Sweet and sticky Hawaiian ham sliders with honey BBQ sauce will give you the taste of the Islands from your own backyard.
4.50 from 2 votes
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By Christie Vanover | Published June 22, 2021 | Last Updated March 15, 2023

Home | Recipes | Sweet + Sticky Hawaiian Ham Sliders

Disclosure Aspire by Hestan compensated me for this recipe.

Hawaiian Ham Sliders
TABLE OF CONTENTS
  1. Ingredients
  2. How to prepare the ham for the sliders
  3. Can I make Hawaiian ham sliders in advance?
  4. More sliders recipes

Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are so simple. You just need a fresh pineapple, one red onion, a pre-smoked spiral sliced ham, pork rub, BBQ sauce and some sweet Hawaiian rolls. 

platter of sliced pineapple, red onion and ham for Hawaiian ham sliders
  • Spiral Sliced Smoked Ham: You’ve probably cooked a pre-sliced ham for Christmas or Easter. They’re great, because they’re already smoked, but did you know they come in small sizes, too. You can grab one that is only 2-3 pounds, which is great for creating a weeknight dinner or weekend lunch.
  • Pineapple: For the pineapple, I recommend going with a fresh one, because you can slice it nice and thin, so they mirror the thickness of the ham slices. You can use canned pineapple slices, too, but they’ll be thicker. 
  • Red Onion: Slice it nice and thin. They’ll get caramelized and mix well with the ham and pineapple.
  • BBQ Rub: Season the ham with your favorite barbecue rub. My award-winning Pork Rub is a great option.
  • Honey BBQ Sauce: Any barbecue sauce will do, but the honey BBQ sauce is great, because the sweetness goes well with the pineapple.
  • Hawaiian Sweet Rolls: While you can pile the cooked ingredients on any bread (or eat them stacked without the added carbs), I highly recommend layering them on the Hawaiian sweet rolls. 

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

bottles of BBQ rubs on black background

How to prepare the ham for the sliders

I’m preparing these Hawaiian ham sliders using the rotisserie setup on my Aspire by Hestan gas grill. That way, the ham juices will drip onto the pineapples and onions making them even more flavorful.

If you don’t have the rotisserie setup, you can also grill the ham in the pan right on top of the pineapples and onions over indirect heat.

  1. STEP ONE: Season everything with my Spiceology Pork Rub and then thread the meat right onto the rotisserie spit and set the burner to medium heat. Place the pineapple slices and sliced onions in a pan under the ham.  
spiral ham on rotisserie over pan of pineapple and onion
  1. STEP TWO: Grill for around 45 minutes. During this period, the ham will warm through and absorb all of the wonderful spices while the pineapples and onions begin to caramelize.
spiral ham on rotisserie over pan of pineapple and onion
  1. STEP THREE: After 45 minutes, drizzle about a half cup of your favorite honey barbecue sauce right in the pan and brush another 1/4-1/2 cup of sauce on the ham. If you keep the rotisserie in motion, you can easily brush the meat on all sides. 
rotisserie ham on citra Aspire grill
  1. STEP FOUR: Cook everything for a final 15 minutes to allow the sauce to drip through the slices, adding more finger-licking flavor.
spiral ham on rotisserie over pan of pineapple and onion

Just look at how yummy everything looks. 

Like I said above, you can just eat this with a knife and fork, or you can layer it on some sweet Hawaiian rolls to make sliders. 

Can I make Hawaiian ham sliders in advance?

You sure can. You can follow all of the instructions and then package everything up in separate containers. When it’s time to make your lunch or feed a hungry crowd, layer everything up. You can enjoy these sliders hot or cold. 

GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips

  • Cook the ham over the pineapple and onions so the drippings add more flavor
  • Add sauce to the pineapple, onions and ham toward the end
  • Layer the ingredients on Hawaiian sweet rolls.

More sliders recipes

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Hawaiian Ham Sliders

Sweet + Sticky Hawaiian Ham Sliders

Sweet and sticky Hawaiian ham sliders with honey BBQ sauce will give you the taste of the Islands from your own backyard.
Recipe by Christie Vanover
4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 12 sliders
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pineapple
  • 1 red onion
  • 3 lb spiral sliced smoked ham
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Christie Vanover's Pork Rub
  • 1 cup honey barbecue sauce
  • 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls

Instructions
 

  • Remove the rind from the pineapple and thinly slice.
  • Thinly slice the red onions.
  • Place the pineapple and onions in a pan and sprinkle with one tablespoon of the rub.
  • Skewer the ham onto the rotisserie spit and secure. Season with two teaspoons of the rub.
  • Heat the rotisserie burner to medium. Secure the ham into the rotisserie motor and press start. Slide the pan of pineapples and onions under the ham. Cook for 45 minutes.
  • Drizzle a 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce over the pineapple and onions. Brush the other half all over the ham. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
  • Remove everything from the grill.
  • Slice the rolls in half. Top with a pineapple slice, some ham slices, another pineapple slice, red onions and the top of the roll. Enjoy!

Notes

As an alternative to the fresh pineapple, you can use canned sliced pineapples. They will be thicker, so you probably only need one per sandwich. 

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 25gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 1640mgPotassium: 473mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 110IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg

This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator

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