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Smoking a pre-cooked ham
When preparing a grilled ham, I almost always use pre-cooked spiral-sliced hams, because they’re so much easier. You don’t have to worry about making sure the ham cooks all the way through, and you don’t have to struggle to cut pretty, uniform slices.
The only thing you have to do is add flavor and keep it moist. To do that, I heat the ham over indirect heat in a pan of liquid and a kiss of smoke using my favorite Cowboy Charcoal products.
Ingredients
- Spiral Sliced Cooked Ham: This recipe is for pre-cooked ham, not raw ham. Look for ones that are pre-sliced to make serving easy.
- Dijon Mustard: You can also use yellow mustard, but Dijon is a little smoother and creamier.
- BBQ Rub: Choose your favorite rub for pork. I recommend my award-winning Pork Rub.
- Fruit Beer, Soda or Juice: Grapefruit beer is a fun choice. When I’m not using beer, I like to use a subtle soda like Squirt or Sprite. If you use juice, apple juice is a good choice.
- Orange Marmalade: To me, the marmalade makes this grilled ham the star. It’s tangy and sweet, and goes so well with the salty, smoky ham.
- Soy Sauce: This adds a touch of umami to the glaze.
- Hot Sauce: I like a little heat to contrast with the sweet. If you don’t you can leave this out.
Set your grill up to cook ham
There are several types of grills out there, and the good news is that you can make this recipe on any of them. The key is to grill the ham slowly over indirect heat at 250F for 3 hours. Then, finish it with a glaze for 30 extra minutes. Follow the steps below according to the type of grill you have.
Cooking Ham on a Gas Grill
If you have a 3-burner gas grill, turn the outer burners on and leave the middle burner off. Adjust the dials, until the grill temperature is 250F degrees. That will probably be somewhere between medium and low. Add Cowboy Apple Wood Chips in a smoke box on the grill over the direct heat (where the burner is on). The heat of the grill should ignite them. Place the ham on the grill in the pan over the indirect heat.
If you have a 2-burner gas grill, turn one burner on and leave the other burner off. Rotate the ham during the cook, to ensure it cooks evenly on both sides.
How to Smoke a Ham on a Pellet Grill
Pellet grills are perfect for cooking pre-cooked hams on the grill, because they can maintain a steady temperature with little fuss, and they are setup with a diffuser plate, so the cook is automatically over indirect heat. Load your hopper with Cowboy Apple Wood Pellets and simply set the grill to 250F degrees. Add the ham to the grill in the pan and follow the rest of the instructions.
How to Cook A Ham on a Charcoal Grill
If you have a kettle-style charcoal grill, heat your Cowboy Apple Hardwood Briquets in a chimney starter for 10-15 minutes. Dump the coals into the grill and push to one side. Place the ham in the pan on the grill over the indirect heat (the side without coals). Adjust the vents to maintain a temperature of 250F degrees.
If you have a ceramic cooker or drum smoker: Fill the bottom basket with Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal. Light it and let the coals heat for 10-15 minutes. Place the plate setter or diffuser over the coals and add the grill grate. Place the ham on the grate in the pan. Adjust the vents to maintain a temperature of 250F degrees.
I’m a proud Cowboy Charcoal ambassador.
How to grill a pre-cooked ham
- STEP ONE: Mustard and ham go great together. So start by placing the ham in an aluminum half pan and rubbing it down with mustard and your favorite BBQ rub. My Spiceology Pork Rub is a great dry rub for ham. It contains a blend of garlic, honey and molasses to amplify the ham’s natural sweetness.
The amount of mustard and rub you need will depend on the size of your ham. A 10-pound ham uses about 1/4 cup mustard and 2 tablespoons of rub.
- STEP TWO: For moisture, pour a can of beer into the pan around the ham, being careful not to pour off the rub you just applied. Fruit beers or ciders go fantastic with ham, but you can also use soda, juice or water, if you prefer.
- STEP THREE: Place your seasoned ham on your prepared, pre-heated grill and smoke for 3 hours.
- STEP FOUR: Throughout the cook, you’ll want to baste the ham with the pan juices. This is going to help guarantee each slice will be super juicy.
- STEP FIVE: After about three hours of heating the ham slow and low with a kiss of smoke, you’re going to add the sexy glaze. It’s a simple mix of orange marmalade, more mustard and soy sauce. The soy sauce cuts the sweetness by adding umami. I like to add a few dashes of hot sauce, too, but that’s totally optional.
Pour on the glaze and let the grilled ham cook for 30 more minutes. And voilà, the star of your dinner is ready.
How to serve grilled ham
Once the ham is warmed through and the glaze is nice and tacky. Carefully, remove it from the grill. The pan will be full of juices, so I like to set it on a baking sheet for added stability.
Remove the ham from the pan and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Then, slice the ham, cutting from the top down, working your way around the bone. Continue slicing it until you removed as much meat from the bone as possible. Save the ham bone for making a pot of greens or bean soup.
Storage
Cooked ham can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for up to six months, but it will taste its best if you eat it within 1-2 months.
You can enjoy leftover ham cold or reheat it in the microwave or in a skillet. Leftover diced ham can also be worked into many dishes, such as omelets and pasta salads.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- If you love to BBQ, buy aluminum half pans in bulk. They’re great for smoked pork butt and smoked brisket, too.
- When cooking with aluminum half pans, use two with heavier meats for greater stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several types of grills out there, and the good news is that you can make this recipe on any of them. The key is to grill the ham slowly over indirect heat at 250F for 3 hours. Then, finish it with a glaze for 30 extra minutes.
To reheat a pre-cooked ham on the grill, season it and cook it over indirect heat in a pan with liquid for about 3 hours. Then, finish it with a glaze for added flavor. You can also reheat the ham in the oven, using the same method.
Country hams go through a curing process where they are preserved with salts and can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. City hams have not. Therefore, they must be refrigerated. Country ham is much saltier than city ham.
More Easter Recipes
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Grilled Ham with Orange Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- 10 lb spiral sliced cooked ham
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
- 12 oz fruit beer, soda or juice
- Cowboy wood chips, pellets or charcoal
Glaze
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Heat Grill: Heat your pellet, gas or charcoal grill to 250F degrees with an indirect heat zone. If using a gas grill, add Cowboy wood chips to a smoke box to add smoke flavor. (Scroll up to see details on how to cook ham on different types of grills.)
- Season: Place the ham in an aluminum half pan. Slather it with mustard. Coat with rub. Pour the beer, soda or juice into the pan around the ham.
- Grill: Place the ham on the grill over indirect heat and smoke for 3 hours. Baste with pan drippings every 30-60 minutes.
- Glaze: In a medium bowl, stir together the glaze ingredients. Pour the glaze onto the ham and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
- Serve: Remove the ham from the grill. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
GLAZED CARROTS
During the last 30 minutes, add grill some glazed carrots. Start by peeling the carrots and cutting them in half lengthwise. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the grill over direct heat, and grill for 30 minutes. Drizzle on some hot honey. Give them a toss and remove them from the grill. Serve with the grilled ham.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you can tell me how to “occasionally add…wood chips” to a Big Green Egg without first removing the ham, the drip pan, the grill grate and the plate setter, PLEASE do so.
I usually drop them through the slim opening between the plate setter and the wall of the grill. Sometimes I use long tongs.
Could you please tell me what I could substitute the Backdraft Rub with? I just ordered it off Amazon, but it will not be here in time for Thanksgiving. I will try it for Christmas.
Thank you :)
Backdraft rub is a nice and smokey rub. You can honestly use any BBQ rub in its place, including my PK Pork Rub: https://amzn.to/30WmwmJ. Or you can combine some salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and chile powder with a little brown sugar.
Decided to try this for our family Easter gathering of 10 people, on a kettle grill. Everybody loved it, and there were at least two comments that it was “the best ham I’ve ever tasted”! This ham will definitely be on the menu again. It’s really good, and so easy!