Double Smoked Ham With Glaze: Recipe and Cooking Tips

A double-smoked ham, or twice-smoked ham, is a pre-cured ham that undergoes a second round of smoking while reheating in a pellet grill or electric smoker. Since the spiral-cut hams you find in the grocery store come pre-smoked, double-smoking can enhance the smoke flavor and offer an opportunity for personalization with a homemade glaze.

To make a traditional holiday ham, butchers carve either a bone-in or boneless pork shank into a large spiral, resulting in its signature easy-to-serve slices. Because manufacturers pre-cook spiral-cut ham, it can be on the dry side once it makes it to your table; double-smoking helps lock in moisture with a glaze.

Pair double-smoked ham with an array of classic holiday side dishes, like mashed potatoes, cheesy casseroles, or crudité platters of spring vegetables. Here’s what else to know when double-smoking a ham:

1. 1. Choose the right wood chips or pellets. Selecting your wood is a great way to personalize your double-smoked ham. Stronger, more fragrant woods, like hickory or mesquite, will impart a smokier flavor than lighter fruit woods, like applewood or cherry wood, which leave behind a milder, fruitier note. Learn how to select smoking woods.
2. 2. Use a meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer eliminates the guesswork from the smoking process. Some smokers come equipped with a thermometer that constantly monitors the temperature of the roast as it cooks, but it’s okay to open the smoker and check manually near the end of the cooking time.
   
3. 3. Finish with an optional glaze under high heat. Simply bringing the ham up to temperature in a smoker—in a makeshift braise of broth or fruit juice—will add moisture and depth of flavor to the protein. To finish, try basting the finished ham with your favorite BBQ sauce (try Aaron Franklin’s BBQ rib sauce recipe) or a custom glaze, then increasing the smoker's temperature or transferring the protein to the oven on the broil setting.

A double-smoked ham, or twice-smoked ham, is a pre-cured ham that undergoes a second round of smoking while reheating in a pellet grill or electric smoker. Since the spiral-cut hams you find in the grocery store come pre-smoked, double-smoking can enhance the smoke flavor and offer an opportunity for personalization with a homemade glaze.

To make a traditional holiday ham, butchers carve either a bone-in or boneless pork shank into a large spiral, resulting in its signature easy-to-serve slices. Because manufacturers pre-cook spiral-cut ham, it can be on the dry side once it makes it to your table; double-smoking helps lock in moisture with a glaze.

Pair double-smoked ham with an array of classic holiday side dishes, like mashed potatoes, cheesy casseroles, or crudité platters of spring vegetables. Here’s what else to know when double-smoking a ham:

1. 1. Choose the right wood chips or pellets. Selecting your wood is a great way to personalize your double-smoked ham. Stronger, more fragrant woods, like hickory or mesquite, will impart a smokier flavor than lighter fruit woods, like applewood or cherry wood, which leave behind a milder, fruitier note. Learn how to select smoking woods.
2. 2. Use a meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer eliminates the guesswork from the smoking process. Some smokers come equipped with a thermometer that constantly monitors the temperature of the roast as it cooks, but it’s okay to open the smoker and check manually near the end of the cooking time.
   
3. 3. Finish with an optional glaze under high heat. Simply bringing the ham up to temperature in a smoker—in a makeshift braise of broth or fruit juice—will add moisture and depth of flavor to the protein. To finish, try basting the finished ham with your favorite BBQ sauce (try Aaron Franklin’s BBQ rib sauce recipe) or a custom glaze, then increasing the smoker's temperature or transferring the protein to the oven on the broil setting.