Twice Smoked Spiral Ham
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If you’re looking for an easy way to elevate a store-bought spiral ham, this twice-smoked method delivers serious payoff with minimal effort.
Because spiral hams are already fully cooked, the goal here isn’t to start from scratch; it’s to layer on rich smoke flavor and finish with a sweet, sticky glaze that caramelizes beautifully on the outside.
This is a no-fuss, high-reward centerpiece that’s perfect for feeding a crowd without the stress of a raw roast. Whether you’re cooking for a holiday, Sunday dinner, or planning for leftovers, this ham earns its spot on the smoker.
Why you’ll love this twice smoked spiral ham
- Smoky, sweet, and caramelized: Adds flavor and texture you can’t get from the oven.
- Effortless holiday hero: No brining, basting, or advanced prep required.
- Feeds a crowd: Spiral hams are big, budget-friendly, and easy to slice and serve.
- Leftover gold: Perfect for sandwiches, hash, or soup after the big meal.
What you’ll need
- Spiral ham – I used a 10lb, bone-in. You could also use this recipe with a regular ham.
- Binder – I used mustard. You can use any yellow or Dijon mustard you have on hand, just enough to coat the surface lightly without it dripping off. Oil is another option.
- Rub – I used our BBQ pork rub. It’s sweet, smoky, and perfectly balanced with just the right touch of heat and pairs perfectly with ham. Store-bought will work just fine.
- Glaze – Honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter.
- Smoker – For this recipe, you can use any style of smoker or pellet grill, as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for three hours.
- Wood – I used Bear Mountain Cherry pellets. You want to choose a mild, sweet wood for smoking ham; apple or maple also works well. Avoid mesquite, as it’s too harsh.
- Saucepan – Or a vessel you can put on the smoker to make the glaze in.
- Basting brush
Pro tip – If you opt for a store-bought rub, look for something with brown sugar, paprika, mustard, or chili powder in it.
What is a spiral ham?
A spiral ham is a bone-in or boneless ham that’s been pre-cooked and sliced into even, thin spirals around the bone. The slicing is done using a special machine, so you get uniform cuts that are easy to pull apart and serve, no carving skills needed.
Spiral hams are typically cured and smoked before you buy them, which means they’re fully cooked and safe to eat straight out of the packaging. But that also makes them perfect for reheating with added flavor, especially on the smoker.
How to cook a twice smoked spiral ham
1. Fire up the smoker
Preheat your smoker to 250°F
I used my Traeger Timberline for this cook with Bear Mountain cherry pellets.
Pro tip – Using an offset smoker or a pit that runs dry? Add a small water pan near the firebox to increase humidity. This helps keep the exposed slices of the spiral ham from drying out during the cook.
2. The binder
Apply a thin layer of mustard all over the ham to help the rub stick. There are two ways you could do this:
- With your hands: Pour a small amount of mustard directly onto the ham and rub it all over, getting into the slices and around the bone. This method gives you more control, especially on those inner cuts. Gloves are probably a good idea with this option.
- With a brush: Use a silicone or basting brush to spread the mustard evenly over the surface. This method is a little tidier and works well if your ham is cold and firm.
Pro tip – Be gentle when working around the spiral cuts so you don’t separate the slices too much. You want them to stay intact so the ham stays juicy during the cook.
3. Season
I like to use a shaker when applying the rub. It makes it easier to get even coverage across the whole ham, which is especially helpful with spiral-sliced cuts.
Give the ham a good seasoning all over. Make sure to season a few of the slices inside for an even deeper flavor.
4. Smoke
Here, I share some post-smoking knowledge that will make handling the ham and cleanup way easier. Place the ham on a wire rack over a foil-lined tray or sheet pan!
Place the ham into the smoker and close the lid.
When cooking a big piece of meat like this, I like to insert a wireless meat thermometer like the ThermoPro TempSpike at the beginning of the cook. It takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s time to baste and when your ham is done. An instant read thermometer would be another option.
Leave the ham alone for about 2¼ hours, then check the internal temperature. When the internal temperature reaches 130°F, it’s time to baste it.
Pro tip – If using a pellet grill, start at 225°F for more smoke flavor and raise it to 245–250°F after the first hour.
5. The glaze
To make the glaze, combine the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Stir everything to incorporate it well, then place it on your stovetop or smoker and bring it to a simmer. Cook, stirring now and then, to reduce and thicken the sauce, about 15 minutes.
Glaze variations
You can use the glazes from our other smoked ham recipes for this spiral ham.
- Maple and mustard – maple syrup, mustard, brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Smoked cranberry – whole cranberry sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes.
- Pineapple and Bourbon – BBQ rub, brown sugar, Bourbon, dark molasses, red wine vinegar, and pineapple preserves.
- Peach – peach preserves, BBQ seasoning, and butter
- Hot honey and Bourbon – hot honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, BBQ seasoning, and Bourbon.
6. Baste
With a basting brush, apply a few layers of the glaze all over the ham, and try to get it into the open slices as well.
Let it tack up and set until it reaches an internal temperature of 140-145°F, then remove it from the smoker.
7. Slice and serve
Unfortunately, there really is no pretty way to slice spiral ham.
You can carefully turn the ham on its side, cut around the bone, and then pull the pieces of ham away.
Sometimes, the ham detaches itself from the bone after it’s been cooked, and minimal cutting is required. Wearing cotton glove liners and latex gloves, you can separate the ham from the bone without burning your hands.
Twice smoking a spiral ham is an easy way to take a pre-cooked classic and turn it into something special. It’s a low-effort, crowd-pleasing centerpiece that’s perfect for holidays, gatherings, or even just stocking up on flavorful leftovers.
Did this twice smoked ham steal the show on your table? Let us know in the comments below, and leave a rating.
Main event meats for feeding a crowd
Twice Smoked Spiral Ham
Ingredients
- 10 lb Smoked spiral ham
- ½ cup BBQ Pork rub - or as much as needed per size of ham
- ¼ cup mustard - Dijon or yellow
Glaze
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ stick butter
Instructions
- Fire up your smoker to 250°F.
- Apply a thin layer of Dijon mustard all over the entire ham.
- Using your rub, season the ham liberally on all sides. Place the ham on a wire rack over a foil-lined tray or sheet pan. Put it in the smoker, close the lid, and let it smoke for 2¼ hours.
- At the 2¼ hour mark, start checking the internal temperature. When the ham reaches 130°F, it's time to apply a good slathering of glaze all over. Make sure to get into all the open slices.
- Finish smoking the ham until the internal temperature reaches 140-145°F.
- Remove from the smoker and apply another coating glaze if you have some left over.
Glaze
- Combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring now and then, until the sauce reduces, and thickens, about 15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only. If you’re worried you could always add a side of kale.
About Your Pitmaster
Jordan Hanger is a grilling enthusiast known for bold, approachable recipes that blend American and Asian BBQ. Growing up with an American dad and Korean mom, he developed a love for fusion flavors, inspiring his brand, Ninjacue.
With over over one million followers on social media, Jordan makes great barbecue fun and accessible for everyone.
Good ol tx. Brisket
Made it as a Christmas ham. Best ham ever! Thanks for the guidance and recipe.
So glad you loved it!
Made it for the first time and everyone loved it, also made the smoked sweet potato casserole and it’s great.
So glad you did!
This does NOT take 3 hour to cook the ham to 140…more like 5-7 hours. Poor instructions!
We always recommend smoking to temperature and include time as a very rough estimate. They smoking time can vary dramatically based on the type of smoker you are using, the weather that day, the cut of meat you are using and various other factors.
You must be a BBQ newbie.The first rule in BBQ is to cook by temperature not by time.Follow this and you’ll be on your way to great BBQ.
The instructions state in several places: Pre-cooked Ham
Spiral ham is already cooked, so you’re adding flavor, not gambling on doneness
Can you use a boneless ham instead?
You can use a boneless.
Mustard ?does it give a mustard taste?
Thanks……
No, the mustard really just helps the rub stick. It does not reallly affect the final taste.
This turned out so good, BUT…it took 7 1/2 HOURS?!!! We have a new Traeger Woodridge Pro pellet smoker and followed instructions completely. (Our spiral cut ham was only 9 lbs)
Hey Chris, sorry to hear the time was so far off. Just checking was that 7 1/2 hours to reach 140-145°F? We always say that no two pieces of meat cook the same but that is seriously crazy.
Hey Joe,
Thanks for your reply! Yes, it took that long to get to 140. No weather issues, beautiful So Cal day with temps around 75, med to low humidity.
That’s crazy. I”m going to have to do another one of these and double check my times but I don’t think I’ve ever had any protein take that long to get to 140. It’s more typically getting past 165-170 that can take a couple of hours. I hope the ham was worth the wait!