Slow Cooker Christmas Dinner

[Musidora]

I’ve just used my new slow cooker for the first time (have a very autumnal chilli bubbling away which is very satisfying). It got me thinking - are there particular elements of Christmas dinner that work well in a slow cooker?

I only have a single oven so anything that will free up oven/hob space will be very welcome. Please share the Christmas dinner dishes that you do in the slow cooker!

I do gammon in mine with honey and mustard on Christmas Eve, then red cabbage on Christmas Day.

My mums been known to use hers to keep the gravy warm, and a friend uses it to steam a Christmas pud.

We do a slow cooked brisket for Christmas. Have done for the last 8 years.

DH did chicken in it one year. Tasty, but no crispy skin.

I also do my gammon in it.

If I make a Christmas pudding this year I’ll do that in my slow cooker a couple of weeks before and then reheat in microwave.

I'm liking the slow cooked gammon idea @Marmite27 and @DrunkenKoala

I normally boil my gammon for an hour or so in ginger ale then remove the skin and slather in simmered marmalade. I'd much prefer to put it in a slow cooker and forget about it.

Any hints or tips would be gratefully received.

Sorry, forgot to mention that I bake it after slathering . 🙄

We also do our gammon in it for Boxing Day.
Bung it into the slow cooker with a couple of inches of water and cook on low for a few hours. You can then slather with whatever you like and pop it into the oven but we don’t bother with that step.

Mulled wine

I precook stuff in the morning and keep it wrapped in foil on the warm setting ready for christmas day lunch/dinner things like gaint pigs In blanket and stuffing balls.

Thanks @StevieNix

Do you have a recipe @Musidora ?

I do my Christmas pudding in it - both the initial cook when I make it and then on the day to reheat. It works really well because you can just leave it bubbling away until you're ready for it.

I've also done red cabbage in it too (not at the same time )

This is so helpful, thanks everyone. At this rate it'll be making red cabbage on Christmas Eve, keeping stuffing balls warm through Christmas morning, doing the Christmas pudding in the afternoon, mulling some wine for the evening, and cooking the gammon on Boxing Day!!

I've seen some recipes for winter ciders and punches too which I might try.

Has anyone done a gravy?

Slow cooked brisket goes in mine at christmas.

Gammon also in ours, in coke! Unreal!!

We do a very, very nice slow cooked half leg of lamb dinner for Boxing Day. Did I say it was very nice? 🤤

We also do gammon....either in ginger beer of coca-cola and it's divine.

I make my red cabbage in the slow cooker with a splash of vinegar, some mixed spice and a grated apple earlier in December and then I freeze it and just reheat in the microwave on Christmas Day.

I've heard you can mull wine or cider in the slow cooker but have never tried so may have to give it a go this year.

I love my slow cooker but it doesn't have a place in Christmas dinner apart from warming food

@DroopyClematis

Last year my gammon was from M&S food to order. You got the gammon and a sachet of sauce to put on it at the end. I cooked the gammon in apple juice with a couple of cinnamon sticks for 8hrs and then transferred to a roasting tray, smeared the contents of sachet over top of gammon and roasted it in oven for 15mins. The gammon fell apart when I was carving it - it was lovely.

I have 3 slow cookers, at Christmas my turkey is done over Xmas Eve night in the biggest one on low, my gammon is done in the middle one and all my veg is done in my two electric steamers
Free's up my single oven for roast potatoes, stuffing etc

That sounds divine @DrunkenKoala
Thank you so much!
Could you tell me what setting your gammon was on, and for how long, please ?

Sorry @DrunkenKoala , you did say 8 hours. Oops!

@DroopyClematis

8hrs on low and I think the joint was 1.3kg.

@CraftyGin

Mulled wine

Best suggestion 😀

Thank you so much!