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As you know, I love spicy food, and this recipe just brought it all together.  It has a great mix of spices, smokiness and sweetness.  I’ve never been a big fan of this protein until I started testing and making my own recipes.  And let me tell you, this Cajun Honey Ham is on top of my list of favorites.  The tenderness of the ham with with the crispy edges covered in this deliciously flavorful glaze will be the perfect centerpiece for your next holiday gathering.

Looking for ham recipes for the Holidays, try my smoked cajun honey ham or maple bourbon ham. Both are full of non traditional flavors that work well on this protein.

Cajun Honey Ham.

Holiday Ham.

There cannot be a holiday gathering without some ham. Baked or smoked, sweet or savory, spiral or whole, the variations and flavors are endless.

Ham comes from the butt or shank of the pig. Most commonly sold precooked, all this holiday protein needs is some flavor.

The beauty of pork is that it’s a very versatile protein and can be adapted to personal preference. While a traditional holiday ham has a sweet glaze with pineapples and cherries on top, there are so many other great and delicious options to choose from.

Ingredient List for Cajun Honey Ham.

  • Ham: for this recipe I used a whole bone-in ham spiral cut ham.
  • Dark Rum: adds sweetness from notes of molasses, caramel and spices. 
  • Butter: adds creaminess to the cajun glaze.
  • Honey: adds natural sweetness to the glaze.
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: adds a kick to the sauce. Adjust heat levels to your liking.
  • Cayenne Pepper: adds a fiery, pungent and slightly sweet flavor to the recipe.

Step 1: Prep the Cajun Honey Ham.

Remove the ham out of the packaging and place it onto a wire rack inside a foil pan.  The reason for the wire rack is to allow air to flow around the ham and allow the rendered juices to drip without making the bottom soggy. The secret to the tenderness and juiciness of this ham is the dark rum.  Yes, that’s right!  Pour a little rum on the bottom of the pan and it’s ready to hit the grill.

ham and rum.

Recipe Tip

The alcohol content will cook off while on simmer making it safe to consume by children.

Step 2: How to grill Cajun Honey Ham

Preheat your grill to 300 degrees for indirect heat. Total cook time will depend on the size of the ham, but should take about 2.5 hours or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 150 degrees and the edges start to crips up.

How to create an indirect heat set up on the grill

Dual zone heat set up on a charcoal grill.

Indirect heat is created differently depending on the type of grill you have.

  • Gas grill: Turn the burners on one half of the grill. For indirect heat, place food on the opposite end.
  • Charcoal grill: position the heated charcoal to one half of the round bowl. For indirect heat, place the food on the opposite end.
  • Komodo style grill: use a plate setter that will deflect direct heat from the food on the grates.

Dad’s Seasonings

Must have grillin seasonings!

Step 3: How to make homemade cajun honey butter sauce.

cajun honey glaze ingredients.

This sweet and spicy cajun sauce is what made this ham recipe for me.  It has the perfect balance of sugar and heat in a caramelized sticky glaze.

In a sauce pan, melt butter, add honey, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and Italian seasoning.  Feel free to adjust the level of heat depending on your preference with the cayenne and pepper flakes.  Simmer over low-med heat making sure to continuously whisk as the sauce thickens.

sliced cajun honey ham.

While the ham is still on the grill, pour this amazingly aromatic glaze over the meat and let it caramelize over the edges.

Carve and serve this delicious cajun honey ham to family and friends.  Enjoy!

If you tried this Cajun Honey Ham or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!

4.91 from 11 votes

Cajun Honey Ham

This cajun honey ham is on top of my list of favorites.  The tenderness of the ham with with the crispy edges covered in this deliciously flavorful glaze will be the perfect centerpiece for your next holiday gathering.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8 People

Ingredients 

  • 1 Spiral cut ham
  • 1 cup Dark rum

Cajun Honey Sauce ingredients

  • 4 sticks Unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup Honey
  • 2 tbsp Minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Crushed red peppers
  • 1 tbsp Cayenne pepper

Instructions 

  • Remove the ham out of the packaging and place it onto a wire rack inside a foil pan. 
  • Pour a little rum on the bottom of the pan.
  • Preheat your grill to 300 degrees for indirect heat.
  • 2.5 hours total cook time or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees and the edges start to crips up.

Cajun Honey sauce instructions

  • Ina sauce pan, melt butter, add honey, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and Italian seasoning. Simmer over low-med heat making sure to continuously whisk as the sauce thickens.
  • Pour the glaze over the ham while still on the grill and let it caramelize over the edges.

Notes

You can substitute orange juice with apple, cranberry or pineapple juice.
Do not overcook the ham.  Max temp should be around 140 degrees.
Add liquid to the bottom of the pan to add additional moisture.
Alcohol content will cook off while on simmer making it safe to consume by children.
A great substitute for the rum is apple juice, apple juice or simply just leave it out.

Nutrition

Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1693IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!

About Maciek

I make easy meals that anyone can replicate at home. I’m not a professionally trained chef, just your average guy that likes to fire up the grill. So follow along and see what’s cooking today!

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4.91 from 11 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I gave this Cajun Honey Ham a go for Easter and the family claimed “best ham they ever had.” I picked up a hickory smoked, spiral cut ham at Costco. Chunked the glaze that came with it, used your glaze. I did it in the oven because it was raining hard all day and already had some smoke. A do-over! Thanks.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this ham for Easter, but I didn’t have enough space in my oven, and it was raining outside. So, I decided to put it in the crockpot for 6 hours. I started by placing the rum at the bottom of the crockpot and then boiling the remaining ingredients. After that, I poured the mixture over the ham. Once my oven was free, I placed the ham in a foil pan, thickened the glaze, and placed it in the oven to carmalize. It turned out to be incredibly delicious. Everyone raved about the ham, even my mother-in-law, who doesn’t usually eat ham. In fact, my MIL took some leftovers home.

  3. 5 stars
    Two years ago we where the first time in the States, since we love cajun. When we cook with your recipe, we feel everytime beeing back, like an explotiion in our mouth.
    One of our favorite recipes, thx🤩
    .

  4. 5 stars
    This ham is an amazing twist on the typical honey ham. I began making this recipe about a year ago after seeing Maciek‘s reel on Instagram. Since then, I have made about 20 Cajun honey hams as it is always a highly requested item at holidays and parties. It is garlicky, sweet, and has a subtle but great kick of heat. Highly recommend