How to Make Honey Baked Ham for Holiday Dinner

Honey Baked Ham

Honey baked ham is a holiday favorite for good reason. We smoked two spiral-sliced hams for our community Christmas party using a simple three-ingredient glaze and a light “kiss of smoke” from a smoke tube filled with pecan/peach pellets, while the hopper was filled with mountain maple pellets. The result was a sweet, glossy glaze and a subtle smoky finish that fed about 50 people and was a big hit.

Patti and I reserve one evening each week as our date night. Often we cook on our Green Mountain wood pellet grill and eat on our patio under soft lights and a rainforest-themed setting. A patio heater, candles, music and a good drink make the meal feel special — sometimes we even dance after dinner.

Honey Baked Ham
A Wood Pellet Grill Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours @ 275°F (135°C)
Grill: Green Mountain Wood Pellet Grill
Pellets: Pecan/Peach for smoke and Mountain Maple for the hopper

Ingredients: Honey Baked Ham

• 2 x 10 lb spiral-sliced hams (fully cooked)
• 1 cup honey (we used orange blossom)
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup brown sugar

Honey Baked Ham
A Wood Pellet Grill Recipe

Our Ingredients

Cooking Directions: Honey Baked Ham

Combine the honey, Dijon mustard and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a low boil for about five minutes. You want the ingredients to blend and thicken slightly — enough to make a glossy glaze.

Place each ham in a disposable roasting pan for easy cleanup. Using a turkey baster or a spoon, work the glaze into the slices, getting it down between as many of the spirals as possible. After glazing between the slices, position the hams large side down and brush the exterior with more glaze so the surface is well coated.

Preheat the pellet grill to 275°F (135°C). Set the glazed hams in their pans directly on the grill grates and cook for about four hours, basting every hour. These hams are already fully cooked — the goal is to reheat, bake the glaze onto the surface and add a subtle smoky flavor. Target an internal temperature of about 140°F (60°C) to bring the hams up to serving temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature.

Notes on pellets and smoke: a recipe is an outline, not a rulebook. Feel free to mix pellet flavors until you find a combination you like. At temperatures under 250°F (122°C) you’ll get more smoke flavor; above that the cooking process dominates and smoke becomes less noticeable. For a mild sweet-smoke profile, pecan or fruit-blend pellets paired with maple work well.

Honey Baked Ham
A Wood Pellet Grill Recipe

Work the Glaze into the Ham

Ready For the Grill

That “Kiss of Smoke”

Cooking in the Oven: Honey Baked Ham

If you prefer the oven, this recipe converts easily. Set your oven to 275°F (135°C) and use the same preparation and timing as above. Place the glazed hams in roasting pans and bake until the internal temperature reaches about 140°F (60°C). The oven method reheats and caramelizes the glaze but will lack the smoky note from a pellet grill.

Honey Baked Ham
A Wood Pellet Grill Recipe

Time to Bring It Home

Off to the Club House

Let’s Eat!!!

About our Recipes

We prepare recipes on our patio where we keep several grills and smokers, from pellet grills to offset smokers and charcoal setups. Our approach focuses on straightforward, lower-fat grilling that works across equipment types. The key factors are time and temperature: set the temperature, monitor internal temps and remove the meat at the target serving temperature.

A recipe is a starting point — adapt spices, glazes and pellet blends to suit your taste. Some dishes demand precise technique, but most welcome experimentation. Cook what you love and enjoy the process.

Live your passion and do what you love.
Ken & Patti