Whether you are gathering for the holidays or looking to enjoy the summer, this delicious pellet grill ham with bourbon orange glaze is perfect for any occasion.
Glazed with both sweet and tangy flavors from brown sugar, bourbon, and orange juice glaze, this ham will blow your mind and your taste buds!
This pellet grill ham is easy to prep, easy to make, and even easier to sit back and enjoy when it’s ready.
Looking for more mouthwatering pellet grill recipes? Check out some of my favorites like The Best Smoked Cream Cheese on the Pellet Grill, Best Pellet Grill Brisket: Tips and Tricks, and Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken Legs!
Pellet Grill Ham Recipe
While everyone’s holiday traditions are different, this pellet grill ham is perfectly delicious all year long, but especially for the holidays!
With flavor-bursting glaze in every bite, you and your guests won’t believe your taste buds.
Now, there are many ways to glaze a ham and a variety of glazes out there. However, this glaze is sweet, tangy, and an absolute crowd favorite.
What are you waiting for? Roll up your sleeves, grab your pellet grill, head to the store, and let’s get smoking! In about 3 hours, trust me, you are going to thank me (and yourself)!
Ingredients to Make Pellet Grill Ham with Bourbon Orange Glaze
Ham. For this recipe, I used a 10 lb spiral ham. Depending on how many people you are cooking for and how big your pellet grill is the size of your ham may change. Note, with the weight change, there will be a smoking time change as well. You don’t want to overcook your ham!
The Glaze. For the glaze, you will need a ½ stick of butter, 4 oz of bourbon, 1 cup of brown sugar, and ½ cup of orange juice.
How to Make Pellet Grill Ham
Preheat. Set pellet grill to 225° Fahrenheit.
Drain. Drain any liquid from ham and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a sheet pan.
Smoke. Smoke for 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches about 140°F.
Prep Glaze. While ham is smoking. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat before adding bourbon. *Turn OFF the heat while adding the bourbon then slowly turn the flame back on and cook for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
Whisk. Whisk in orange juice and cook for 5 minutes.
Add brown sugar. Stir in brown sugar until it’s smooth. Cook for about 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
Remove from heat. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Add Glaze. After 3 hours of smoking, raise the pellet grill temperature to 275°F and begin glazing the ham every 20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 170°F. Ensure you do at least 3 coats.
Useful Tools to Make this Recipe
- Pellet Grill
- Sheet Pan
- Basting Brush
Your equipment makes a huge difference in both the cooking experience and the outcome of the dish.
Traeger pellet grills are one of my favorite tools; they truly smoke everything to perfection. If you really want to take smoking to the next level consider adding one of these Traeger pellet grills to your arsenal.
Don’t have a Traeger or aren’t ready to pull the trigger on it yet? Some of my other favorite smoker brands include recteq and pit boss.
As we all know, grilling can be messy. Using a sheet pan will significantly reduce your clean-up by keeping everything contained.
Avoid a scramble to figure out how to apply the glaze by having a basting brush on hand before you begin. They really are a game-changer in easily adding flavor to any dish.
Wine and Liquor Pairing for the Holidays
Ham typically goes best with fruity wines that complement the sweet-and-salty meat with a touch of sweet, bold fruit and plenty of acidities.
The sweet glaze of our ham works well with bright, fruity red wine. While a spicier ham goes nicely with a Zinfandel or Pinotage.
Serving more than just ham? Pair up your dinner with a classic Christmas favorite Châteauneuf-du-Pape which pairs wonderfully with both ham and turkey.
Prefer beer? Try a darker ale or porter to go with the sweet glaze.
Side Dishes for your Pellet Grill Ham
What is dinner without side dishes that make you drool?! There are so many fantastic pairings to make this a complete meal or holiday feast.
Some of my favorites include Cast-iron-roasted-new-potatoes, a refreshing Corn-avocado-summer-salad, mouthwatering Homemade-batter-rolls, or veggies of any kind.
Can you refrigerate leftovers?
Of course! You can’t let that ham go to waste! Grab an air-tight container and toss your leftovers in the fridge! They will stay for about 2-4 days.
Looking for an idea for your leftovers? Consider making ham soup!
Can you freeze leftover ham?
Absolutely! Frozen ham can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months. My only recommendation here is that you use a high-quality freezer bag to ensure nothing gets freezer burned.
What to make with leftover ham?
There is nothing better than repurposing a meal! Take that leftover ham and …
- Make sandwiches.
- Chop up small pieces and use them as pizza toppings.
- Make soup
- Use it for breakfast with your eggs or breakfast burritos.
- Chop up large and small pieces and use them in a salad!
The possibilities are endless!
More Recipes you will love
Pellet Grill Ham with Bourbon Orange Glaze
Equipment
- Pellet Grill
- Sheet Pan
- Basting Brush
Ingredients
- 10 lbs Spiral Ham
- ½ stick Butter
- 4 oz Bourbon
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Orange Juice
Instructions
- Preheat the pellet grill to 225 degrees F
- Drain off any liquid from cooked ham and pat dry with paper towels then place on a sheet pan. Smoke for about 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees F.
- While Ham is smoking prepare the glaze. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat before adding bourbon. turn off the heat when adding bourbon then slowly turn the flame back on and cook for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Whisk in orange juice and cook for 5 minutes, then add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Cook for about 2 minutes, constantly stirring, then remove from heat and set aside.
- After 3 hours of smoking raise the pellet grill temperature to 275 degrees F. and begin glazing the ham every 20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Get at least 3 coats of glaze on the ham.
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