Traeger Smoked Ham Recipe With Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

This Traeger smoked ham is grilled to perfection with a crispy bark created by a simple brown sugar and mustard glaze. Whether you are smoking a whole ham to feed a big crew or plan on doing a combination of fresh eating and freezing for later, this easy Traeger smoked ham recipe is for you. Fire up your pellet grill to make this crowd favorite in a few simple steps.

I got my ham from our local grocery store but we are counting down the days until our own pigs are ready for butcher (Mid November). My boys keep telling me how excited they are for some delicious bacon! Knowing the good life that our pigs have had and the high quality feed and food scraps they have been given makes me so excited to fill our freezers and make all the holiday meals including Easter dinner.

Key Ingredients

Ham- For this recipe I used a 6 pound bone in, pre-smoked ham (shank portion). Because it is pre-smoked, your Traeger ham will automatically be double smoked! Check out the section below on how to choose the best ham for smoking.

Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze Ingredients- This smoked ham glaze recipe is SO good. If you aren’t a mustard person simply omit the mustard. If you want to swap the honey for maple syrup you can do that as well.

Equipment

Traeger Smoker or Other Pellet Grill- We love our  Traeger Ironwood 885. This traeger smoked ham can be smoked on any smoker including a Pitboss, Green Mountain Grill, Weber, etc…

Chafing Pan- I got my chafing pan from my local wholesale food store but any large, shallow sided dish will work including a disposable foil pan.

Wood Pellets

Meat Thermometer- If your smoker doesn’t have a meat probe I recommend you get one! There are some really great meat probes on the market including this Meater Thermometer that has bluetooth capabilities and works great on a regular barbecue, charcoal grill, pellet grill, and even in the oven.

Tips + Tricks

Don’t over-boil your smoked ham glaze! Boiling this sugary glaze for too long will result in a thick, crispy, caramel-like sauce that doesn’t spread or paint on as easily.

More basting = more flavor. Grab the juices from the glaze and the ham itself and don’t be afraid to baste it after cooking.

Use your meat probe so that you don’t over cook your ham. An over-cooked ham can be tough, dry, and lacking flavor! There is no need to cook the ham beyond the recommended 140°F when working with a pre-cooked ham. If you are in a rush and your ham has already been pre-cooked, you can pull it off before it reaches 140 degrees f safely.

For extra smoked flavor… set your Traeger, Pit Boss, or other pellet grill to super smoke setting for the first hour of smoking.

If you find the top of the ham is getting too crispy, make a little tinfoil cover for the meat and skin surrounding the top of the bone.

Time– Budget enough time to cook your ham so that you aren’t rushing! Larger hams take considerably longer to cook. Consider letting your ham come to room temperature for 1-2 hours on the counter before smoking to cut down on cooking time.

How to Choose The Best Type of Ham for Smoking

Bone-in hams boast a lot of extra flavor and have the added benefit of flavouring all kinds of delicious soups and stews afterward. Choose bone-in ham (holiday ham) with less water in the packaging- they tend to have incredible flavor and better texture.

There are two types of bone-in hams, the shank portion and the butt end. The shank portion is your traditional picture perfect ham that is easy to carve and a bit leaner. Butt end (top half) hams tend to be fattier and more rich in flavour but have a tricky to cut around T-shaped bone. I prefer the shank portion because it is easy to carve and looks and tastes delicious!

Additionally, you can purchase boneless ham and spiral cut ham. Both of these types of hams can be smoked but are not my first choice! Spiral ham is pre-cut into thin slices- if you choose to smoke a spiral cut ham, skip the cross hatch scoring.

What is a double smoked ham?

Double smoked hams are all the rage! A twice smoked ham is simply a ham that has been boughten pre-smoked or cooked, and then smoked again. In most cases, your smoked ham will end up being double smoked *fancy* unless you are buying a fresh ham from the butcher (uncured and uncooked).

Best Pellets For Traeger Smoked Ham

Applewood pellets are most commonly recommended for pork. Pork pairs well with almost all types of wood including cherry wood pellets, hickory, pecan, and Traeger’s signature blend. I personally don’t feel that pellet flavours will make or break your smoked entree but they could add an extra dimension of flavor for smoking enthusiasts.

Check out this wood pellet guide from Traeger to find the best wood pellet food pairings for your smoking endeavours.

Exactly How To Make Traeger Smoked Ham (5 Steps)

Step 1. Preheat your smoker to 225°F.

Step 2. Prep. Score the ham in a crosshatch (diamond) pattern. Place it in an aluminum foil lined baking sheet on top of a cooling rack, flat side down. Insert the meat probe in the thickest part of the ham, avoiding the bone.

My ham was too large to place on the top rack of my smoker directly on the grill grates. If your smoker has two racks and your ham is small enough to place on the top rack with the tray underneath on the lower rack, this is ideal.

Step 3. Combine all glaze ingredients including 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup of dijon mustard, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup butter, and 4 minced cloves of garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil for 3 minutes.

Step 4. Allow the internal temperature of your Traeger smoked ham to come up to around 130 degrees f— my 6lb ham took around 1.5 hours. A 10lb ham will take considerably longer (3-4 hours). Brush the brown sugar glaze onto your ham, being sure to generously coat it especially around the scoring and turn it up to 300°F. Set a 30 minute timer and baste again with the glaze. After a final 30 minutes, your ham should be around 140-145°F.

Step 5. Remove the ham from your pellet smoker and tent it for at least 10 minutes with tin foil before carving to avoid moisture loss. Enjoy!

Batch + Storage

When choosing a bone in ham, budget about 1/2 pound per person. A 6lb Traeger smoked ham will yield 12 servings.

Smoked ham makes the BEST leftovers!! I love to use my meat slicer with leftover ham to make sandwich meat for eating fresh. I also use my vacuum sealer to freeze it in small portions for lunches later on. Finely dice the ham leftovers for soup and place them in a vacuum-sealed bag or other airtight container and place in the fridge or freezer along with the ham bone.

In the fridge, smoked ham will last for 3-4 days. When frozen properly, smoked ham will last around 6 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Traeger Smoked Ham Printable Recipe

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How To Enjoy Your Traeger Smoked Ham

Serve this ham at all special occasions with your favorite smoked cranberry sauce.

Enjoy it with creamy scalloped potatoes and smoked corn.

Slice it and freeze it for soups, pastas, and casseroles.

Check Out More Traeger Recipes (Smoker Recipes) Here!

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