Have I told you about our favorite vendor at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market? Her name is Sarah, and she represents Autumn’s Harvest nearly every week at the market. Apparently she is a lot of people’s favorite, as she often sells out of eggs and chicken and certain sausages early in the weekend. So immediately upon our arrival at the market, we beeline it to the far end of the pavilion to the Autumn’s Harvest stand, crossing our fingers that she still has some eggs left.
We may go to the stand quickly, but our visits are rarely short. We linger at the stand, chatting with Sarah about the weather, the farm, the recipes I made with her sausage or turkey or pork the week before, the ones I plan to make in the coming week. She suggests which sausage would be good in homemade ravioli, and sends us home with two kinds at a discount when we can’t decide. We ask about the turkeys, one of which we have pre-ordered for Thanksgiving, and she invites us out to the farm for a visit sometime.
We don’t just love Autumn’s Harvest because Sarah is so incredibly nice. They are incredibly open as to which animals are heritage breeds and which aren’t. They also have the best sausage, incredible bacon burgers, plump whole chickens and lovely turkey legs.
Last week, they had “mini hams,” just 1 -1 1/2 pounds, trim and lean. Since she was out of ground pork, I scratched a dinner from my original meal plan and replaced it with a mini ham, slow cooked in cider and maple syrup, which I then thickened into a gravy.
By the end of the cooking time, the ham will be so tender it will flake apart as you slice it. The slices may not be perfectly neat, but smaller pieces just give you more surface area for the cider gravy! Speaking of gravy, look for a cider that is made solely of pressed fruit, with no additives or sweetener.
Ingredients
- 1 1-4 pound ham
- 2 cups apple cider, unsweetened
- 3/4 cups maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the ham in a crockpot and cover with the cider and syrup. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Transfer the ham to a plate. I find it easiest to move all the liquid to a large 4-cup measuring cup to more easily add liquid to the gravy a bit at a time.
- Whisk the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of the cider on the stove-top over low heat until smooth. Increase the heat to medium-low. Whisking continuously, add the cider a little bit at a time, until it is all in the gravy. Keep whisking as the gravy bubbles until it is thickened. Serve with the ham.
Make Ahead and Storage
If you have excess gravy, serve it over mashed potatoes, or tightly seal it in a freezer bag and freeze.
Maple Syrup from Vermont sent me product and compensated me for this post, but all opinions within this post are my own. I really do love maple syrup!
I wish I had a vendor like that! I would jump on that ham!!
I need to try that ham. Always disliked ham because of the kind that was available during the ’60s and ’70s, when I was growing up. No farms nearby!
I didn’t think I liked ham either, but this recipe changed things!
This looks so mouth-wateringly delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
The cider gravy sounds so so good! Definitely giving this a try over xmas!
I think we’re going to use it for the Thanksgiving turkey!
Woo, that’s a great idea!
I should not have looked at this right before bed. i now want to eat my computer! yum!
I don’t think your computer would taste as good as this ham
Is this recipe for a precooked ham you buy in the grocery stores? If not, how long do you suggest cooking it for?
No, this ham wasn’t precooked. It cooks in the cider!
I just came across this trying to find ideas for how to cook my mini ham from Autumn’s Harvest! So nice to “see” other people who love them as much as I do! I’m going to have to give this a try when I can get my hands on some cider…
Welcome! We love Autumn’s Harvest, and I’m glad to have another local blogger reading and loving them, too!
This sounds great. Did you use an uncured ham? Also, do you know if this would transfer well to a larger ham cooked in the oven? I have a 12 lb uncured ham and this sounds like a good recipe to try. Thanks!
If I remember correctly, it was uncured. Not sure about the oven — the beauty of this recipe is that it cooks so slowly in the cider and syrup that it gets super tender and flaky. It is worth a shot, though — let me know what you try and if it works for you!
Can you bake thuis in an oven and still get. the dame result? And onbehagen temperature? I live in Holland and do not. have a crockpot. Thnx
I haven’t tried making it in the oven. You could try cooking it at a low temperature for a long time, but I’m not sure if you would get quite the same tender result or not!
Any recommendations on some good sides this with? So excited to try it
I like it with brussels sprouts – maple roasted (http://www.savvyeat.com/maple-roasted-brussels-sprouts/) or pan-roasted with brown butter and pecans (http://blogs.relish.com/my-set-my-brussels-sprouts/ )
You could also try it with some collard greens (http://www.savvyeat.com/collard-greens-with-almonds-and-raisins/) and roasted or mashed potatoes!
Could you do this recipe with chicken breasts instead of the ham? Maybe just cut down on the cooking time?
Possibly – it isn’t something I’ve tried, so I don’t know exactly what the cooking time would be. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
When you put the ham in the crockpot you put the lid on right?
Yes, lid on
If I have a 8.92 lb ham how much should I times this recipe by. I have a 16 quart crockpot.
Hmm, I haven’t tried it with a larger ham. I would keep an eye on the temperature – when the internal temperature is 160F, it should be done!
If I don’t have a mini-ham, would I use a bone-in or boneless ham?
I haven’t tried it with either, but the mini hams that I use are boneless. I’d try a small boneless ham!
Thanks…it looks fabulous!! And I love using my slow cooker. I enjoyed your post!
Thanks so much!
I can’t seem to find unsweetened Apple cider anywhere. Can you use Apple cider vinager?
I suspect that the vinegar would be too acidic and have too strong of a flavor in the final gravy. The cider may not be labeled as “unsweetened.” You just want to make sure that you don’t get something that has a bunch of sugar added, and to use cider instead of juice. In my grocery store, the cider is refrigerated in the produce section, instead of being in the juice aisle. Hope this helps!