Smoked Ham
intro
Tender, juicy bone-in smoked ham with a caramelized sweet-spicy glaze, boasting deep apple wood smoke aroma and a sticky golden crust, ideal for festive winter feasts.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep ham and smoker
First, pat the 2.7 kg (6 lb) uncooked cured bone-in skin-on ham completely dry with paper towels. Score the skin and top fat layer in a 2.5 cm (1 inch) diamond pattern, cutting only 5 mm deep so you do not slice into the underlying meat. Preheat your smoker to 120°C (250°F), and add 3 cups of apple wood chips (soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, then fully drained) to the smoker’s wood chip box.
Smoke ham initially
Press one whole clove into the center of every diamond cut on the ham’s scored fat cap. Place the ham directly on the middle rack of the preheated smoker, fat side facing up, with an aluminum foil drip pan set on the rack below to catch rendered fat. Close the smoker lid and smoke for 1.5 hours, keeping the smoker temperature steady between 115-125°C (240-260°F), adding a half cup of additional drained soaked wood chips every 45 minutes if smoke output thins.
Make the sweet glaze
While the ham smokes, combine 180 g (¾ cup, packed) light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Dijon mustard, 60 ml (¼ cup) apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the glaze reaches a gentle, low simmer, then remove the pan from heat and set it aside.
Apply first glaze coat
After the ham has smoked for 1.5 hours, open the smoker lid and brush one-third of the warm glaze evenly over the entire surface of the ham, working the glaze into the scored diamond cuts to maximize flavor. Close the smoker lid, maintain the steady 120°C (250°F) cooking temperature, and continue smoking the ham for 45 minutes.
Monitor ham temperature
After 45 minutes of cooking with the first glaze coat, open the smoker and brush another one-third of the remaining glaze over the ham. Insert a digital leave-in meat thermometer into the thickest section of the ham, making sure the probe does not touch the central bone, which will give an inaccurate temperature reading. Continue smoking until the ham’s internal temperature reaches 63°C (145°F), which takes approximately 25-30 additional minutes.
Rest and slice ham
Once the ham reaches the target internal temperature, carefully transfer it to a clean wooden cutting board, brush the remaining one-third of the glaze over its surface, and tent it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let the ham rest for 20 minutes to allow juices to redistribute through the meat, then slice against the grain into 1 cm (½ inch) thick slices to serve.
Tips
2.Do not skip the 20-minute resting period after cooking; slicing the ham immediately will cause all the trapped, flavorful juices to leak out onto the cutting board, resulting in dry meat.
3.If you do not own a dedicated smoker, you can replicate this recipe on a charcoal grill set up for indirect heat: place drained soaked wood chips directly on the hot coals, keep the grill vents partially open, and monitor temperature closely to maintain 120°C (250°F).
OMG made this for our Easter family dinner and every single person went back for seconds! The apple wood smoke pairs so perfectly with the sweet glaze, I thought I’d have leftovers for sandwiches but there was literally nothing left. 10/10 will make this again for our summer cookout.
This was so good! I was worried the cook time would be too long for a weeknight but I prepped the glaze the night before and used my countertop smoker for the first 45 minutes then finished it in the oven. My kids loved it, even my picky 7 year old asked for extra glaze on his slice.
Brought this to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were asking me for the recipe before I even set the platter down! The glaze has that perfect balance of sweet and tangy, not too cloying like some store-bought ham glazes. Game changer for holiday spreads for sure.
Wait, I made this yesterday and the glaze burned a little on the bottom of my pan? Did I set my oven temp too high? I followed the recipe exactly but my oven runs a little hot, oops. The ham itself still tasted great, just had a few charred bits I had to trim off.
SO good! I made this for a small Friendsgiving get together last fall and everyone raved. I added a tiny pinch of cayenne to the glaze for a little heat and it was chef’s kiss. Don’t skip the apple wood smoke note, it adds such a depth of flavor regular baked ham just doesn’t have.
Smoked a 10lb ham with this recipe on Saturday and it was the best ham I’ve ever made. The glaze caramelized so nicely on the edges, I even saved the leftover glaze to drizzle on my morning biscuits the next day. No cap, this recipe is a keeper.
Ugh I’m so nervous to make this! I’ve never smoked anything before, is this actually medium difficulty? I don’t want to mess up Christmas dinner for my in-laws 😅
My kids loved it! I was worried the smoke flavor would be too strong for them but it was just subtle enough, and the sweet glaze made it taste like a special treat. Served it with roasted veggies and scalloped potatoes, total hit for Sunday supper.
Finally a ham glaze recipe that doesn’t use weird processed ingredients! I swapped the brown sugar for coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar free and it worked perfectly. Tasted just as good as the original, will be making this every holiday from now on.
Made this for our pre-game tailgate last football season and it was gone before halftime. Cut it into sliders with a little swiss cheese and pineapple on the side, people were lining up for seconds. Way better than the boring hot dogs and burgers we usually do.
Quick question — can I use a bone-in ham for this? The boneless ones are a little pricy at my grocery store right now, and I heard bone-in has more flavor anyway. Would I need to adjust the cook time?
I’ve been smoking meats for 20 years and this glaze recipe is a total game changer. I usually do a simple mustard and brown sugar glaze but the apple cider and cinnamon in this one pairs so well with the apple wood smoke, even my old smoker buddies were impressed at our last meat up.
Pro tip: Make extra ham! The leftovers make the absolute best breakfast hash, ham and cheese omelets, and sandwiches for the whole week. I made a 9lb ham last weekend and ate like a king all week for lunch, no sad desk salads for me! 😂
I’ve tried so many glazed ham recipes over the years and this one is hands down my new go-to. It’s not too sweet, the smoke flavor is perfect, and it looks so impressive on the table when you pull it out all shiny and caramelized. Got so many compliments at my Christmas party last year.
Wait, did anyone else’s glaze turn out a little thinner than expected? I mixed all the ingredients like the recipe said but it was really runny when I went to baste, it didn’t stick to the ham very well at first. Flavor was still amazing, just curious what I did wrong.
Has anyone tried making this with a spiral cut ham? I got one on sale at the grocery store and I’m wondering if the glaze will get down into all the slices, or if it’ll just run off. Don’t want to waste a good ham!
Made this in my dorm’s shared kitchen with a little portable electric smoker and it was a total hit with my floor mates. Nobody believed a college kid could make something that tasted this fancy, I felt like a whole chef. 10/10, worth the hassle of signing up for kitchen time.
I added a splash of bourbon to the glaze just like my grandma used to do for her hams and it paired so well with the apple wood smoke. Tasted like childhood Christmases but elevated, I’m never making ham any other way.
Made this after a long day of hiking with my friends up in Mount Rainier, we smoked it over a campfire with apple wood we foraged nearby and used the glaze recipe. It was the best post-hike meal I’ve ever had, nothing hits like warm glazed ham after being out in the cold.