter than others do. That’s all about getting to know your slow cooker and how it heats, however. When you have one that runs hot, you know!
Can I put a frozen ham in the slow cooker?
You can cook anything frozen in the crockpot on the LOW setting; you just have to factor in the extra time it takes to defrost the ham. The other part is that you can’t score the top of the ham until it’s defrosted, but you can do this in the middle of the cooking process.
What temperature do I heat ham to?
The NEW temperature for ham is now 145 °F. This meat cooking temperatures chart from the USDA outlines the new temperatures for cooking pork that were dropped from 165 °F a few years ago. Thanks to newer and better pork handling techniques, it’s become safer to eat pork at a lower temperature. This means that you will end up with far juicer ham than ever! (and juicier than our Mom’s cooked, sorry, Mom!)
Slow Cooker Ham Tips & Tricks
- The tinfoil on top is my most fantastic slow cooker hack, which I have been doing for years. I always get asked about it every time someone sees it in a video. Very few recipes don’t benefit from sealing in the moisture and not allowing it to escape. The only one that I can think of where you wouldn’t want the moisture in the crockpot is a Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake. You actually want to get rid of the moisture in that recipe.
- To get that gorgeous crispy top all you need to do is a quick broil in the oven at the end of the cooking time. Five minutes and you have crispy ham!
- You can open up the slow cooker and baste the ham if you want, it does affect the cooking time slightly, but if you want to baste it just factor in another 15 minutes of cooking time for every time you open it. Sometimes it doesn’t affect it, but plan for the worst case scenario.
- Cooking the ham in the slow cooker honestly makes this the juiciest ham ever, just take a look at it in the video!
How to Make a Slow Cooker Ham Video
Happy cooking! Who else loves a good retro ham recipe? This has to be one of my favorites! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below, and I will get back to you!
Love,
Karlynn
Retro 7-Up, Pineapple & Cherry Slow Cooker Ham
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 4 hours
- Total Time
- 4 hours 15 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- North American
- Servings
- 10
- Calories
- 46
- Equipment
- Slow Cooker / Crockpot
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- one 3-4 pounds bone in, cooked ham shank
- 12-15 whole cloves
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1
- one 355 millilitres can of 7-up or other lime flavoured beverage
- one 15 ounces can pineapple rings you need 5-6 pineapple rings
- 5-6 maraschino cherries
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Place the ham in your crockpot. If you need to, you can cut part of the bottom off to make it fit and save that ham to eat later (that’s why I say get a cooked ham!).
- Scour the top of the ham in a grid pattern with a knife, making the cuts around 1/3 of an inch deep into the ham. If there is a lot of fat ( 1 inch thick or more) you can cut deeper.
- Place cloves at the intersection of each square corner ( see video).
- Combine the juice from the pineapple rings, the brown sugar and the 7- up until mixed thoroughly. Pour over the ham.
- Cover the top of the ham with the pineapple rings, attaching each by placing a whole maraschino cherry in the middle of the pineapple ring and then using a toothpick to secure it. ( watch the video to see exactly how this is done.)
- Place tinfoil on top and then the crockpot lid. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, until the ham is heated up completely and the thickest piece has reached a temperature of 145 ° F.
- Remove toothpicks and carve to serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook
Cookies, Candies, Cakes & More: Vintage Baking to Celebrate the Festive Season!
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
Pin This To Your Slow Cooker Recipes Board or Your Holiday Recipes Board!
Eleni K says
Sorry new to this..where do I get your recipe for the slow cooker pineapple ham? Thanks
Gail says
Just keep scrolling down; complete instructions are there👍.
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
This is really gorgeous! Perfect for any occasion!
Abeer says
You can never go wrong with slow cooker!
Anna says
This ham would be a show-stopper at any Easter dinner! So festive!
Jen says
Love that this is made in a slow cooker! Holiday cooking always stresses me out with timing everything for the oven…..problem solved!
Sabrina says
What a fun way to bring a bit of nostalgia to the holiday! Looks delicious!
Dorothy at Shockinglydelish says
This recipe takes me back! Love that you brought it back! I like the tip about sticking it under the broiler for a few minutes to get it a little crispy!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Wow, this brings me way back to childhood. Love it.