Double smoked pineapple glazed ham

You’ll be shocked at the pineapple I use to make this easy pineapple glaze for my smoked holiday hams. It’s ready in less than 5 minutes.

What is pineapple glaze

A glaze is a thick liquid often added to meats to add color, shine and flavor. Glazes are popular on ham, salmon and chicken.

There are savory glazes like demi glace. These are made by reducing meat stock or broth sometimes with a mirepoix of vegetables like carrots, onions and celery.

There are also sweet glazes that are made with either white sugar or brown sugar and a liquid like water, broth or stock.

When making sweet glazes for smoked ham, I usually take a shortcut and use jellies and jams as my sweetening element. They dissolve quickly and come in great fruit flavors that marry well with ham.

For my pineapple ham glaze, I used to use pineapple jelly or apricot-pineapple jelly, but that isn’t as easy to find as it used to be. So now I use pineapple topping.

What is pineapple topping

You can find pineapple topping in the ice cream section. It’s usually located on an end cap with the ice cream cones, hot fudge and caramel.

Pineapple topping is intended to be poured on top of your ice cream to make sundaes, but it’s really great on ham.

The ingredients are very similar to jelly. They include pineapple, corn syrup and citric acid for preservation. It is a bit more runny than jelly, but it works great.

Because it’s pretty sweet, I balance out my pineapple glaze with some red pepper jelly, Dijon mustard and soy sauce. Those extra ingredients add salt, umami and a bit of acidity.

You can make this pineapple glaze in less than 5 minutes, and it’s so delicious.

PRO TIP: If you try to avoid corn syrup, I recommend using a pineapple jam made with sugars or natural juices like Trader Joe's Pineapple Fruit Spread or  St. Dalfour Pineapple and Mango Fruit Spread.  

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Ingredients

• Spiral Cut Ham: When smoking ham, always look for a spiral sliced, fully cooked bone-in ham. I like the hams that are pre-smoked with hickory or apple woods.
• Dijon Mustard: This will help form a beautiful crust on the outside of the ham.
• BBQ Rub: You can use any type or barbecue rub or even just salt and pepper. For ham, I like rubs that are a bit on the sweeter side.
• Pineapple Juice: Look for the small 6-ounce cans in the juice aisle.
• Water

Pineapple glaze ingredients

• Pineapple Topping: You can find this in the ice cream section near the ice cream cones. It comes in a 12-ounce jar.
• Red Pepper Jelly: This is located in the jelly or deli section. If you like more heat, look for jalapeno jelly.
• Dijon Mustard: The mustard provides a little acid and helps cut the sweetness of the fruit.
• Soy Sauce: This balances the sweetness and adds salt and umami.

Substitutions: Instead of Dijon, you can also use yellow mustard. 

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

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How to double smoke ham

We’re starting with a ham that is already smoked, so the cooking process is simple. You just want to heat it up slowly, adding moisture and pineapple flavor along the way.

Start by setting up your grill to 250F degrees with an indirect heat zone. If you have a kettle-style charcoal grill, push the coals to one side. If you have a kamado-style charcoal grill, insert the diffuser plate.

For a pellet grill, set the temperature to 250F degrees. Apple wood pellets go great with ham.

For a gas grill, turn the two outer burners to low and adjust the temp until it reaches 250F degrees. To add smoke to a gas grill, you can place apple wood chips in a foil pouch.

1. STEP ONE: Place the ham in an aluminum half pan. Rub the ham with Dijon mustard and your favorite sweet BBQ rub.

PRO TIP: For added stability, use two aluminum pans or place the aluminum pan on a quarter sheet tray. 

2. STEP TWO: Pour the pineapple juice and water in the pan along the side of the ham.

3. STEP THREE: Place the ham on the pre-heated grill over indirect heat. Smoke for 3 hours.

4. STEP FOUR: During the cook, baste the ham with the liquid in the pan every 30 minutes. I like using basting mop. Simply dunk the mop in the juices and then dab it on top of the ham.

5. STEP FIVE: For the pineapple glaze, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and heat it on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir until it’s smooth and liquified. You can also heat it in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl.

6. STEP SIX: After the ham has cooked for 3 hours, dunk your basting mop in the glaze and dab the glaze onto the ham. Repeat every 5-10 minutes for 30 minutes.

PRO TIP: If the pan has accumulated too much liquid, you can use a turkey baster to remove some. While glazing the ham with the pineapple, you can also continue to baste with the juices for added moisture. 

7. STEP SEVEN: After the ham has cooked for 3 1/2 hours, remove it from the grill. Cover the ham with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

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How to serve pineapple glazed ham

Remove the ham from the pan and place it on a serving platter. Pour the rest of the glaze right on top so you get all the chunks of crushed pineapple.

Slice down the side of the ham and separate the ham slices on the platter. Baste with some of the pan drippings to add moisture.

PRO TIP: If you're serving this double-smoked ham for Easter or Christmas and you want to make the platter extra special, grill some pineapple slices and add the pineapple rings to the platter with some maraschino cherries. 

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Storage

Leftover pineapple glazed ham can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. It can also be frozen for up to six 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 sandwiches, omelets and fried rice.

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• Sweet + Sticky Hawaiian Ham Sliders
• How to Bake Quiche on the Grill
• Honey Mustard Ham and Biscuit Strata

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