When learning how to grill ham the most important thing to remember is to keep it moist. A dried out ham doesn’t taste too great and it is usually pretty tough like shoe leather. It is really important to keep it moist if you are grilling a spiral cut ham.
Before you start grilling your ham you have to know what type of ham you bought. Some hams will be labeled as ready to eat and others will be marked cook before eating. Now you can also buy fresh ham which is uncured and uncooked, but for this article we are focusing on your typical store bought ham which is either labeled as “ready to eat”, or “cook before eating”.
I prefer to grill my ham at a low temperature, which helps to keep it moist and flavorful. If you have a ready to eat ham you basically have to just warm it up, but for a “cook before eating” ham you need to grill it to an internal temperature of 160F. Typical cooking time for a half ham would be at 325F for 18 – 25 minutes per pound, I like to grill it at a lower temperature to keep it moist. I usually grill my ham at 250F for around the same amount of time per pound.
If you plan on grilling a spiral ham these will cook quicker, so I would grill it at the same temperature, but for 15 minutes per pound. The most important part is just be aware of your internal temperature.
How to Grill Ham
So, let’s get on to the setup. You can grill a ham on either a gas or charcoal grill. Set up your grill for a temperature of 250F with indirect grilling. You are going to be grilling the ham on the opposite side of the heat source. So, if you are using a gas grill you will be placing the ham on the part of the grill where the burners are off. If using a charcoal grill put your coals to one side and the ham on the other.
Wrap a bit of aluminum foil on the cut side of the ham and place it cut side down on the grill opposite the heat source. Grill the ham at 250F for 18 to 25 minutes per pound, or 15 minutes per pound if it is spiral cut. If it is a “cook before eating” ham you need to hit an internal temperature of 160F. I use this instant read thermometer to check mine.
Now I low glazes on my ham and there are so many different glazes a person could do. You could baste your ham with a variety of things such as maple syrup, cola, beer, orange juice, preserves or whatever else you can think up. Do not jump in and start basting your ham right away, wait until the last 30 minutes of grilling and continue until it is finished. By this point your ham will have a nice glaze.
One the ham has finished you can put it off the grill and let it rest. Make sure you let it rest for about 15 minutes before you slice into it. That is all there is to it.
I have a new favorite tool that I use for handling all my grilled meats; they are meat claws. They are like bear paws and have claws on them. They work great for lift and transferring hot grilled meats, and they are absolutely awesome for shredding pulled pork. These work great for moving a ham to and from the grill, and also holding it while slicing. You can check out the meat claws here.
image courtesty of sk8geek/flickr