Smoked Ham With Hot Honey and Bourbon Glaze

When it comes to twice-smoked ham, it’s all about the glaze, and this is about to be your new favorite ham glaze recipe.

It has a kick of spice from the hot honey, a touch of sweetness from the brown sugar, and a bold bourbon finish.

A sweet and spicy glaze that will keep your guests coming back for seconds (and thirds!).

Smoked ham with hot honey and bourbon glaze

The hams you’ll find at the grocery store are cured and pre-smoked, so essentially, all you have to do is heat them. You can use an oven, but I find that heating the ham on the smoker adds an extra layer of smoky flavor that you can’t beat.

I went with a whole, bone-in ham for this recipe. There is a wide variety of ham that you can buy, especially during the holiday season.

Equipment you need for this recipe

• Wood pellets or hardwood – I used a pellet blend of oak, hickory, maple, and cherry, but any of these woods will work fine on their own
• Baking sheet & wire rack – The sheet will save you from having to clean up a sticky mess, and the wire rack raises your ham for better airflow
• Small Pot – To make the glaze in
• Basting Brush – I love these hi-temp silicone brushes from Thermoworks
• Meat Thermometer – Since ham is already cooked, this isn’t critical, but you still don’t want to overcook the ham

Choosing your ham

The first thing to decide is whether you want an unsliced ham or a spiral sliced ham.

The spiral-sliced variety offers several benefits. It will cook faster than an unsliced ham, and it also leaves a generous surface area for your glaze.

The downside of a pre-sliced ham is that you can lose a lot of moisture during the cooking process, which can leave you with a ham that is on the dry side.

You also need to decide whether you want a bone-in or a boneless ham. Boneless ham is less hassle to carve, but a bone-in ham will be a show-stopper on your holiday table.

Another great thing about bone-in ham is that you can use the ham bone for stocks and soups once you’ve had your fill of meat.

As far as size goes, it depends on how many people you are serving and whether or not you want to have leftovers.

A good rule of thumb for a bone-in ham is to estimate about a half pound of meat per person. If you choose a boneless ham, plan for about a third of a pound per person.

How long does it take to smoke ham?

This ham has already been cooked, so we only need to warm it up.

You are shooting for about 145°F internal for a twice-smoked ham, and depending on the size of your ham, the process takes about 3 hours for an 8lb ham smoking at 250°F.

How to make a smoked ham with hot honey and bourbon glaze

1. Score the ham

If you chose a whole, unsliced ham, take a minute to score the ham on the outside.

Just grab a boning knife or a chef’s knife and cut a checkerboard design all over the outside of your ham. This allows the seasoning to penetrate the meat and also increases the surface area for the glaze.

2. Season

Many people skip the seasoning when they are twice smoking a ham, which is totally fine. I like to maximize the flavor, so seasoning we shall!

Start with a base binder of Dijon mustard (or your preferred mustard), and ensure the ham is lightly coated on all sides. Then, sprinkle your chosen rub evenly over the entire ham until it is well-coated.

Transfer your seasoned ham onto a wire rack that is sitting on top of a baking sheet, with the cut side facing down.

3. Fire up the smoker

Preheat your smoker to 250°F.

You can use any style of smoker, or a pellet grill will work great as well.

I smoked this ham on my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro using Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets. These pellets are a combination of oak, hickory, maple, and cherry, providing a complex and robust flavor that pairs perfectly with smoked ham.

Place your ham tray directly on the grates. You want to let it smoke for about 2½ hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of around 130°F before you start glazing.

To watch the temperature while it cooked, I used the ThermoPro TempSpike wireless Bluetooth probe.

I like using a Bluetooth probe because it allows me to monitor the temperature directly from my phone, without having to open and close my grill repeatedly.

4. Hot honey and bourbon glaze

To whip up the glaze, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil for two to three minutes. Then set it aside to cool until you’re ready to use.

If you don’t have hot honey, combine a cup of regular honey with 2 tsp of red pepper flakes.

After about 2½ hours, your ham should have an internal temperature of around 130°F, so it’s time to start glazing.

Using a basting brush, generously glaze your ham on all sides with about half of the glaze.

Let it smoke for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Then, pour the remaining glaze over the top.

Remove from the smoker and serve immediately.

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to four days and make a great addition to sandwiches.

What to serve with smoked ham

If you’re serving this ham around the holiday season, you’ll want to pair it with classic sides.