It’s all about the glaze with twice-smoked ham, and this is going to become your new favorite ham glaze recipe.
The hot honey adds a spicy bite, the brown sugar adds sweetness, and the bourbon finish is robust.
A sweet and spicy glaze that will have your guests returning for seconds (and thirds!).
Contents
- Hot Honey and Bourbon Glazed Ham
- Equipment you need for this recipe
- Choosing your ham
- How long does it take to smoke ham?
- How to make hot honey and bourbon glazed ham
- What to serve with this smoked ham
- FAQs
- Is it OK to glaze a smoked ham?
- Do you cook the ham before you glaze it?
- At what time do you put the glaze on the ham?
- Do you glaze ham hot or cold?
- Do you bake smoked ham covered or uncovered?
- How do you heat and glaze a fully cooked ham?
- Do I cover the ham after I put the glaze on?
- Do you cover ham when baking with a glaze?
- Is it necessary to glaze a ham?
Hot Honey and Bourbon Glazed Ham
The hams found at the grocery store have been cured and pre-smoked, so all you have to do is heat them. You may use an oven, but I feel that smoking the ham on the smoker provides a depth of smokey flavor that is unrivaled.
For this dish, I used a full, bone-in ham. There are many different types of ham to choose from, particularly during the Christmas season.
Equipment you need for this recipe
- Hardwood or wood pellets? I chose a pellet combination of oak, hickory, maple, and cherry, but any of these woods would do.
- a baking sheet and a wire rack The sheet keeps you from having to clean up a sticky mess, and the wire rack elevates your ham for improved ventilation.
- Small Pot To make the glaze in
- Brush for Basting I adore Thermoworks’ high-temperature silicone brushes.
- Thermometer for Meat Because the ham is already cooked, this isn’t crucial, but you don’t want to overcook it.
Choosing your ham
The first decision to make is whether you want unsliced or spiral sliced ham.
There are a few advantages to spiral-sliced vegetables. It cooks quicker than an unsliced ham and provides a large surface area for your glaze.
The disadvantage of using pre-sliced ham is that it might lose a lot of moisture during the cooking process, resulting in a dry ham.
You must also decide whether you want a bone-in or boneless ham. A boneless ham is easier to cut, but a bone-in ham will be the star of your Christmas dinner.
Another advantage of bone-in ham is that the ham bone may be used to make stocks and soups after the meat has been consumed.
In terms of size, it all depends on how many people you’re feeding and whether or not you want leftovers.
A fair rule of thumb for a bone-in ham is a half-pound of flesh per person. Plan on roughly a third of a pound of boneless ham for each participant.
How long does it take to smoke ham?
We simply need to reheat up this ham since it has already been cooked.
You want an interior temperature of around 145F for a twice-smoked ham, and the procedure takes about 3 hours for an 8lb ham smoking at 250F.
How to make hot honey and bourbon glazed ham
1. Score the ham
If you selected a whole, unsliced ham, take a minute to score the exterior of the ham.
Simply carve a checkerboard pattern all over the exterior of the ham using a boning knife or chefs knife. This allows the spice to penetrate the meat and increases the surface area for the glaze.
2. Season
When smoking a ham twice, many people forgo the seasoning, which is just OK. I prefer to season to enhance the taste, so season we must!
Begin with a base binder of Dijon mustard (or your favorite mustard) and gently cover the ham on both sides, then sprinkle on your favorite rub until the whole ham is fully coated.
I used our new Smoke Kitchen Honey Garlic Rub in this dish. It blends granulated honey’s sweetness with garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s spicy, and the taste is ideal for a twice-smoked ham.
Place the seasoned ham on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet, with the sliced side facing down.
3. Fire up the smoker
Preheat your smoker to 250F.
You may use any kind of smoker, or a pellet grill would suffice.
I used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets to smoke this ham on my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro. These pellets are made from oak, hickory, maple, and cherry, and they have a deep and powerful taste that complements smoked ham nicely.
Place the ham tray immediately on the grill grates. Before you begin glazing, let it smoke for approximately 2 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of roughly 130F.
I used the ThermoPro TempSpike wireless Bluetooth probe to monitor the temperature as it baked.
I appreciate using a Bluetooth probe since it enables me to check the temperature without having to open and close my grill regularly.
4. Make the hot honey & bourbon glaze
Simply mix all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for two to three minutes to make the glaze. Then let it to cool until you’re ready to use it.
If you don’t have hot honey, mix a cup of ordinary honey with 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes.
After around 2 hours, your ham should be close to 130F inside, so begin glazing.
Glaze the ham on both sides with approximately half of the glaze, using a basting brush.
Allow it to smoke for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, before pouring the remaining glaze over the top.
Remove from the smoker and serve immediately.
Leftovers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days and are delicious on sandwiches.
What to serve with this smoked ham
If you’re serving this ham for Christmas or around the holidays, serve it with traditional sides.
- Smoked sweet potato casserole
- Smoked beer mustard potatoes
- Smoked green bean casserole
- Easy smoked mac & cheese
- Smoked cranberry sauce
