Smoked ham fresh off the barbecue is a true delight. When prepared correctly, the smoky, sweet glazed exterior wraps around a juicy, tender interior that melts in your mouth. While hams seem simple, achieving barbecue ham excellence does require some technique and know-how.
In this complete guide, I’ll walk you through every step of bbqing a ham, from choosing the right cut to glazing and serving Follow these tips and tricks for finger-licking good ham hot off the grill!
Picking the Perfect Ham
The first key step is selecting a quality ham well-suited for barbecuing. Here’s what to look for:
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Bone-in – The bone helps keep the meat moist and adds flavor Boneless hams dry out easily
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Fully cooked – Raw hams require much longer cook times Opt for ready-to-eat for easier grilling
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Smoked – Double-smoking infuses even more flavor. Or choose an unsmoked “fresh” ham.
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Whole, half, or butt – Size to suit your crowd. Allow 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person.
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With natural juices – Minimally processed with no added water. Read the label.
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Spiral cut – Pretty presentation but juices leak out. Reserve for oven roasting.
An 8-10 pound bone-in smoked half ham nicely feeds a group. Inspect the ham and trim any dried or Funky areas before cooking.
Perfect Pairings – Rubs and Glazes
A good bbq rub adds a flavor boost beneath the glaze. For hams, stick with sweet spices like brown sugar, honey, maple, mustard, oranges, cloves, and warm baking spices.
Classic glaze combos include:
- Brown sugar, honey, and spicy mustard
- Pure maple syrup with a pinch of cayenne
- Orange marmalade with cloves and cinnamon
- Cherry preserves and brown sugar for tart fruitiness
Feel free to get creative and make your own signature ham glaze!
Setting Up Your Smoker
Ham does best over indirect low heat between 250-325°F. This allows it to gradually reheat without burning or drying out.
On a charcoal grill, bank lit coals to one side. For gas, only light the outer burners, leaving the middle off.
Add wood chunks or chips to generate smoke – lean towards fruit woods like apple, cherry, pecan, or maple. Soak chips 30 minutes before using.
Step-By-Step Smoking Process
Once your smoker is hot and ready, follow these steps:
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Prepare the ham – Rinse, pat dry, trim. Score the fat cap in a diamond pattern. Apply rub, pressing into cuts.
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Place on the grill – Put the ham directly on grates or in a foil pan. For charcoal, place on the opposite side from the coals.
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Insert a meat thermometer – Monitor temperature, don’t rely on time. Shoot for 140°F internal temp.
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Maintain steady heat – Keep smoker between 250-325°F. Add more coals or wood as needed.
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Glaze during the last 30-60 minutes – Brush on glaze periodically to caramelize.
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Rest before serving – Allow the ham to sit 15-20 minutes before carving.
The entire process takes 18-24 minutes per pound, so plan accordingly. A 10 pound ham smokes in 3-4 hours.
Carving and Serving Smoked Ham
Show off yourpiping hot ham by carving it properly:
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Place ham flat side down on a cutting board.
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Cut straight down to remove slices, starting from the thinnest areas.
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Once you hit bone, carve around it and remove remaining meat.
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Arrange slices on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs.
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Serve with classic accompaniments like baked beans, potatoes, biscuits, and corn on the cob.
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Make use of the bone for soups, stews, or stock.
Troubleshooting Tips
Smoking ham seems straightforward but occasionally things go wrong. Here are some common problems and solutions:
Issue: Ham burned or charred on outside before reaching target temp.
Fix: Lower heat, move ham away from direct heat, and tent with foil if needed. Don’t use too much smoke.
Issue: Ham took much longer than expected to fully cook.
Fix: Cook to temperature not time. Be patient. Ham can stall around 130°F.
Issue: Ham is too salty.
Fix: Next time, soak ham 1-2 hours in water beforehand to draw out salt. Rinse and pat dry before smoking.
Issue: Ham turned out dry and tough.
Fix: Opt for a lower temperature around 225-250°F. Inject ham with brine or marinade before smoking. Wrap in foil if drying out.
Mastering the Art of Smoked Ham
Smoking ham at home does require some trial and error to nail down the right techniques for your smoker. But the reward of sweet glazed ham straight off the barbecue is well worth the effort.
So don’t reserve ham just for the holidays! With the tips above, you can now smoke ham year-round and wow your family with your new barbecue skills. Show off your mastery by smoking a ham this weekend. The inviting aroma and succulent slices are sure to impress.
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Top Tips for Your Holiday Hamarrow
I forget about another popular holiday meal—grilled ham—when I’m busy with turkey and roasts. Does anyone else do this? This tends to strike right after I’ve grilled a ham. I often wonder why I don’t make these more often. They’re great, and they’re really easy to make when there are a lot of people at a family gathering.
Ham comes from the rear legs of a pig and has been preserved by curing. Unless you are feeling really adventurous, the ham you purchase will already be cooked.
However, there are several different types of ham to buy: boneless, bone-in butt, bone-in shank, or spiral cut. Cross boneless off the list for obvious reasons. Pass on the spiral cut, too. Why pay someone else to carve the ham and worse, set the stage for overcooking. This leaves bone-in from the butt or shank. While both are good, the butt end is more tender. The butt end it is.
Since the ham is already cooked, the grilling process is essentially a giant reheat. With a bone-in ham, it’s a process about impossible to mess up. Your holiday dinner is guaranteed to be a success.
If you want to show off how great the bone-in butt cut is, this recipe from Jamie Purviance is it. The magic is not just the sweet, tangy glaze, but the spicy herb fresh dip. It’s why I need to grill ham a lot more often.
Pineapple-Glazed Ham with Horseradish Sour Cream
- 1 fully cooked, bone-in smoked ham, preferably from the butt end (8 to 10 pounds), with the tough skin taken off.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup fresh pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 24 Hawaiian (sweet) dinner rolls (optional)
- 01: Let the ham sit out for 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature before grilling it.
- 02 Get the grill ready for cooking indirectly over medium-low heat (about 325°F).
- 03: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Immediately add the remaining glaze ingredients. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- 04 Make deep cuts in the ham all over, but not on the cut side. Make the cuts about ½ inch deep. Put the ham in a large disposable foil pan with the cut side down. Pour the glaze around the ham and into the pan. Wrap the ham tightly in aluminum foil and crimp the edges of the foil around the pan’s edge. Cover the pot and cook the ham over medium-low heat for one and a half hours. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
- 05 In a small nonreactive bowl whisk the sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The sauce can be made up to one day ahead of time and kept covered in the fridge until it’s time to serve.) ) .
- 06 After 1½ hours of cooking, take the ham off the foil (but don’t throw away the foil; save it for later) and quickly pour some of the glaze over the meat. Close the lid and keep cooking the ham for another one to one and a half hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham (but not touching the bone) reads 120ºF. During this time, spoon the glaze over the ham about every twenty minutes. If the glaze gets too dark, loosely cover the ham with the aluminum foil you saved for the rest of the cooking time. Carefully move the ham from the pan to a baking sheet. Tent the ham loosely with foil. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
- 07 Cut the ham into thin slices. If desired, drizzle some of the glaze over the slices. Serve the ham warm with the sauce on the side. You can also put a lot of ham on Hawaiian dinner rolls and spread some sauce on one or both sides of the rolls.
BBQ Glazed Ham
FAQ
How do you barbecue a precooked ham?
How do you keep a ham moist on the grill?
Do you cover a ham when grilling?
How to barbecue a spiral ham?
How do you cook a Ham on a BBQ?
Apply a light coat of The BBQ Rub over the dijon. Place the ham on the smoker and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Heat the brown sugar, honey, and vinegar sauce until warm and drizzle over the ham. Use a basting brush to spread the glaze over the surface if necessary. Continue to smoke the ham for 30 minutes until the glaze sets.
How long do you cook a Ham on a grill?
Cover the grill and let the ham cook for approximately 10 minutes per pound. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat to ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C). Baste and glaze: If using a glaze or marinade, start basting the ham with it when there are about 30 minutes of grilling time remaining.
How do you Baste a ham?
You can baste your ham with jam, preserves, fruit juice, cola, wine or beer. Use 1 cup of orange juice mixed with 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Apply the baste several times during the cooking process, with the last coat going on 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
How long do you smoke a Ham in a smoker?
Place the ham on the smoker and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Heat the brown sugar, honey, and vinegar sauce until warm and drizzle over the ham. Use a basting brush to spread the glaze over the surface if necessary. Continue to smoke the ham for 30 minutes until the glaze sets. Remove the ham from the smoker and serve.