Spiral ham is an iconic part of a traditional holiday meal. For past holidays, you’ve probably warmed up the oven and let your spiral ham cook away until it’s ready. But what if we told you that you could smoke a spiral ham and, perhaps, make this classic favorite even more enjoyable to eat?
Smoked spiral ham offers tons of flavor you might not get from your oven, and it’s certain to become a new hit for special occasions. Learn how to smoke a spiral ham that’ll delight your guests.
Why Smoke a Spiral Ham?
You can smoke a pork tenderloin, beef brisket, tomahawk steak, and other cuts of meat, so why not a spiral ham?
Although ham isn’t usually one of the first things we think about when we think about smoking meat, it’s still a good choice for the smoker. In fact, smoking spiral ham can boost its flavor even more than the traditional method of oven cooking can. All spiral ham needs is a delicious glaze with flavor that becomes enhanced during the smoking process. You might be surprised by how much the bold flavors of the smoker increase the yum factor of spiral ham.
Another reason to smoke spiral ham: It’s not any more complicated than cooking it in the oven. You’ll need to glaze it occasionally to keep it from drying out, just as you would if you oven-cooked your ham. Other than that, the ham does its thing in the smoker until it’s ready for you to enjoy.
Tips for Smoking a Spiral Ham
Before you follow our instructions below to smoke your ham, consider a few helpful tips:
- Score the ham: Score the ham before seasoning and smoking it. Scoring is the process of making cross-hatch marks along the outer edges of the ham with a knife, which helps the seasoning, basting liquid, and smoke penetrate the meat better.
- Maintain a consistent smoking temperature: Keep an eye on your smoker’s temperature throughout the cooking process by keeping an oven-safe thermometer inside. If you notice any temperature loss, you may need to add more wood or charcoal. Placing a water pan in the smoker before cooking can help the temperature remain more consistent.
- Baste the ham a few times: Baste the ham every 20-30 minutes with water, chicken stock, apple cider vinegar, or pineapple juice to moisten it while smoking.
- Consider broiling the ham for a few minutes: After the ham is done in the smoker, you’ll make your glaze and glaze the ham. Some glazes can be on the runny side, especially once you apply them to a hot-off-the-smoker ham. If that’s the case, broil the ham for 2-3 minutes to thicken the glaze.
How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Spiral Ham?
Generally, a spiral ham takes about 20-30 minutes per pound to smoke, for a total time of around 2-3 hours for an average-sized ham. Remember that spiral ham already comes cooked, so you’re only focusing on warming it up with the smoker. Still, you want to give the ham time to heat thoroughly and absorb as much flavor from the smoker as possible. Once your ham’s internal temperature reaches 145°F, it’s ready to remove from the smoker.
Glaze Variations
As you probably know, there’s no shortage of glaze ideas for spiral ham. That’s because a good spiral ham really needs a glaze to reach its full potential. That’s especially true for a smoked spiral ham, as the smoke from your smoker is going to highlight all the flavors in your glaze beautifully.
The following are a few of the best spiral ham glazes to use.
Maple Bourbon Glaze
Maple bourbon glaze offers an excellent mix of sweet and bold. Don’t worry if you’re feeding youngsters—the bourbon cooks out over time.
To make this glaze, combine the following ingredients in a small saucepan:
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Bring the mixture to a soft boil over medium-high heat. Stir it frequently. After about 5 minutes, the mixture should get thicker. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the glaze to rest for 5 minutes before glazing the ham. It should become even thicker during this time.
Honey Glaze
A honey glaze is ideal if you want a sweet glaze. To balance it a bit, add some citrus to the glaze to give it tangy and bright undertones. Here’s a recipe to try:
- ½ cup raw honey
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup pineapple or orange juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it rest for another 5 minutes before glazing the ham.
Brown Sugar Glaze
Most ham glazes incorporate brown sugar for sweetness, but with this glaze, brown sugar is the star. Here’s how to make it:
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all ingredients to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Then, rest for 5 minutes away from the heat before glazing.
Spicy Mustard Glaze
Spicy mustard ham glaze gives more of a kick than some of the sweeter glazes. Bring the following ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan for 5-6 minutes, then remove from the heat to let the mixture thicken for another 5-6 minutes before glazing.
- 3 tablespoons of spicy brown mustard
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
BBQ Glaze
BBQ glaze is an ideal option for a cookout-worthy ham if you’re planning to serve guests for a Memorial Day or Labor Day party, for example. It’s a little sweet and a little savory to please most palates.
- 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup of dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
When combined, this mixture should already have a perfect glaze consistency, so there’s no need to heat it to thicken it.
Steps to Smoking Spiral Ham
Follow along with these steps to learn how to smoke spiral ham.
Step 1: Prep the Ham and Smoker
Choose the wood chips or pellets you’d like to use—apple, maple, and hickory are popular options for ham—and soak them in water before putting them in the smoker. Also, place a water pan in the smoker. Then, preheat the smoker to 250°F.
Score the ham along its entire surface. Then, pat the ham dry before applying your choice of seasonings along all sides, using your fingers to work the seasoning into the ham.
Step 2: Smoke the Ham
Place the ham in a roasting pan with the fat side facing up, and transfer the pan into the prepared smoker. Every 20-30 minutes, use a basting tool to baste the surface of the ham with water, apple cider vinegar, pineapple juice, or chicken broth. Smoke the ham for 20-30 minutes per pound or until it reaches 145°F, which will likely take 2-3 hours.
Step 3: Make the Glaze
While the ham smokes, prepare your glaze. Use one of the recipes above and follow the instructions to thicken the glaze on the stove.
After removing the ham from the smoker, glaze its entire surface using a pastry brush. If you want to thicken the glaze, place the ham directly under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, during which time the glaze will become bubbly, gum up, and thicken.
Step 4: Slice and Serve the Ham
You can slice and serve the ham immediately after removing it from the heat or wait five minutes or so for it to cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy!
Conclusion: How to Smoke Spiral Ham
We encourage you to swap out the traditional oven-cooking method of making ham with smoking it the next time you make one—it’s 100% worth the experiment. Speaking of experimenting, be sure to test out different glazes each time you smoke spiral ham. With the variety of options available, you can essentially have an entirely different flavor with each ham you cook.