If you love ham, our smoked ham recipe, with its flavorful glaze, is guaranteed to rock your world!
The smoking process adds a smoke flavor you won’t find in a pre-smoked ham. And the brown sugar glaze coats the ham and seeps down into the meat, adding another layer of deliciousness
Our easy-to-make smoked ham is perfect for the holidays, but you don’t have to wait for a special occasion. It’s a delicious treat for a Sunday supper, game day, or family get-together.
If possible, get a pre-smoked ham for the recipe, which will make a twice-smoked ham (double-smoked ham) using our recipe. It will be ridiculously delicious!
Both varieties are pre-cooked hams that are ready to eat. There is no such thing as a raw ham. However, a raw pork roast can also be referred to as a fresh ham or green ham.
Smoked ham with our brown sugar glaze has an incredible flavor and will be the centerpiece of your dinner table.
If you love ham, make sure to try our slow-cooker spiral ham recipe.
Table of Contents:
Ingredients to make a Smoked Ham
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our easy smoked ham recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I change up the brown sugar glaze?
Absolutely. Making changes to the glaze to suit your flavor or dietary preferences is easy to do.
You can use maple syrup instead of honey and molasses instead of brown sugar. The glaze can also be enhanced with black pepper, dry mustard, apple cider, and Worcestershire sauce.
You can also add bourbon or dark rum to the homemade glaze. The alcohol will burn off while on the stove, but you’ll still get the flavor of the bourbon or run.
For extra flavor, apply a dry rub seasoning to the ham before smoking. Letting it sit overnight
For a stickier glaze, reduce it longer until it thickens nicely. I love how it makes the finished ham look.
How to make a Smoked Ham
- Remove the boneless ham from the wrapper 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Use paper towels to pat dry and remove any excess moisture from the ham.
- Score the ham with a sharp knife, making small slices over the top of the whole ham. This will allow the smoke to penetrate the meat and let the glaze flavor more of the ham. Add pineapple slices to the top of the scored ham and place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham.
- Add your favorite woodchips to the smoke tube. For this recipe, we used apple wood chips.
- Place the ham in the preheated 250-degree smoker directly on the rack with an aluminum pan underneath. Let the ham cook for about an hour and a half or until it reaches an internal temperature of 100 degrees.
*We used an electric smoker to make the recipe, but you can also use a pellet grill, charcoal grill with indirect heat, or a pellet smoker to get the delicious smoky flavor that everyone loves.
- Add the pineapple juice, brown sugar, and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to combine the ingredients and for the brown sugar to dissolve.
- Add the kosher salt, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger to the glaze, stirring to combine.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- When the sauce has reduced by half, remove it from the heat and set it aside until needed.
*If the sauce is too thick, add a little more pineapple juice or apple juice to the mixture. If it’s too thin, let it reduce longer.
- When the internal temperature has reached 100 degrees, remove the ham from the smoker. Remove the pineapple slices and brush the top of the ham with the homemade glaze.
*Reserve the extra glaze to serve with the ham. - Place the pineapple slices back on top and return it to the smoker. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.
*Cooking time can vary depending on the size of your ham.
Remove the ham from the smoker, tent it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Wouldn’t your friends and family love to sit down to this delicious smoked ham? The best part is that the prep work is minimal, freeing you up to spend time with your guests and enjoy the day instead of spending hours in the kitchen.
Serve it with roasted potatoes, potatoes au gratin, sweet potatoes, or your choice of grain, along with roasted asparagus, brussels sprouts, or your favorite vegetable.
Leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container or well-sealed with plastic wrap for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.
You can also use the leftover ham to make our deviled ham salad or split pea with ham soup.
Recipe FAQ’s
Any pork roast you buy at your local grocery store labeled as “ham” is cured with a nitrate-curing solution. This gives it the characteristic pink color and makes it moist and flavorful. This is a cured ham. Not all hams are pre-smoked.
The label must state that it was smoked. Typically, hickory or apple wood is used for the process. Hickory wood has a stronger flavor than apple wood.
Absolutely. If you plan on serving it warm, it’s always going to be best right after it’s finished smoking, as the flavor of a freshly smoked ham is amazing. But if you’re planning on serving it cold for sandwiches, cooking a day ahead of time is not a problem.
When looking for a ham at your local grocery store, you want a pre-cooked ham that has already been smoked and cured.
You can choose from a boneless ham, which is easy to slice, or a bone-in ham. You can also smoke a spiral ham, which is presliced, which will give it a smokier flavor since it’s presliced.
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