This easy and delicious Double-Smoked Ham is smoked low and slow on a pellet grill and then glazed with a sweet, sticky brown sugar glaze. It is the perfect centerpiece for your next holiday meal or whenever you want something extra delicious.
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This double-smoked ham (or twice-smoked ham) is one of my favorite things to make. It's simple to make and always turns out amazing. This ham will be the star of any holiday meal - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any summer BBQ.
You can make this ham on a Traeger pellet grill, Pit Boss pellet grill, or any pellet smoker - even an electric smoker. Serve it with Smoked Asparagus, Cheesy Air Fryer Scalloped Potatoes, Smoked Cheesy Potatoes, or Slow Cooker Red Cabbage with Apples.
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Double Smoked Ham
This recipe takes an ordinary store-bought ham from boring to amazing. The already smoked ham gets an extra layer of smoke flavor, and it is topped off with a delicious brown sugar maple glaze.
This ham is moist, tender, and full of flavor. I love using leftovers in my Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup, Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes And Ham, Creamy Split Pea Soup With ham, and my Oven-Baked Western Omelet Casserole. There really is no comparison between regular ham and double-smoked ham! And if you want something different, try this Smoked Pulled Ham instead.
THIS RECIPE WAS SOOOO GOOD! The glaze is out of this world!!
- Travis
Ingredients For Double Smoked Ham and Glaze
- Pre-cooked ham. I used a pre-cooked bone-in ham (the butt portion). It doesn't matter what type of ham you get, this recipe will work for any previously cooked ham or spiral ham. The ham is already smoked and just needs to be heated up. Boneless hams will cook slightly faster than bone-in, so start checking the internal temperature a bit earlier.
- BBQ rub. Use your favorite spice rub or my homemade BBQ Rub For Pork Or Chicken. It contains brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, roasted garlic and peppers, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper. My Best Pork Rub Recipe is also delicious.
- Orange juice. I used prepared orange juice to keep the ham moist, but you could also use pineapple juice.
- Ham Glaze: I used pure maple syrup, light brown sugar (you could also use dark brown sugar, cane sugar, raw sugar, or honey), ketchup, Dijon mustard (or yellow mustard), apple cider vinegar, and ground cinnamon. The glaze can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated - just reheat slowly before brushing it on.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities and a complete list of ingredients.
How To Cook Double Smoked Ham On Pellet Grill
Preheat your pellet grill/smoker to 225 degrees F. While it heats up, prepare your ham for smoking.
Rinse the ham with cold water and dry it with a paper towel. If not using a spiral-cut ham, score the outside of the ham to help the rub and glaze sink into the meat. With a sharp knife, cut long cuts from the top of the ham down to the bottom. Make a second set of perpendicular cuts to form a diamond pattern all over the outside, about ½-inch deep and 1-½ inches apart.
Place the whole ham cut side down in an aluminum roasting pan or sturdy heavy-duty pan. Coat the outside of the ham with olive oil.
Mix the ingredients for the homemade spice rub in a small bowl. Coat all sides of the ham with the spice rub. Do not worry about doing the bottom (cut side down) of the ham.
Pour the orange juice into the aluminum pan around the ham.
Place the foil pan with the ham into the preheated grill. Close the lid and smoke the ham, uncovered, for about 2 hours until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F to 135 degrees F.
Make The Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
When the ham nears 130 degrees F, make the ham glaze. Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and ground cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn off the heat. Reserve ½ to ¾ cup of glaze for serving with the ham. Set aside.
Once the ham reaches 130 to 135 degrees F, brush on the glaze with a pastry brush and coat the ham on all sides. Reapply the glaze every 30 minutes. Continue to smoke it until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees F, about 1-2 more hours. The disposable pan will catch all of the drippings in the bottom of the pan.
Once the ham reaches an internal temp of 140 degrees F, it should be nicely caramelized. Remove it from the smoker, tent it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with the reserved glaze and your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
Variations
- Spicy - Add cayenne pepper or chili pepper flakes.
- Sweet - I don't think you would want to make this glaze any sweeter, but if you do, add extra brown sugar to the spice rub.
- Less Sweet - Decrease the brown sugar in the BBQ rub and the glaze.
- Thick maple bourbon glaze: Make a savory glaze with some bourbon for great flavor!
Related Recipe: Smoked Whole Duck with Orange Maple Glaze.
Recipe FAQs
The cooking temperature for smoking ham on a pellet grill is 225 degrees F.
Double-smoked ham is smoked twice, giving it a stronger smoky flavor than regular ham, which is only smoked once.
The best wood pellets for smoking ham are apple, cherry, hickory, and maple wood. I also like the Competition Blend by Pit Boss and the Signature Blend by Traeger.
At 225 degrees F, the smoking process will take 20-30 minutes per pound, depending on the size of your ham. The cook times will be different for a very large ham or a very small ham.
Plan about ½ pound of ham per person if it's bone-in, and ⅓ pound per person if it's boneless.
Yes - the ham you buy at the store is already fully cooked and smoked once. Double smoking means giving it a second round of smoke flavor and reheating it to a safe serving temperature, not cooking it from raw.
Not if you follow this method - pulling it at 140°F and basting with the glaze every 30 minutes keeps it moist. Overcooking past 140°F, or skipping the orange juice in the pan, is what tends to dry it out.
Top Tips
- You can use any pellet grill/smoker, even a charcoal grill. If using an electric smoker, fill the water pan with apple juice.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the ham reaches a safe internal temperature of 140 degrees F (according to the USDA).
- Store leftover ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Double-Smoked Ham
This double-smoked ham is the perfect holiday ham for Christmas or Easter dinner. Serve it with Creamy Coleslaw With Miracle Whip, Oven-Baked Beans, Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes, Campbell's Green Bean Casserole, Hashbrown Casserole, Mustard Bean Pickles, and Homemade Air Buns.
You can also check out this list of easy side dishes for baked ham.
Printable Recipe
Double Smoked Ham On Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 1 pre-cooked ham 5-10 pounds
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup my homemade rub or your favorite BBQ rub *ingredients for homemade rub are below
- 1 cup orange juice
For The Ham Glaze
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For The Ham Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning a Club House seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Rinse the ham with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- If your ham is not spiral-cut, score the outside into a diamond pattern. Start at the top and make long, vertical cuts down to the bottom, about ¼-inch deep. Then, make a second set of cuts across the first ones, creating a diamond pattern. Space these cuts about 1½ inches apart.
- Place the ham cut side down in an aluminum pan. Brush the outside of the ham with olive oil and generously coat it with a spice rub. Pour orange juice around the ham. Place the ham in the smoker, close the lid, and smoke, uncovered, for about 2 hours until the ham's internal temperature reaches between 130°F and 135°F.
Prepare Ham Glaze
- As the ham nears 130°F, begin making the glaze. Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and ground cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the glaze comes to a boil, remove it from the heat immediately. Reserve ½ cup to ¾ cup of the glaze to serve with the ham.
- Once the ham's internal temperature hits between 130°F and 135°F, apply the glaze. Use a brush to evenly coat all sides of the ham. Reapply the glaze every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 140°F, which should take an additional hour.
- When the ham's internal temperature reaches 140°F, and it has a caramelized exterior, it's ready to come off the smoker. Remove the ham and cover it loosely with aluminum foil, creating a 'tent'. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve the smoked ham with the reserved glaze.
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Notes
- Store any leftover rub in an airtight container and use it in any pork or chicken recipe.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the ham reaches a safe internal temperature of 140 degrees F (according to the USDA).
- Store leftover ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Ramona says
This is a great smoked ham recipe and the glaze sounds amazing! I’m definitely going to make this delicious recipe for Christmas thanks for sharing. .
Jeannie says
My mom always prepare ham during Holidays. sharing this to her to complete the menu.
Raquel says
This is a great smoked ham recipe and that glaze! Will definitely make this delicious recipe again.
nancy says
super delicious! we didn't even have leftovers and we usually make extra!
Natalie says
Wow, what a lovely ham. Meat looks perfectly cooked and so flavorful. I will save this recipe and make it for our NY dinner
Oscar says
Great recipe. I made this for thanksgiving instead of a turkey and it turned out so well, I think I will make it again for Christmas. Thank you.
Kayla DiMaggio says
This double smoked ham recipe was delicious! We ate it all and didn't have any leftovers! We did save the ham bone for some soup though! 100/100!
Linda says
Traveling to the in-laws for Christmas, but I'm still in charge of holiday dinner! Just so happens they have a smoker and this is going on the menu! Think I'll try your bourbon variation because that sounds absolutely amazing!
Jeri says
Sounds fabulous, Linda! Let me know how it turns out!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
I love this even for a non-holiday meal because the leftovers are so great for sandwiches! Fabulous recipe.
Jeri says
Thanks, Lindsay! Your right, it is good any time of the year! The leftovers are so good!
Andréa Janssen says
This is such a great idea for Christmas dinner. Love the combination of all spices and the glaze. Yummie!!
Jeri says
Thanks, Andréa! It is so delicious!
Kim says
The perfect double smoked ham recipe. The glaze is so easy and delicious.
Jeri Walker says
Thank you so much Kim! I'm glad you liked it! 🙂