Smoking Ham on a Pellet Grill

In this guide, you will learn about smoking ham on a pellet grill, given that smoked ham is extremely well-rounded and mouth-watering.

You have the option of serving it on a sandwich, slicing it up and adding it to a salad or omelet, or just enjoying it as part of an old-fashioned country meal.

In addition, it is a wonderful part of many people’s holiday traditions, and one excellent way to wow the entire family during the holidays is by serving up homemade smoked ham.

Smoked ham is also one of my favorite pellet grill recipes, so it is safe to say that you are lucky if you love ham and you own a pellet smoker grill.

Just read through this guide and learn how to smoke ham on a pellet grill that will keep everybody coming for more.

What Kind of Ham Do You Want?

When it comes to smoking, a lot of pitmasters choose a so-called city ham.

And, city ham, comes already cured, which happens normally through wet curing.

This is to say that it is ready for consumption, but it does not yet have all of the delectable flavors you can bring via glazing and smoking it yourself.

Plus, there’s country ham, which happens to be much drier and saltier because of its dry curing process.

Country ham can go well for smoking, but you need to remember that not everyone is a lover of its extremely salty flavor, and it has to be soaked before cooking to get rid of some of the excess salt.

On the other hand, fresh ham is not yet cured or smoked in any way.

Note that curing your ham can be extremely rewarding, but also keep in mind that it takes several days to do it right, so this is to say that fresh ham often isn’t the best option for first-timers.

Other Important Parts of Choosing a Ham

Boneless or Bone-In

Several pitmasters will go for the additional flavor that bone-in hams offer.

The spiral ham is the most well-known cut of bone-in ham today, and it is what is recommended for anyone who’s just getting started with smoking ham.

Spiral ham is excellent thanks to the fact that it has already been cut for you at the butcher, which means that it is ready to be served immediately after it is done cooking.

Ingredients

You can add water to hams, and water-added hams have been injected with water to make them plumper and juicier; however, their texture and flavor are mostly lacking. So, ensure that you check the ingredient list and see to it that water isn’t on the list.

Glaze

Make sure that you buy ham that is not glazed yet if you are going to make your glaze.

It is extremely easy and simple to make your glaze and personalize the flavors.

How to Score the Ham

If you’ve seen one, hams are thick, so it is necessary to score a ham before you cook because it will help the ham glaze penetrate the meat.

In addition, scoring will make the ham perfect and extremely pleasant. You will make diagonal cuts into the ham.

I don’t score spiral-sliced hams given that they are already cut and you can baste the glaze into the cut parts of the meat.

Make sure you use a sharp knife and a cutting board while scoring. Just start at one end of the ham, and near the bottom, cut around 1/3 of an inch into the ham and in a complete line across.

After that, you are to continue to make similar cuts and lines around an inch apart.

That being done, turn the ham and repeat the diagonal lines to create a crisscross pattern.

How to Make the Glaze

To make the glaze, I suggest that you use a combination of the juices from the am when it cooks: brown sugar, pineapple juice or brown sweetener, cinnamon, honey, cornstarch (as a thickener), and ground cloves. Just combine the ingredients in a saucepan on the stove until it becomes thick.

Pellet Grill Ham with Apple Cider Glaze

It’s time to make a mouth-watering pellet grill with apple cider glaze in just 3 to 4 hours using your pellet grill.

• Course: Grilling
• Cuisine: American
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
• Servings: 20 servings

Ingredients

• 10 pounds of cooked and smoked ham

Apple Cider Glaze

• 1 ½ cups of apple cider
• ¼ cup of packed brown sugar

Laid-Out Instructions

• First, you are to preheat your pellet grill to 225 degrees, then just place your ham directly on the grates if it is already sliced. However, you can simply make a crisscross pattern on the ham to separate it if it is not pre-cut.
• And, if you have a probe with your pellet grill, you can just go ahead and insert it to monitor the temp.
• That being done, close the lid and cook for around 3 hours, or until the internal temperature is 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
• You are to bring the apple cider to a boil when it is getting close to the 3-hour mark in a small saucepan on medium heat. Ensure that you also add in the brown sugar and mix until it dissolves.
• When that is done, set aside and carefully remove the ham from the pellet grill and place it on foil or in an aluminum pan.
• Afterward, you are to place the ham back on the pellet grill and evenly pour the apple cider glaze over the ham. Then, proceed to wrap the ham with the foil or tent it if it is an aluminum pan.
• Also, allow the ham to continue cooking for an extra hour, and baste the ham with the apple cider mixture every 15 minutes during that hour until the ham reaches 140 degrees F, then remove. I strongly suggest that you do this with a baster, but it can also be done with a spoon, which means that you are pouring some of the mixture back over the ham to prevent it from drying out.
• You have the option of increasing your pellet grill’s temperature to 275 degrees if it is taking longer to cook. After that, carefully remove it and serve.

Recipe FAQs

What Tastes Good in a Ham Glaze?

As you might be aware, there are several ways to add a new flavor to smoking ham that is already cooked.

To sweeten up your glaze, in addition to the herbs and spices, you can just add brown sugar, apple juice or cider, maple syrup, or pineapple juice.

Do Smoke Hams Have To Reach 160 Degrees Fahrenheit?

Well, of course not. If what you are doing is just reheating a fully cooked ham in the smoker to add flavor and warm it up, then just reheat it to 140 degrees F.

On the other hand, you will need to cook a fresh ham hock or another cut of ham to 160 degrees before you remove it if it is uncooked.

Final Thoughts

You have the option of storing the ham in the fridge, and it will last for up to 3 to 4 days, but make sure that it is tightly sealed and covered.

And you can also freeze the leftovers. Make sure you consume it within 1 to 2 months for optimal freshness. Keep in mind that this timeframe is for quality only, given that frozen hams remain safe for consumption indefinitely.

Now, this brings us to the end of this guide on smoking ham on a pellet grill, as you now have all you need to do so.