If you’re looking for the most flavorful holiday ham, this Smoked Ham with Honey Apple Glaze is the answer! Cooking a ham in the smoker infuses it with rich, smoky flavor while keeping the meat perfectly tender and moist. Finished with the best ham glaze that caramelizes beautifully on the outside, this recipe is easy to make and guaranteed to impress. Whether you’re hosting Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or a weekend barbecue, this smoked spiral ham will steal the show at any table!

Sliced spiral ham glazed to a shiny brown, stacked on a white plate. Fresh herbs in the background and a red-striped cloth

Why this will be your new favorite ham recipe

  1. It’s delicious! The most important part of every recipe is the taste, and this ham recipe is full of flavor. From the brown sugar bbq seasoning, to the honey apple glaze (spiced up a bit with pepper jelly!), this ham recipe is so delicious!
  2. It’s actually really easy to make. Just season, smoke, and glaze! Three steps to a perfectly cooked, perfectly flavorful ham.
  3. It’s a great way to save money! A 10 pound Honey Baked Ham will cost you $125. I made this entire recipe for $30!!
  4. No smoker? No problem! You can use the flavorful seasoning and glaze to also make this ham in the oven.
A collection of ingredients for ham on a wooden surface. Included are a large wrapped ham, brown sugar, honey, apple juice, butter, jam, and seasoning.

Ingredients

Here I explain the best ingredients for this smoked ham recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Bone-In Spiral Sliced Ham – this recipe will work for any size ham, but using the measurements in this recipe, you’ll want a ham that’s 8-12 pounds. If your ham is smaller, around 4-6 pounds, you’ll want to cut the ingredients in half for the rub and glaze. I recommend using a spiral cut ham, as it’s already sliced, and it’s what you’re most likely to find at a traditional grocery store. The ham will also be fully cooked, so you’re not glazing and “cooking” the ham, you’re basically glazing and double smoking the ham.
  • Butter
  • BBQ seasoning – for this recipe I mimicked my smoked pork tenderloin recipe, which is one of my all-time favs. I used my homemade bbq seasoning, that has a base of brown sugar, to add a sweet and smoky crust on the outside of the ham. You can click the link for the recipe, or use your favorite bottle of bbq seasoning, but I would recommend one that has a base of brown sugar, so you get that extra layer of sweetness on the ham as it smokes.
  • Brown sugar
  • Pepper jelly – I love a sweet and spicy combo, especially on smoked meats. That being said, if you’d like to stick with a sweet glaze, I recommend using an apple jam, or apple preserves, to replace the pepper jelly. Since we’re already using apple juice in the glaze, it’s a natural pairing for a sweet glaze.
  • Honey
  • Apple juice – we’ll use some in the glaze, and some to spritz the ham throughout the cooking process.

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Cooked ham covered with melted butter, placed in a shiny aluminum tray.
A large, seasoned ham covered in a brown sugar spice rub sits in an aluminum pan on a gray countertop, ready for cooking.
A seasoned ham covered in a brown sugar spice rub rests in a foil tray on a smoker.
A large, well-seasoned ham with a crispy, dark crust sits in a foil pan on a smoker.

Season and smoke the ham.

  1. Place the ham (cut side down) in an aluminum pan. I buy these online in a set of 30 and use them regularly on the smoker. Pour cooled, melted butter over the entire ham and rub it on the tops and sides. Sprinkle the bbq seasoning evenly on all sides of the ham and rub it in until it’s fully covered.
  2. Place the seasoned ham in the pan on a smoker preheated to 250°F. You want to smoke the ham in the pan, because as you’ll see in the photos, a lot of juices come off the ham during the cooking and glazing process and you don’t want to make a huge mess in your smoker.
  3. Place a thermometer in the ham so that you can monitor the temperature as it heats up on the smoker. I use the probe that came with my Traeger grill, but if you don’t have a probe, you can also use a wireless meat thermometer. I like this one from ThermoPro and use it when cooking multiple meats on the smoker at one time.
  4. Smoke the ham until the internal temperature reaches 110°F. I recommend spritzing the ham with apple juice about every 30 minutes, but this is optional. It will probably take around 3 hours for the ham to reach an internal temperature of 110°F. But always remember to smoke to temperature not time. The weather conditions outside will affect the smoke time, as well as the size of the ham, how often you open the smoker while it’s cooking, and so on.
Ham glaze bubbling in a silver pot, creating an amber, frothy liquid.
A smoked ham in a foil tray is being glazed with sauce using a red brush, on a smoker.
smoked ham with a glossy, caramelized glaze sits in a foil tray on a smoker
Close-up of a glazed, roasted ham on a wooden board. The ham's exterior is caramelized and crispy

Prepare the glaze and glaze the ham.

  1. While the ham is cooking, add brown sugar, pepper jelly, honey, and apple juice to a saucepan on the stove over high heat. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-high and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
  2. Once the ham hits an internal temperature of 110°F, brush 1/4 of the glaze on the top and sides of the ham. Wait until the ham reaches 120°F, then brush with another 1/4 of the glaze. Repeat when the ham hits 130°F and 140°F. After glazing the ham at 140°F, remove it from the smoker. Let the ham rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving.
Sliced, glazed ham on a white platter with fresh thyme

How to slice the ham

  1. Stand the ham up on a cutting board with the slices falling down towards the board (as it’s seen pictured above). Place a carving fork in the back of the ham. Slice around the bone in the middle of the ham with a pairing knife. Cut as close to the bone as possible, so you don’t leave any ham behind. The slices will naturally start to fall off the ham. Place the slices of ham on a serving platter.
  2. With the remaining unsliced portion of the ham, once again, place a carving fork in the back side of the ham, about 1/2 inch from the back end. Use a large, sharp knife to slice the remaining ham however thick or thin you’d like the slices. If the slices are still stuck on the bone, use the pairing knife to remove the slices from the bone.
  3. Save the ham bone, and any meat still attached to it, to make flavorful pinto beans.

How to make it in the oven

The rub and glaze on the ham are so good, even if you don’t have a smoker, you can use this recipe to make a delicious ham in the oven.

  1. Place the ham in a roasting pan. Rub the ham with the butter and bbq seasoning. Place in a preheated 250°F oven for 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 110°F.
  2. Prepare the glaze while the ham is roasting in the oven. Glaze the ham when it reaches 110°F, then again at 120°F, and again at 130°F. At 140°F, remove the ham from the oven and brush with any remaining glaze. Rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Since a pre-cooked spiral ham has already been smoked when you purchase it, you’re essentially just reheating it on the smoker or in the oven. While you obviously get more smoke flavor from double smoking the ham, it’s also really delicious in the oven with the incredible flavor of the glaze.

Close-up of a glazed, spiral-cut ham on a white platter, showcasing juicy, tender slices. Fresh herbs and a red cloth are pictured in the background.

What to serve it with

Smoked ham is delicious around the holidays, but it’s easy enough to make any time of the year. It makes for an impressive dinner for friends or family, special occasions, or birthdays. I love to serve the ham with scalloped potatoes and vegetables, but it really is delicious with any of these scrumptious side dishes!

Ways to use the leftovers

Leftover ham is beautiful thing! You can use it to make snacks, breakfast, or dinner. Try using any leftover smoked ham in these delicious recipes.

Ham Fried Rice

Cranberry Brie Ham Sliders

Monte Cristo Rolls

Potato & Ham Hash: Three Ways
Sliced spiral ham glazed to a shiny brown, stacked on a white plate. Fresh herbs in the background and a red-striped cloth
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Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Apple Glaze

Make the most flavorful Smoked Ham with this easy recipe! Perfect for holidays or BBQs, this smoked spiral ham is juicy, tender, and glazed to perfection with the most delicious sweet and spicy glaze!
Servings: 20 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

  • 10 pound bone-in spiral sliced ham
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • ¼ cup bbq seasoning, click link for the recipe
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup pepper jelly, or apple preserves
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons apple juice, + more for spritzing the ham

Instructions

  • Preheat a smoker to 250°F.
  • Place the ham in an aluminum pan, cut side down. Pour the melted butter over the ham and rub it on the tops and sides. Sprinkle the bbq seasoning evenly over the ham, then massage it on the top and sides until it's fully covered.
  • Place the ham on the smoker in the aluminum pan, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 110°F (this should take around 3 hours). Optional: spritz with apple juice every 30 minutes.
  • While the ham is cooking, add 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup pepper jelly, ¼ cup honey, and 2 tablespoons apple juice to a saucepan on the stove over high heat. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. After the mixture boils, let it simmer for 5 minutes, then remove it from the heat.
  • Once the ham hits an internal temperature of 110°F, brush ¼ of the glaze on the top and sides of the ham. Wait until the ham reaches 120°F, then brush with another ¼ of the glaze. Repeat when the ham hits 130°F and 140°F. 
  • After glazing the ham at 140°F, remove it from the smoker and let the ham rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving. See the blog post above for step-by-step slicing instructions.

Notes

  • You can make this recipe ahead of time. If you’d like to keep the sliced ham warm before serving, place it in a slow cooker on warm. Pour in the liquid from the aluminum pan. This will keep it moist and juicy.
  • When purchasing a bone-in ham, you’ll want to purchase approximately 1/2 pound of meat per person. Some of that weight will be in the bone and the end weight after cooking the ham will be less.
  • If using a frozen ham to make this recipe, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator 3 days before making this recipe. This will allow it to thaw completely.
  • Store leftover ham in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days. You can reheat the ham, or eat it cold.
  • To reheat leftover smoked ham slices in the oven, wrap them in foil and reheat them at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until warm.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten free when made with my homemade BBQ seasoning.
  • I used a Traeger grill for this recipe, but you can also make it on a traditional smoker, electric smoker, or charcoal grill.
  • I recommend Traeger Apple Pellets for this recipe. You can also use other mild flavored pellets or wood chips, such as cherry, maple or pecan.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 640kcal (32%)Carbohydrates 20g (7%)Protein 49g (98%)Fat 39g (60%)Saturated Fat 14g (70%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 144mg (48%)Sodium 2707mg (113%)Potassium 688mg (20%)Fiber 0.3g (1%)Sugar 18g (20%)Vitamin A 153mg (3%)Vitamin C 1mg (1%)Calcium 55mg (6%)Iron 3mg (17%)
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