Oh, *that* ham? YES, please, and thank you!

I purchased this book a few weeks back and have been absolutely devouring it. Although I would not consider our family of 6 a “large” family, the ideas and methods mentioned within can be utilized no matter the size of your household.
I knew nothing of the author, aside from reading the reviews of her book in a few homeschool catalogs I receive. I also did not know that she had a blog! Score!!! She has included lots of recipes, and she follows almost the exact guidelines that I have for my own menu planning. She cooks a lot out of her slow cooker. I think I love her.
In reading this recipe post, The Ham that Jumped into my Shopping Cart, I was instantly motivated to remove the large 9.4 pound ham that had been idling away in my big freezer. And I put this recipe out for you guys (all three of you) just in time for Easter ham season. But, I have to warn you, this ham did not make me think of bouncing bunnies and prismatic eggs. Nope. It reminded me of Christmas. Good thing I LIKE Christmas. And, yes, as the author states, “Your stomach will growl all day”. This is factual.
I am copying her recipe exactly, with the exception of one typo (which she later corrects in her comments), the orange zest that I substituted for the orange powder she has listed, and my own personal addition of honey because I just L-O-V-E a good honey ham. Feel free to omit the honey if you aren’t feeling as sweet and sassy as myself. I also stuffed the little spent orange carcasses in with the ham for good measure, which you can do, or not do. What-evs.

The Crock-Pot Ham from Kim Brenneman

1 (7.5) pound bone-in ham
6 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground ginger
4 small or 2 regular sized oranges, zested and juiced
1/3 cup honey

1. Place the ham in the slow cooker.
2. Pour in the apple cider.
3. Add the spices and stir into the apple cider a bit.
4. Put the lid on and turn the slow cooker to low.
5. Cook for 8-10 hours.

(see the disintegrated remains of those oranges? now *that's* good flavor)

(ham for DAYS!)

I took a couple of cups of the cooking liquid leftover and reduced it in a saucepan for half an hour. Then I cooked up some egg noodles, scooped up some of the meat, and drizzled the sauce reduction over all to make a quick pasta dish. Served with sliced cucumbers that were sprinkled with sugar, red wine vinegar, and a hint of dried thyme.


*cooks notes:
My ham was a hefty 9.4 monstrosity and didn’t entirely fit into my slow cooker. So, I had to lop off a side and wedge him in there. It worked, but left a bit of him uncovered, so I basted the tippy-top a few times during the cooking period. I also had to ladle out a bit of the liquid half-way through cooking as it was threatening to spill over.
Also, if you prefer your ham “sliced and sturdy”, lessen the cooking time. I cooked mine exactly 8 hours and the meat fell off the bone and pretty much shredded on contact…this was FINE with me, but you may not want yours to shred as such.