Best Charcoal Grilled Sugared Ham Recipes

GRILLED HAM

Steps:

• Preheat grill to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix brown sugar and mustard together in a bowl until a paste forms.
• Place ham on a large piece of aluminum foil. Spread brown sugar paste over entire ham. Wrap foil securely around ham, sealing all of the edges together. Place wrapped ham in a disposable pan.
• Grill ham on the preheated grill until heated through, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove ham from grill and let rest 30 minutes before slicing.

GRILLED GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat. For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)
• Cut three 12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil. Working one piece at a time, fold in half lengthwise. Fold in half again and fold in half one more time; you should have a long strip of foil about 1 1/2 inches wide. Twist the two ends of the strip in opposite directions making a twisted rope of foil. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of foil. Set all three ropes in the center of a small disposable aluminum roaster about 1 inch apart and place the ham on top. (The ropes will prevent the bottom of the ham from burning.) Cover tightly with foil and place over indirect heat (if your grill has a thermometer, it should be at around 325 degrees F). Cover the grill and cook until just warmed through, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, boil the pineapple juice, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the glaze is very thick and has the consistency of honey, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and remove from the heat.
• Carefully remove the foil cover from the ham and discard; baste with the glaze, making sure to get in between each slice. Increase the heat to medium-high and move the ham over direct heat. Cover the grill and cook until the glaze begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Baste again with the remaining glaze, then cover and cook until the glaze bubbles, 5 minutes more. Continue basting and cooking until the ham is shiny and the glaze begins to brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the grill and let sit 10 minutes, uncovered, before serving.
• Meanwhile, grill the pineapple rings over direct heat until charred on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool. Arrange the pineapple rings on the uncut portion of the ham, grill marks facing up, and use toothpicks to secure them in place. Place a cherry in the center of each ring and secure with a toothpick.
• Serve the ham with any accumulated juices, remaining pineapple rings and cherries on the side.

GRILLED HOLIDAY HONEY HAM

Steps:

• Trim the ham of any excess fat, but leaving 1/4-inch of fat on the ham. With a sharp knife, score the fat on the top of the ham. Place the ham on a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk together the brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cumin, ginger, mustard powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the dry rub mixture for the glaze. Season the ham with the remaining dry rub. Place plastic wrap over the ham and put it in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Allowing the seasoning to penetrate the ham overnight will give it a fuller flavor.
• Preheat your charcoal grill to 300 degrees F for indirect heat.
• Place the baking sheet with the ham on the grill grates, with the ham flat side down. Cover the grill and let the ham cook for 2 hours.
• Heat the butter, thyme, honey, vinegar, and reserved dry rub together in a medium saucepan until the butter melts. Stir together until smooth. Brush the ham with the glaze, cover with grill lid, and grill for 30 minutes more, basting the ham every 10 minutes with the glaze. Remove to a platter, let rest for 30 minutes, then carve and serve.

HONEY-CURED, HICKORY-SMOKED SHOULDER HAM

Steps:

• Make the brine: In a large pot, place 2 1/2 quarts water, the salt, honey, brown sugar and Prague powder. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until the salt, honey and sugar are dissolved.
• Make the spice bundle: Tie the cloves, allspice berries, bay leaves, lemon zest and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth.
• Stir the spice bundle and another 2 1/2 quarts ice water into the brine, remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
• While the brine cools, prepare the ham: Using paper towels, blot the pork shoulder dry on all sides. Using a sharp knife, score the ham in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through the skin but not through the meat and spacing the cuts 1 1/2 inches apart. (This is optional, as you'll remove the skin, but it facilitates injecting and gives the ham a striking appearance.)
• Measure out 2 cups brine and place in a deep measuring cup. Place the ham in a roasting pan. Draw the brine into a marinade injector and inject it deep into the ham all over, inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals and drawing it out slowly as you depress the plunger, until the brine starts to squirt out of the surface of the ham.
• Place the ham in a large pot or food-safe bucket with a lid, or 3-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the brine and flavorings (plus any brine in the roasting pan). If using a plastic bag, tightly seal, squeezing out any air, and place the bag in the roasting pan to corral any leaks. Brine the ham in the refrigerator for 3 days, turning the ham twice a day so it cures evenly.
• Pour the brine into a large pot and set aside. Remove the ham from its pot or bag and transfer it to a roasting pan. Using the marinade injector, re-inject the ham with brine (using 2 cups again, or more, if you can get more in), inserting the needle at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Return the ham and all the brine to the bag. (You can use a fresh bag, if you wish.) Continue brining the ham in the refrigerator for another 3 days, turning twice a day so it brines evenly. When ready for smoking, the meat will take on a pinkish hue.
• Drain the ham in a large colander, discarding the brine. Rinse the ham well with cold water, drain again and blot dry with paper towels. Place it on a wire rack over a roasting pan and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• If using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect grilling and heat it to 250 degrees. If using wood chips, soak them in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain. If using wood chunks, there is no need to soak them. (With a kettle grill, use less charcoal than normal to obtain this low temperature.) If using a smoker, heat it to 250 degrees following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Place the ham on the grate, fat-side up, using indirect heat, and add 1 1/2 cups wood chips or 2 wood chunks to the coals. Smoke the ham until handsomely browned and cooked through. (The internal temperature will be about 160 degrees.) This typically takes about 7 hours, but you may need more or less time, depending on your ham, smoker and the weather. Add wood chips (about 1 1/2 cups) or chunks (1 large or 2 medium) per hour to the embers to maintain a constant flow of smoke. Rotate your ham a few times during cooking so that it browns evenly, and drape it loosely with foil if it seems to be darkening too much.
• Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it cool for 20 minutes. Pull off the skin. (If you're feeling ambitious, you can fry the skin in 350-degree oil to make smoke-flavored cracklings.)
• Thinly slice the ham across the grain and serve. You can serve the ham hot, at room temperature, or chilled. Refrigerated, it will keep for at least a week.

GRILLED BOURBON HAM

Steps:

• Remove the ham from its wrapping. If it's a canned ham, rinse off any gel and pat dry with paper towel.
• Score the ham on the top and sides into a 1-inch diamond pattern. Then push a clove into each square.
• Preheat the grill for indirect cooking to 225°F To do this, place a disposable aluminum pan in the middle of the charcoal grate and make two small piles of charcoal on either side of the pan. You can also add some wood for extra flavor. I add a few Kingsford apple wood chunks when I'm grilling a ham. Light the charcoal and close the lid but make sure the air vents are open enough to keep the charcoal burning at a low heat. If your grill doesn't have a built-in thermometer, you can place an oven thermometer on the warming rack. Also, during the cooking, periodically check the temperature and add a few extra coals as necessary in order to maintain heat.
• Brush the ham with 1 cup orange juice. Use less or more according to the size of your ham.
• Place the ham over the aluminum pan on the grill and shut the lid. Grill for 3-5 hours, depending on the size of the ham and the color you want it to be.
• While the ham begins to cook, make the glaze. Combine all the other ingredients, except for the pineapple rings, in a saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring for about 20 minutes as the glaze thickens. Then remove saucepan from heat and let cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Glaze the ham every 10-15 minutes during the final hour of grilling. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking, place the pineapple rings on the ham and secure them with toothpicks.
• When the ham is done grilling, remove it from the grill and place it on a cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Carve and serve.