How to Grill a Ham – A Step-by-Step Guide

The rotisseries skewer is a great way to keep the ham roasted evenly. However, this can be a significant challenge even with the best of ham picks. Running this skewer through the bone in ham requires patience and a delicate touch. You will also need to do some significant counterbalancing. If you had chosen a spiral cut ham, this task could seem almost impossible.

When you do eventually manage to place the entire thing on your rod, there is a good chance that some slices will begin to fall off as soon as the meat loses its chill. However, the chances that you will find affordable uncut ham are quite low. Thus, you should choose to cook it up a bone in without the skewer to make things easy.

During grilling, you will need to ensure that the ham remains moist. If the pork dries out, it will become leathery and chewy. If you picked spiral cut ham, the goal would be to keep these slices packed together as close as possible. You will also need to keep them away from a direct flame.

If you want to avoid the ends of your ham drying out, ensure that the cut side of the pork is placed facing down on the aluminum foil. It helps to keep the ham moist while exposing its skin to the heat of the grill.

Ensure that the ham is over the side of the grill with indirect heat at all times. That will mean you shut off all burners below the ham. If you are using a charcoal grill, ensure there are no burning coals below your grill.

The best way to keep the ham moist and the flavors intact is to keep the temperature low. It is especially crucial if you will be using a sugar-based glaze. Keep in mind that sugar will burn at 265 degrees F. If it goes beyond this temperature, your ham is going to be ruined.

To avoid this issue, always set the temperature of your grill at 250 degrees F. The ham will be ready to eat from the store. Thus there is no need to hit high temperatures to make it safe for consumption.

These instructions are for a typical ham. If you have fresh pork, you will need to cook it first at about 160 degrees F before you can place it on your grill.

There are several ways to heat ham. The most common practice is to roast pork at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes for every pound of ham and about 25 minutes for every pound for a half ham. If your harm has to be cooked before you eat it, then you had better start with a high temperature.

If you are using spiral cut hams, they cook much faster as the heat goes through the cuts. For such ham, you can prepare at about 15 minutes for every pound. In my case, I will concentrate on heating the ham through and getting a good crust. In most cases, I will not care too much about it final internal temperature.

As the ham cooks, you will need to baste it to add the flavor, while at the same time creating the foundation on which to place the crusty top. The main word of warning that I have for you is to use moderate amounts of sugar to start. However, if you are grilling at below 265 degrees F, you do not have to worry.

However, if you use a higher temperature than 265F, you will either need to lower the temperature or wait until the end of your grilling to add sugar. In my case, even when grilling at low temperatures and slowly, I prefer to wait to add sugar until the very end. However, I will continue basting my ham until just about 30 minutes. You can baste ham using fruit juice, beer, wine, jam, or preserves.

Personally, I use:

The basting is essential for maintaining the surface of the ham moist. Now you need to start applying sugar to the skin of your pork. It is done in the last 30 minutes of grilling ham. If your harm has been grilling at more than 265F, you need to drop this temperature.

Keep in mind that if you apply a thick layer of sugar to the hot ham, the sugar will melt and this will create a hard shell once you take it off the grill. Just pat the sugar onto your ham gently to get it to form a nice crust. If you do not want the surface to be sweet, you can cut back on the amount of sugar you use. In some cases, you may even avoid the sugar if you do not like it.

Ensure you choose a quality “raw” sugar such as Turbinado or Demerara. These sugars have large crystals, which stick perfectly to the surface, thus creating the thick crust you want. Once you are done applying the sugar, let the ham continue to cook until it is ready. Ensure that there are at least 15 minutes between the last sugar and the time you take your pork off the grill. It will allow the sugar to have formed a crust.

After you are done grilling the ham, take it off your grill. As the pork cools, the sugar will continue to harden and stick to your ham better. However, while the pork is still hot, it will wipe off with ease. Let the ham cool for about 15 minutes before you curve it and serve it.

Did you enjoy this useful list of how to grill ham? If you have been having reservations about grilling such a massive cut of meat, this tutorial is just what you needed. These are the steps that I always use to grill my ham, and I always get consistent results. If you follow every instruction that I have included in the tutorial, you will also get satisfying results like me. It's a great ham recipe: easy to follow, the total cook time isn't too long, the result is delicious. However, nothing is set in stone; you are free to experiment with the instructions and see where it goes. Do you have any opinion about this tutorial? Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below. Your feedback is always welcome. Make sure you share it with your friends if you like it.