Glazed Christmas ham studded with cloves and topped with orange slices
    Photo: Tim Dawson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
    3 min read Planning Guide

    How to Smoke a Christmas Ham (Double-Smoked, Glazed)

    Short answer

    Smoke a fully cooked ham at 250°F (121°C), about 20 minutes per lb, brushing on a brown sugar and honey glaze every 15 minutes for the last 30–45 minutes. It's ready when the centre reads 140°F (60°C).

    Quick guide

    Smoked glazed ham

    4 h 5 min Easy Serves about 13 people
    Ham size (fully cooked, bone-in)
    Heat through to60°C / 140°F

    You need

    • 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (spiral-cut or whole), 10 lb (4.5 kg)
    • Glaze: 100 g (½ cup) brown sugar, 60 ml (¼ cup) honey or maple syrup, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp orange juice, a pinch of ground cloves
    • A foil tray
    • Apple or cherry wood

    1. Prep

      Take the ham out of the fridge 1 hour ahead. If it isn't spiral-cut, score the fat in 2–3 cm diamonds. Set it cut side down in a foil tray.

    2. Fire up

      Smoker or grill set up for indirect heat at 121°C / 250°F, with apple or cherry wood.

    3. Smoke

      Lid closed until the centre reads about 49°C / 120°F — about 2.5–3 h. Mix the glaze meanwhile.

    4. Glaze

      Brush on glaze every 15 minutes for the last 30–45 minutes, until the centre reads 60°C / 140°F.

    5. Rest and slice

      Rest 15 minutes, then slice. Spoon the juices from the tray over the slices.

    For fully cooked (ready-to-eat) hams. A fresh, uncooked ham must reach 63°C / 145°F and rest 3 minutes.

    Plan it around your serving time →

    Most Christmas hams are already cooked, so the smoker's job is to heat it through, add a second layer of smoke and build a sticky glaze. That's why it's called double-smoked, and why it's one of the easiest holiday showpieces.

    Check What You Bought

    Labels like fully cooked, ready to eat or spiral-cut mean the ham only needs reheating to 140°F (60°C). A fresh or uncooked ham is raw pork and must reach 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest, and it takes much longer.

    Keep It Moist

    Cook it cut side down in a foil tray so the exposed face doesn't dry out. A gentle smoker temperature of 250°F (121°C) heats it through without drying the outside.

    Want to skip the guesswork?

    Glaze Late

    Sugar burns. Brush the glaze on only in the last 30–45 minutes, every 15 minutes, so it builds up into a sticky lacquer instead of turning bitter.

    Plan Your Christmas Ham

    Answer a few quick questions and get a full step-by-step plan.

    4

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How long to smoke a fully cooked ham?

    About 20 minutes per lb at 250°F (121°C): about 3¼–3½ hours for a 10 lb ham, until the centre reads 140°F (60°C).

    What temperature should a smoked ham be?

    Reheat a fully cooked ham to 140°F (60°C). A fresh, uncooked ham must reach 145°F (63°C) and rest 3 minutes.

    When do you glaze a smoked ham?

    In the last 30–45 minutes, brushing every 15 minutes. Glazing earlier burns the sugar.

    Related Guides

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    How Long to Smoke a 10 lb Ham?

    Numbers for a 10 lb (4.5 kg) fully cooked bone-in ham on the smoker: how long it takes at each temperature, when to glaze it, and how many people it serves.

    How to Cook Prime Rib on the BBQ (Reverse Sear)

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