The Grillin’ Fools are big fans of ham. As a matter of fact, we like to take already cured hams and give them a dose of flavor and smoke to take something from boring to extraordinary. This recipe will take a spiral ham and turn it into worthy holiday centerpiece. In short, this holiday ham could be served for Christmas, Easter, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving or Mother’s Day. Scroll down for the step by step, pic by pic, foolproof grilling instructions on how to make Grill-Glazed Spiral Ham.
Like many people you never have exactly the right ingredients, so I improvised, following the spirit of the recipe. I don’t think my wife and I have ever eaten such fantastic ham. I used orange marmalade rather than apricot, and cranberry juice rather than white wine. Never cooked via indirect heat and smoking wood on the gas grill, but I won’t hesitate repeating this one. The bark on the ham was absolutely amazing as well.
~ Mike (in the comments below)
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Can I cook a spiral ham on the grill?
Absolutely. In fact, the beautiful thing about the spiral ham is that it is precooked so it just has to be warmed up, which means this recipe is really quick and easy. Moreover, the results are nothing short of magical.
***Editor’s note ~ We updated the pics for this recipe as the originals were taken with a pretty terrible camera, although they are still here. We dropped them below the recipe card. Also, one of our latest spiral ham creations, which involved pineapple and rum, can be found here and this holiday ham with honey and bourbon/whiskey***
Natural Juices or Water Added?
When choosing a ham, look for the phrase, “natural juices,” as opposed to, “water added,” because a ham with natural juices has less added moisture than the water added variety. Water dilutes flavor, hence, ‘water added’ hams are usually lower quality. I’ll leave it at that, otherwise we need a lengthy discussion about curing, brining, and other methods.
This is an eight pound spiral sliced ham portion:
How to Prepare the Grill-Glazed Spiral Ham:
First, place the spiral ham flat side down in an aluminum pan:
By the way, we highly recommend a second aluminum pan. When handling a hot and heavy grilled ham, caution, grill gloves and a little extra reinforcement are good ideas.
Next, make the glaze for this holiday ham which is a modified version of a recipe from champion pitmaster and BBQ legendChris Lilly (of Big Bob Gibson’s fame).
Grill-Glazed Spiral Ham ingredients:
- 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Yoshida’s cooking sauce (substitute soy sauce)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (not shown)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ancho chile powder (substitute chipotle or cayenne)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sage
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix well.
Then, brush the glaze between each slice to add flavor deep inside:
Next, coat the outside of the ham with the glaze:
How to grill a spiral ham
Set up the grill for two zone or indirect grilling with coals flanking the pan o’ ham. Apricot wood will produce the smoke. Indeed, most any fruitwood will do but if you don’t have apricot, here is a list of smoke woods that might work as well as what they pair with:
The ham is on the grill, smoke is rising, and the lid is closed so the heat and smoke can work their magic:
What temperature do you cook a grill-glazed spiral ham?
Grill time is 12-13 minutes per pound in a 325F degree grill (+/- 25F) or until the ham reaches 140F-150F internal.
How to cook a spiral ham on a gas grill
First, light the burner (or burners) on one side of the grill and leave the burner(s) on the other side off. Second, once the temp inside the grill gets up to 300F-350F then set a chunk of smoke wood on the side of the grill over the lit burner(s). Next, place the ham on the side the burners are not lit and close the lid. Boom, that gas grill is a smoker! Make sure to spoon or baste the juices back over the ham every 20-30 minutes. Finally, when the ham gets north of 140F remove it from the grill, rest it and serve.
An hour into the cook the grill-glazed spiral ham has browned nicely and we love all that caramelization:
Importantly, make sure to spoon or baste the juices from the bottom of the pan over the ham every 20-30 minutes:
If your holiday ham is browning too much apply a foil tent over the top (pan and all), as a result the foil will deflect the direct heat but still allow the pork to cook.
To sugar or not to sugar?
If you want a sweeter glaze, now is the time to add some sugar during the last 20 minutes of grilling. White sugar does create a great coating or crust but burns really fast. Alternatively, we recommend turbinado sugar or raw sugar. Turbinado has a higher burn point than white sugar: 365F versus 325F degrees, and is coarser. However, once the raw sugar is added stay nearby because even turbinado can blacken. Burnt sugar cannot be undone, thus pay close attention until the sugar has melted and caramelized. Although I did not add sugar to my ham, I wanted to make you aware of the option.
Once the grill-glazed spiral ham hits 140F-150F remove it from the grill and tent it under some foil.
Finally, after 5-10 minutes of resting, carve and serve that sweet, savory and juicy pork:
Grill-Glazed Spiral Ham Recap
The flavor from the glaze, smoke and succulent ham is both sweet and savory, not to mention all around fantastic. Furthermore, that gooey, crispy caramelized exterior is divine. So much so, I hope you give this holiday ham recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I did.
If you made it this far, you might be interested in one of our plethora of holiday mainstays:
- Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
- A simple Grilled Crown Roast Recipe
- Christmas Prime Rib on a Pellet Smoker
- How to Spatchco*ck a Turkey: with Pictures
- Lamb Crown Roast.
- Finally, if you are slightly more daring give Bacon Encrusted Beef Tenderloin a try. This is not bacon wrapped, but a beef tenderloin rolled in crispy bacon.
If you have any questions or comments about this holiday ham, feel free to leave them below or shoot me an email.
And if you could leave us a great review that would be most appreciated!
Additionally, you can follow us on our GrillinFools Facebook page,Instagram, andYouTubefeeds
Recipe Card:
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes
Grill-Glazed Spiral Ham
No more boring holiday ham. It's got flavor between every single slice and some wonderful smoke infused into the meat to make a gorgeous grill-glazed spiral ham
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course: Christmas Dinner, Christmas Supper, Entree, Holiday Dinner, Holiday Ham, Thanksgiving
Cuisine: American, American Fare, BBQ, Christmas Dinner, Grilling, Holiday Meal, North American, Pork, Thanksgiving Dinner, Traditional American
Keyword: Apricot, Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Ham, Christmas Supper, Easter Ham, Grilled Easter Ham, Grilled Ham, Ham Recipe, Mother's Day, Mother's Day Meal, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve Feast, Pork, Smoked Ham, Spiral Sliced, Spiral Sliced Ham
Servings: 12 People
Ingredients
- ½ cup apricot jam or preserves
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Yoshida’s cooking sauce (substitute soy sauce if desired)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper (not shown…how did I ever miss that?)
- ¼ tsp Ancho chile powder (substitute chipotle or cayenne as desired)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp sage
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
- 8 lb spiral sliced ham
Instructions
Place the ham flat side down in a disposable aluminum pan(s)
Combine all ingredients, except the ham, and mix well in medium-size bowl
Brush or spoon the glaze between each slice of the ham and around the outside
Set up the grill for indirect or two zone grilling with coals and smoke wood on one side and nothing on the other. Target temperature inside the grill is 325F
Place aluminum pan over the side with no coals. Cooking time is 12-13 minutes per pound to an internal temperature of 140F-150F degrees
Brush or baste the outside of the ham every 20-30 minutes
Pull the ham from the grill when it hits 140F degrees and let rest for 10 minutes and serve
Finally, here are the original pics of our grill-glazed spiral ham:
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Greg Thomas
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That looks great. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing and posting amazing pictures!
Reply
I highly recommend it. Take an ordinary ham extraordinary!
Can’t wait to make this tommorow. Will post pictures!
Reply
Approved
Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S™ III, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
——– Original message ——–
It was fantastic! So easy!
Reply
I noticed that the packaging stated ready to eat. If that’s the case, do I have to cook the ham to an internal temperature of 145 degrees?
Reply
Eddie,
You don’t have to cook it at all. You can serve it cold and it would be perfectly safe. All you want to do is warm it up. 145 is probably fine…
…….Scott
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your prompt response. I realize the answer should’ve been obvious, but I’m new to cooking and sometimes require more detailed instructions. LOL!
Anyway, I grilled the spiral ham and just want to say that it came out fantastic.
Thank again!
No problem, Eddie. Keep your grill on!
…….Scott
Absolutely, Pamela.
Greg, have tou tried the spiral ham on a Weber Smoky Mountain smoker? I am definitly going to try the ham !
Reply
Do you apply the glaze to the outside of the ham before smoking, or just every 20 min during the cook time? I am smoking my ham today for my family!
Reply
George,
You can go either way…
Love it already the glaze is amazing cant wait to dig in with the rest of my easter feast
Reply
This is my 2nd Easter making a grilled ham! I love this recipe as it really frees up my oven for other things. This year pineapple soufflé!
Reply
Brittany, happy to help!
…….Scott
I have a party for a good crowd tommorro, my anxiety level has dropped, because of your’e direction. Thanx!!!!
Reply
Alfred, you’re going to be just fine. Let me know how it comes out!
…….Scott
Thanks for the recipe. A big hit this Easter!!
Reply
We’re glad it was a big hit for you and your guests! Your response spurs us on to do more recipes to advance the success of backyard grillers everywhere.
My result was great. I made some mods as follows:
I followed the baste recipe precisely except for marmalade (had none). I substituted orange juice.
Ham weight 11 lbs.
On a Weber kettle, I started with 40 coals (20 per side). I placed the ham in a foil pan as directed on the top grill. I placed a pan on the lower rack in between the coals. I had 1 inch of water in that pan to try to maintain moisture.
I used 4 wood chunks directly on the coals. The wood chunks were soaked in water for a half hour.
I have a thermometer on the grill lid. Max temp for hour one was 350F.
I basted every 30 minutes.
At hour two, I added eight new coals to each side of the grill. Temperature was steady at 275F for the hour.
I continued to baste every half hour. Added more wood for smoke as needed.
Continued this routine through hour three. Temp was between 250-275. Took the ham off the grill at 3 hours. Placed ham in a pan and wrapped in foil for another 30 minutes.
Carved half the ham. Guests were delighted. After guests ate, carved the butt end. That, my friends, is the smoked candy. Hand those out with some desserts. And your favorite aperitifs.
Reply
Do follow this. My result was great. I made some mods as follows:
I followed the baste recipe precisely except for marmalade (had none). I substituted orange juice.
Ham weight 11 lbs.
On a Weber kettle, I started with 40 coals (20 per side). I placed the ham in a foil pan as directed on the top grill. I also placed a pan on the lower rack in between the coals. I had 1 inch of water in that pan to try to maintain moisture.
I used 4 wood chunks directly on the coals. The wood chunks were soaked in water for a half hour.
I have a thermometer on the grill lid. Max temp for hour 1 was 350F.
I basted every 30 minutes.
At hour two, I added eight new coals to each side of the grill. Temperature was steady at 275F for the hour.
I continued to baste every half hour. Added more wood for smoke as needed.
Continued this routine through hour three. Temp was steady at 250-275. Took the ham off the grill at 3 hours. Placed ham in a pan and wrapped in foil for another 30 minutes.
Carved half the ham. It was beautifully moist and smoky. Guests were delighted. After guests ate, carved the butt end. That, my friends, is the smoked candy. Hand those out with some desserts. And your favorite aperitifs.
Reply
I’m glad that turned out good for you and your guests Glenn. Smoked candy. I love that term-may I borrow that please?
I want to try this out on my Visions grill soon and I thank you for the tips. We have had cherry wood smoked hams from the store before, but resmoking with cherry peeked my interest. My bride will love me for doing this. Keep the recipes coming!
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Tried this recipe, wanted something different besides a basic spiral ham in the oven. Was a little nervous doing it with our Easter meal. Came out awesome, everyone loved it. Normally we will have a pound or pound and a half left but the plate was empty this year. Thanks for the recipe, keep them coming.
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Hi, do you think I can mix up the glaze a couple of days in advance? We are doing the ham while camping and it would definitely make it easier
Reply
Mike,
That shouldn’t be a problem. You might have to warm it up before being able to spread it on the ham…
……Scott
Have cooked this ham the past 5 years every Thanksgiving, it has become the new favorite at my grandmothers get together. I do at least a 20lb ham and have never been disapointed.
Reply
Has anyone made a gravy with the drippings for this ham ?
I am making this on a gas grill for thanksgiving I’m a little nervous but I think I got it !
Reply
Britany,
The glaze is pretty sweet. Not sure it would make a great gravy…
…….Scott
Made this on a whim for Turkey day, ended up with leftover turkey and no ham. It was requested for Easter and again for my husband’s birthday. We stashed some to make awesome sliders the next day. Thanks for a kickass recipe!
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Love your Instagram page, WoW do you make EVERYTHING look so amazing and delicious.
My question to you, (I’m not a big cook), how do I pick out a fatty ham in the store? I know that’s a goophy question, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Reply
Jean,
Thank you very much for your kind words. As for your question, uh, you can’t. All hams have enough fat that it isn’t a big deal. Just grab a ham.
So no covering it with foil during cooking? Only after it’s done and resting? It doesn’t dry out? Doing on a gas grill. Thank you
Reply
My 9th year making this ham for Easter. So good. I wish I could add a few pictures. Thank you!
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made this yesterday for Easter dinner and it was the best ham ever, i had all the ingredient’s except for sage so we left it out. it was so good my neighbors who had ham earlier in the day re ate when they came over
Reply
Like many people you never have exactly the right ingredients, so I improvised, following the spirit of the recipe. I don’t think my wife and I have ever eaten such fantastic ham. I used orange marmalade rather than apricot, and cranberry juice rather than white wine. Never cooked via indirect heat and smoking wood on the gas grill, but I won’t hesitate repeating this one. The bark on the ham was absolutely amazing as well.
Thank you for posting such an amazing recipe.
Reply
