This Double Smoked Ham is smoked and coated with a flavorful homemade honey glaze. It's a perfect combination of smokey, salty, and sweet and a great choice for preparing your next Easter or Christmas ham.
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What is Double Smoked Ham?
Store-bought smoked ham is wet cured with a nitrate solution and fully pre-cooked, then most often baked at home to reheat the meat before serving. A double smoked ham, also known as "twice smoked ham" is smoked a second time instead of baking to reheat the ham.
If you're new to smoking or in the market for a smoker, check out my beginner's guide to smoking meat. There you'll find details on different types of smokers, recipes for your smoker, and some of my favorite accessories.
Why this Recipe Works
Cooking a ham in a smoker gives it an extra touch of smokey flavor. But don't worry; it's not overwhelming. It's just enough extra flavor to elevate an ordinary supermarket ham and take it to the next level!
For this smoked ham recipe I also make a homemade honey ham glaze to add a layer of candy-like sweetness that is a perfect combination with the smokey, salty ham. The beautiful glaze makes this ham glisten and turns it into a true show stopper and the perfect centerpiece to impress guests at your next holiday meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Ham - I like to use spiral sliced ham because it's the easiest to serve, but this recipe can also be used for an unsliced bone-in ham or a boneless ham.
- Mustard - A mixture of yellow mustard and dijon mustard adds an extra layer of savory flavor to the ham and helps to avoid drying out the exterior of the ham. You can use all yellow or all dijon if you prefer.
Ham Glaze Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250℉. While it heats, combine the yellow mustard, dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl.
- Set the ham in a large foil pan, with the cut side down, then spread the mustard mixture on the ham to coat it. Transfer the ham to your smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 125℉. Plan on 20 minutes per pound or around 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your ham.
Note: I use a pellet grill for this recipe, so I don't add wood chips or chunks to produce smoke. If using another type of smoker, add your wood when adding the ham to the smoker. I recommend using applewood.
- While the ham cooks, mix the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sugar and butter have melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. The mixture will thicken as it cools, so if you make it in advance, you may need to reheat it to thin it and make it easier to spread.
- Once the ham has reached 125℉, pour around one-third to half of the glaze over the ham and use a brush or spatula to spread it over the exterior. Raise the temperature of your smoker to 375℉ and cook for 15 minutes. Then spread the remaining glaze over the ham and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 140-145℉. Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
Recipe Tips
- Use a disposable aluminum pan when smoking your ham. This will contain the drippings and makes clean up a breeze.
- Place the cut side of the ham down in the pan when smoking the ham. This will help to avoid drying out the slices on that end during the cooking process.
- A digital meat thermometer with a leave-in probe is the best way to monitor the internal temperature of your ham as it cooks.
- For traditional smokers, I recommend using a fruitwood such as apple to smoke your ham for a milder smoke flavor. If you're using a pellet grill such as a Traeger, the smoke level is typically lighter than traditional smokers, so most pellet varieties will work, but I would avoid mesquite.
- Save the ham bone and any bits of meat to use in a batch of my Instant Pot split pea soup.
Recipe Variations
You can adjust the spices or the glaze ingredients to alter the flavor profile of your smoked ham.
- After coating the ham with mustard, sprinkle on a liberal coating of your favorite barbecue rub seasoning to add more smokey BBQ flavor.
- Swap the honey for an equal amount of maple syrup for maple-glazed smoked ham.
- For apricot glazed ham, reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup and cinnamon to ¼ teaspoon, then add 1 cup of apricot preserves to the glaze.
- To make pineapple glazed smoked ham, omit the orange juice and honey, and add an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple with the juice when preparing the glaze.
FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For larger portions, place the ham in a shallow baking dish and cover with foil, then reheat leftovers in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave.
Plan on around 20 minutes per pound to smoke an average sized, 8 to 10 pound spiral-sliced ham. The goal is to heat the ham to an internal temperature of around 140℉.
For a small boneless ham plan 15 min per pound.
If using a whole bone-in ham plan on around 30 minutes per pound.
You can make this recipe in an oven, but it will not be a double-smoked ham. For that, you will need a smoker, but you can purchase a pre-smoked ham, and it will still be a delicious holiday ham.
Season the ham with the mustard mixture as directed, then cover with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for around 2 hours (approximately 20 minutes per pound).
While it bakes, prepare the glaze. Then uncover and coat with the honey glaze. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for another 20-30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F. Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before serving.
What to Serve with Smoked Ham
This double smoked ham is loaded with savory, sweet flavor. It pairs well with most holiday classics like green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, and sweet potato soufflé. My creamy broccoli salad or baked macaroni and cheese are also excellent options.
More Holiday Recipes
📖 Recipe
Double Smoked Ham with Honey Glaze
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 8 pound spiral sliced ham
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
Honey Glaze
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250℉. While it heats, combine the yellow mustard, dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl.
- Set the ham in a large foil pan, with the cut side down, then spread a thin layer of the mustard mixture around the outside of the ham. Transfer the ham to the smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 125℉. Plan on 20 minutes per pound. For a spiral-sliced ham, this is usually around 2½ to 3 hours.
- While the ham cooks, mix the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sugar and butter have melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Once the ham has reached 125℉, pour around one-third to half of the glaze over the ham and use a brush or spatula to coat the exterior. Raise the temperature of your smoker to 375℉ and cook for 15 minutes. Then spread the remaining glaze over the ham and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 140-145℉. Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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