Twice Smoked Spiral Ham with Cajun Fruit Glaze

Last Updated on November 16, 2023 by Carne Diem

Protein: Ham

Method: Grill or Smoker

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Smoking an Easter ham has become a tradition in our family the last few years. One of our favorite ways to do this is to double smoke a spiral ham and finish it off with a sweet and slightly spicy ham glaze consisting of brown sugar, Cajun seasoning and some spicy-peach preserves.

Making the Double Smoked Spiral Ham

To make the double smoked Easter ham you will want a roughly 8-9 pound spiral smoked ham. Often these hams come with a glaze packet that we just save for use at another time since we will be making a homemade ham glaze for the smoked ham.

Remove the pre-smoked spiral ham over a foil pan or roasting pan, and reserve all of the juices from the ham. If desired you can season the outside of the ham with a favorite all-purpose seasoning or BBQ rub but we do not typically find this to be necessary.

Smoking a pre-smoked spiral ham

Preheat your smoker to 275-325 degrees. This twice smoked ham turns out great on a pellet smoker, stick burner, or charcoal based smoker. Smoked ham on a pellet grill will tend to have a milder smoke flavor, while making the double smoked spiral ham on an offset smoker will tend to have the strongest smoke flavor.

Once the smoker is preheated, place the spiral ham, with the pan and its juices, on the smoker. The ham is already cooked so it basically just need to be heated back though and get that second level of smoke. Cook the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. To prevent the spiral ham from drying out, baste the ham with the pan juices about every 20-30 minutes. Keeping the surface of the meat moist also aids in smoke adherence to the meat. Rotate the ham in the smoker, as needed, if one side appears to be getting darker than the rest.

Once the ham has achieved a nice browned color, you can chose to cover the ham in foil to keep the smoked ham from drying out or become to dark.

What type of wood is best for smoking a ham?

For smoking pellet grill spiral ham, almost any wood flavor will do well. Pellet smokers, like Traeger or Pit Boss impart a subtle smoke flavor so stronger woods like oak or hickory turn out great. In fact, hickory smoked spiral ham is one of our favorite ways to smoke ham on a pellet grill.

For offset or charcoal smokers like a ceramic smoker, we recommend using a milder flavored wood, like fruit woods. When we make this smoked spiral ham on our BGE, our favorite double smoked hams have been made with peach or cherry wood, which pair well with the fruit glaze for the ham.

Making the Spicy Fruit Glaze for the Twice Smoked Ham

While the ham is cooking on the smoker, it is time to make the homemade ham glaze. To make the Cajun inspired fruit glaze for the ham you will need brown sugar, Dijon or whole grain mustard, Cajun seasoning, and some spicy fruit preserves.

Combine the fruit glaze ingredients in a small pan and heat gently, until smooth and well combined, and the brown sugar has all melted. Stir frequently to keep the sugars from burning.

Once the ham fruit and chili glaze is done cooking, turn off the heat and reserve.

Best spicy fruit preserves for a ham glaze

We are fortunate enough to have some great venders at our local Farmer's Markets that make some fantastic fruit jams and preserves with chiles for a little bit of heat. Some of our favorite combinations for making this smoked Easter ham are Apricot-Jalapeno and Peach-Habanero preserves. Pepperlane Sweet Heat Jalapeno Preserves have also been a crowd pleaser. If you are unable to find this type of preserve locally you can use 4 tablespoons of your favorite fruit preserve and 2 tablespoons of jalapeno jelly.

Glaze the Smoked Easter Ham

Once the Southern style smoked ham has reached 130 degrees, begin to baste it with the spicy peach glaze. Cook the ham for about 10 minutes then double baste with a second coat of the fruit glaze. Cook an additional 10 minutes uncovered, and your peach glazed ham is ready to eat.

How long does it take to smoke a pre-smoked ham?

It typically takes about 2-3 hours to double smoke a ham depending on the cook temperature. When smoked at 275-325 degrees, allow about 12-18 minutes per pound but monitor the cook with a meat thermometer and pull the ham from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches about 135-140 degrees.

What to serve with Twice Smoked Easter Ham

Whenever smoking an Easter ham we like to serve it with some smoked and grilled sides. Some of our favorites are Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes, Fried Mashed Potato Cakes with Herbes de Provence Butter, and Grilled Corn and Goat Cheese Salad or check out some more of the best sides for smoked ham:

• Fire Roasted Tomato Soup
• Christmas Salad With Chestnuts and Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Fried Boursin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Holiday Stuffing with Truffle Sausage
• Smoked Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes
• Smoked Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese

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