Grilled ham is a delicious and easy way to feed a crowd but knowing how long to cook it can be tricky. Undercook it and the center will be raw. Overcook it and you’ll end up with a dried-out holiday disaster. Follow these tips to grill a juicy, tender ham every time.
Choosing the Right Ham
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Opt for a bone-in, fully-cooked smoked ham, preferably from the butt end. It will have the best flavor and tenderness
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Spiral sliced hams may seem easier, but the pre-cuts make it harder to get even cooking. The boneless hams don’t have as much flavor.
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For even cooking, choose a ham between 8-10 lbs. Smaller hams cook faster, larger hams take more time.
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Let the ham sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling so it cooks evenly.
Setting Up Your Grill
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Use indirect heat around 325°F to gently reheat the ham without burning or drying it out.
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For gas grills, turn all burners to medium-high. Once preheated, turn off the center burner and lower the outer burners to medium.
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For charcoal, bank lit coals to one side of the grill and place a drip pan on the empty side.
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Place the ham in a foil pan with a few inches of space all around so the air circulates.
Calculating Cook Time
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Cook time depends on the size of your ham. Plan for 15-20 minutes per pound.
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For an 8-10 lb ham, the minimum cook time is 2-3 hours.
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Halve the cook time for smaller 5 lb hams. Double it for 15 lb monsters.
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Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness, not cook time alone.
Monitoring Temperature
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Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of ham without touching bone.
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Target an internal temp of 120°F after the first half of estimated cook time.
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Continue cooking until the thermometer reads 140°F for juicy ham or 160°F for well-done.
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If browning too fast, tent loosely with foil to slow cooking.
Letting It Rest
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Always let the ham rest 15-30 minutes before slicing into it.
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This allows the juices to redistribute so they don’t spill out when you carve.
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Lightly tent foil over the top as it rests to keep it warm.
Serving Up Perfection
Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a juicy, fully cooked ham off the grill in 2-3 hours. Let the delicious aroma build your anticipation as you wait out the cook time. It’s worth it for the incredible flavor that only comes from cooking over an open flame. Your guests will be asking for your grilled ham recipe for their next holiday meal!
Key Tips for Grilled Ham Success:
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Choose a 8-10 lb bone-in, smoked butt ham
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Set up grill for indirect heat around 325°F
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Cook 15-20 minutes per pound, until 140°F internally
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Let rest 30 minutes under foil before slicing
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Enjoy your juicy, tender grilled ham!
Frequently Asked Questions About Grilling Ham
Grilling a ham seems easy enough, but there are some common questions that come up. Here are answers to the most frequent grilled ham FAQs:
How long does it take to grill a 5 lb ham?
For a smaller 5 lb bone-in ham, plan on about 1 1/2 – 2 hours of grilling time over indirect medium-low heat. Halve the estimated time per pound.
How long do you grill ham slices?
For ham steak slices, 4-5 minutes per side over direct medium heat is sufficient to warm them through with grill marks. Avoid overcooking.
Should you grill ham at high heat?
No, high direct heat will burn and dry out the ham. Maintain a grill temp around 325°F using indirect heat to gently reheat fully cooked hams.
Do you put water in the pan under the ham?
Adding water isn’t necessary. Putting the ham in a foil pan over indirect heat allows the rendered fat to keep it moist.
Can you grill a spiral cut ham?
It’s not recommended. The pre-cut slices make it hard to maintain even heat and moisture distribution. Stick to traditional bone-in hams.
How do I keep ham from drying out on the grill?
Cook over indirect medium-low heat, glaze frequently, and use an instant read thermometer instead of overcooking. Resting it afterwards also keeps it juicy.
What’s the best wood for smoking ham?
For the richest flavor, use hickory, oak, pecan, apple, cherry, maple, or mesquite wood chips or chunks. Soak them first for the best smoke.
Is it safe to eat pink ham?
Yes, ham is fully cooked so even if it retains some pink color, it’s safe to eat. Just be sure to reheat to 140°F internally.
Incredible Grilled Ham Recipes to Try
Plain grilled ham is delicious, but glazes and sauces take it to the next level. Here are some must-try recipes:
Sweet and Savory Glazed Hams
- Brown sugar ham with pineapple rings
- Maple syrup and brown sugar ham
- Apple cider and mustard glazed ham
- Bourbon molasses and bacon glaze
- Cola and chili pepper glazed ham
Dynamic Ham Pairings
- Ham with horseradish cream sauce
- Ham with cranberry-ginger chutney
- Ham with garlic parsley butter
- Ham with caramelized onions and smoky barbecue sauce
Get creative with your own signature glazes and toppings! Grilled ham accepts them all.
Grilling Ham for the Holidays or Any Occasion
Serving grilled ham is a great option for holiday meals, summer BBQs, or anytime you need to feed a crowd delicious meat.
With the simple tricks above like indirect heat, glazing, and resting, you’ll be a grilled ham pro in no time. Your guests will be begging you to make it again and again.
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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.