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Ham is the cornerstone to many holiday meals. Learn how to grill one to perfection with this recipe with an apple cola jalapeno glaze.
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At Girls Can Grill, my goal is to share the basics of grilling while providing you with mouthwatering, easy-to-replicate recipes. When the holidays roll around, people new to grilling are sometimes scared to try to cook the main protein outdoors.
They worry that if they mess it up, the family will never let them live it down.
With this recipe, you can’t fail, and you don’t need a fancy, expensive grill.
It’s all cooked on a basic Weber kettle, which you can usually pick up for around $99.
The key is to start with a pre-cooked, pre-sliced ham. That way, all you have to do is heat it up.
How you heat it up matters
If you were to put the ham directly over the charcoals, the heat would get too hot under the ham, and it would heat too fast, drying it out.
Instead, you want to light your coals, let them ash over and then push them to one side of the grill. (Watch the below video to learn how I light the coals).
Once the coals are ready, place the ham in a disposable aluminum pan with one cup of water. This added moisture will keep your ham juicy.
Cover the grill, adjust the vents so it stays between 325-350F, and cook it for 45 minutes while you make the glaze.
Great ham is made better with sticky, yummy glaze
This glaze uses a combination of ingredients that are really easy to find – cola, apple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and jalapeno. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and heat.
Boil the glaze ingredients in a pot for about 25 minutes. You want it to reduce and thicken, so it sticks to the ham.
After the ham has cooked for 45 minutes, apply the glaze, and repeat every 20 minutes, sopping up some of the pork drippings. It will take another 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the ham to reach an internal temperature of 140F degrees.
During the last 20 minutes, you can use the direct side of the grill to cook up some sides like Grilled Asparagus with Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette or Grilled Carrots with Orange-Maple Glaze. Add a bowl of Mashed Potatoes or a batch of Tender Buttery Flaky Southern Biscuits, and you’ll be asked to grill every holiday meal.
Click to learn how to grill a holiday turkey on a Weber kettle grill
More ham recipes
- Double smoked pineapple glazed ham
- Grilled Ham with Orange Mustard Glaze
- Sweet + Sticky Hawaiian Ham Sliders
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Save this BBQ Tip
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Grilled Ham with Apple Cola Jalapeno Glaze
Ingredients
- 8 lb pre-cooked, spiral-sliced ham
- 1 cup water
Apple Cola Jalapeno Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups cola
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the grill to 350F degrees with an indirect heat zone.
- Place the ham in a disposable aluminum pan. Pour 1 cup water into the pan around the ham. Cover the grill and cook over indirect heat for 45 minutes.
- Place a pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook for 25 minutes. The glaze will reduce and thicken.
- After the ham has cooked for 45 minutes, brush the ham with the glaze.
- Continue cooking and basting every 20 minutes, sopping up some of the pan juices until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140F degrees.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
