Easy Smoked Ham Recipe

5 from 9 votes

This is the most delicious and flavorful smoked ham that is covered in a rich and creamy homemade cranberry honey butter. It's the perfect holiday ham that is smoked to perfection and ready to grace your dinner table this holiday season!

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Total Time3 20

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Equipment

Smoker any type

Ingredients

For The Hame

3-4 lb fully cooked spiral ham

For The Cranberry Honey Compound Butter

¼ cup fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup butter, unsalted
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons juice from a fresh orange,

Instructions

To Make The Compound Butter

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of fresh cranberries, 1 Tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat.
When the liquids start to boil, use a hand held masher to start crushing the cranberries so the juice is released.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to mix the ingredients together for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and place the mixture in a medium size bowl to allow the content to cool, about 7-10 minutes.
Next, add the room temperature butter to the bowl of cooled mixture. Using a handheld mixer on low speed, combine the ingredients until well combined.
Using a spatula, remove the cranberry butter and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper. Divide the mixture in half and put it on plate and set aside.
For the remaining half of the butter that is on the paper, starting from one edge of the parchment paper, carefully roll the mixture, tucking the paper under the mixture as best you can and form into a log shape.
Using both hands, twist the ends on the parchment paper on both sides so it looks like a large tootsie roll. Place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to set.
Using the cranberry compound butter that you set aside earlier, apply it to the entire outside layer of the ham using either your hands or a basting brush. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the butter mixture.

To Smoke The Ham

When the smoker is prepared and has preheated to 225°F, place the meat directly on the smoker rack.
Insert a digital meat thermometer into the center of the ham.
Important Note: Not only will this monitor the internal temperature of the meat, but if it is sliced it will hold each slice together so it doesn't spread open during the smoking process.
From there, let it smoke low and slow. There is no need to move or turn it. It's considered done when the thermometer reaches 145°F, about 2-3 hours later.
When done, remove the ham from the smoker, slice the chilled cranberry honey butter, and place the thin butter slices in between each slice and let it melt.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

For a mild smoke flavor, use either apple or cherry wood or pellets when smoking a ham. To add a stronger flavor, try using hickory wood.
When making the compound butter, ensure the butter is at room temperature and not melted. If it's melted, the consistency will be off and the butter will never set.
For enjoy the flavors of fall, try adding in a small amount (⅛ teaspoon) of cinnamon and nutmeg when making the compound butter.
If you're using a water pan in your smoker, add in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to the water to enhance the flavor of the meat.
The key to smoking meat is to smoke it low and slow. Keep the heat in the smoker between 225°F and 250°F.

Nutrition