How to Smoke a Ham | Kingsford™

What You'll Need

Before starting, make sure you have everything on this list. We recommend Kingsford™ Original Charcoal Briquets. And don’t skip the digital meat thermometer — it’s the best way to make sure your ham is done.

FUELS AND TOOLS

Kingsford™ Original Charcoal Briquets
Kingsford™ Chimney Starter (Optional)
Preferred Ignition Aid (Fire Starters, Kindling or Lighter Fluid)
Digital Meat Thermometer
Aluminum Pan
Tongs
Paper Towels
Sharp Knife

INGREDIENTS

1 Fully Cooked Ham (Not Uncured or Fresh) Shank Portion, Butt Portion or Loaf Style
Seasonings of Your Choice: Whole Cloves, Dry Mustard, Herbs, Brown Sugar or Pineapple Rings are Favorites
Sweet Glaze

Enable cookies to see recommended recipes

How to Prep

Score your ham, about ¼” deep in a crosshatch pattern to allow seasonings to penetrate the meat, and apply your choice of seasonings.

How to Build Your Fire

Give your top grill grate a good brushing and set it aside. Pour Kingsford™ Original Charcoal Briquets into a chimney — or pour them in a mound and light. Wait for coals to light fully.
Once the charcoal turns gray with ash, arrange coals in a Two-Zone Fire: Parallel Configuration with coals along each side of the grill, and a void in the middle to place an aluminum pan with water.
Coals should be at Low Heat — about 325°F. How to control the heat when grilling with charcoal.
Add the grate and let it heat up.
There are many types of charcoal grills that work well, such as a Kettle Grill or an Offset Smoker. You may also consider the convenience of a Pellet Grill where most models ignite with the press of a button. For more details, see How to Prep a Charcoal Grill.
When you’re at temp, put cooking oil on a folded paper towel. Grab the oiled paper towel with long-handled tongs and oil the grate thoroughly.

Get Grilling

Place your seasoned ham in the center of the grate, right over the water pan with the coals on either side. Close the lid on your grill and adjust your vents to maintain a temperature of about 325°F. Add more coals as necessary. Let your ham grill-roast for roughly 15 minutes per pound. Because the ham is already fully cooked, you just need to bring it up to temperature.
When the ham reaches about 120°F, you can apply a sweet glaze. Glazes typically contain a dominant sweet element like honey or maple syrup, cut with mustard and often bourbon or whiskey. Brush the glaze on periodically until the ham reaches a final temperature of 145°F.

The Finish

Once your ham reaches an internal temperature of 145°F, let the ham cool for about 10 minutes prior to slicing. Slice the ham across the grain into pieces about ¼” thick. If you have a bone-in ham, cut large pieces of the ham away from the bone first, then thinly slice the large pieces on your cutting board.

^For safe meat and other food preparation, reference the USDA website.^