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Of all the ham recipes I have made, this smoked maple bourbon ham is hands down my best! Sweet, savory, sticky and delicious, this recipe has something for everyone. Personally, never have been a huge fan of ham, but this recipe I can make and eat on repeat. Just a few simple ingredients and you are set. Let me show you how.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Prepare the ham
The beauty of ham is it’s already precooked. All you have to do is heat it up and add flavor. Usually, the store bought hams come with a prepackaged glaze, but making one yourself is so much better and you can adjust the flavor levels to your liking.
I prefer using a spiraled ham. This means, it’s already precut around the bone making it easier to slice and serve once cooked.
Start by removing the ham out of the packaging and place it onto a wire rack. The reason for the wire rack is to allow air to flow under the ham. Place a drip pan under the grates or depending on the type of grill you are using, place the wire rack in a foil pan. This will catch any of the drippings and prevent flare ups.
Start with a seasoning binder. I used my new favorite W sauce. It’s basically a better version of the original Worcestershire sauce. Rub that all over the outside of the ham and generously season the outside skin and in between the slices with a maple bourbon rub. My rub is coming out soon! Wait until you try it on bacon, wow! The rub provides the perfect balance of the sweet maple with a savory bourbon flavor.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Step 2: Smoke the maple bourbon ham
Preheat your grill to 250-275 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 140 degrees and the edges start to crips up.
Step 3: How to make a maple bourbon glaze
While the ham is warming up on the grill, make the deliciously sweet and savory maple bourbon glaze. All you need are a few simple ingredients.
In a saucepan, add maple syrup, bourbon of choice, brown sugar, maple bourbon rub, butter and dijon mustard for a little bit of tanginess. Whisk the ingredients together and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens.
If you prefer sweeter hams, I have pineapple rum ham recipe that is a must try as well. For the spice fans, the perfect cajun honey ham is super easy to make.
Recipe Tip
- Adjust the flavor profiles of the glaze to your liking. I prefer my glaze on the sweeter size, therefore I add a little more brown sugar. For more savory notes, use more bourbon and mustard. Taste as you mix.
- The alcohol will burn off during the cooking process making it safe to eat by children.
Step 4: Glaze the smoked maple bourbon ham
For the final step, once the had reaches the intended temp of 140 degrees, brush the skin with the maple bourbon glaze. Make sure to cover the entire ham include in between the slices. Leave the ham on the grill allowing the glaze to caramelize while it continues to cook.
Remove the smoked ham off the grill once the it reaches 155 degrees. Let it rest 10 minutes and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Remember that a store bought ham is already cooked. It can come in a spiral cut meaning it’s been pre-sliced or whole. You can enjoy it cold or if you are warming it up and adding a sauce or glaze, the ideal temperature is 145-150 degrees.
A great substitute for the rum is apple cider vinegar, apple juice or simply just leave it out.
All my recipes can be replicated in the oven, stove top or gas grill. You do not need a big green egg or weber grill to replicate any of my recipes.
Similar Recipe Ideas:
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Cajun Honey Ham
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Smoked Pineapple Rum Ham
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Orange Marmalade Ham
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Hawaiian Pizza Sliders
Maple Bourbon Ham
Ingredients
- 1 Precooked spiraled ham
- 2 tbsp W sauce
- 2 tbsp Dad's Maple Bourbon Rub
Maple Bourbon Glaze Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Dad's Maple Bourbon Rub
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Bourbon
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Instructions
- Remove the ham out of the packaging and place it onto a wire rack.
- Spread the W sauce over the outside of the Ham as the binder and season with Dad's Maple Bourbon Rub
- Preheat your grill to 250-275 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 140 degrees.
- In a saucepan, add maple syrup, bourbon of choice, brown sugar, Dad's Maple Bourbon Rub, butter and dijon mustard. Whisk the ingredients together and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens.
- Brush the skin with the maple bourbon glaze. Make sure to cover the entire ham include in between the slices.
- Remove the maple bourbon ham off the grill once the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Made this recipe today. Couldn’t use my smoker due to recent back surgery. Used the oven. Prepped the ham per recipe and put in a 250 oven. The glaze was as instructed. Used Maker’s Mark bourbon. Simmered but never got real thick. When glazing the ham it was an over powering bourbon fragrance. Not sure if I did the glaze correctly. Not really a hard liquor person. Loved the maple bourbon rub, just not a fan of the glaze. Love everything you do!
Keep grillin!!
Sorry to hear that. Next time, cook or simmer the sauce longer to cook off the alcohol taste.