If you are looking for guidance on how to smoke a fresh ham, here is your complete guide! A “fresh ham” is also called a “green ham”, and is nitrate and preservative free.
Where do you find a nitrate free ham?
Thanks to curing overnight in a brown sugar, kosher salt and cayenne rub, and then finishing it with a honey ginger glaze, your ham will be nice and moist when you serve it for dinner and you will not miss all those ingredients you couldn’t pronounce from the already cured store bought ham.
Ingredients for Making this Smoked Fresh Ham
- 1 15-pound “fresh” or green ham, bone-in, any “rind” removed.
Rub:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher sea salt
- 2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. ground chipotle powder or cayenne
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
Glaze:
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp. fresh ground ginger
- 2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
How To Make this “Fresh” Ham
- Score the fat on the ham to create a “cross hatch” so the rub can penetrate the meat.
- Spread the rub evenly over the ham.
- Refrigerate the ham overnight uncovered for 12 hours or more to allow it to cure in the spice rub.
- Make the glaze. Combine all ingredients in a pot and let simmer on medium for 20 minutes until the liquid has combined and reduced down. Reserve a small amount to be served with the ham after it is cooked.
- Smoke the ham at 250 degrees, glazing every two hours, until the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees with an internal read thermometer (this will take at least 6 hours).
- Remove and wrap in foil and let rest in your oven (turned off) for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Serve with remaining glaze and slice ham parallel to the ham bone or the flat end of the ham.
Tools needed:
Check out my Grilling Tools Page for all of my favorite grilling tools.
MEAT THERMOMETER: Temperature is everything in all cooking, not just grilling. If you aren’t using an instant-read thermometer in cooking, you are leaving everything up to chance. This can be dangerous but it’s also a great way to ruin a perfectly good piece of meat. The Thermapen is the gold standard in temperature used by chefs around the world. The Thermapen is known for it’s lightning-fast temperature reads of 3 seconds or less, with new and improved Thermapens giving 1-second temperature readings. If you can’t afford a Thermapen, you can still get super quick temperature reads at only $29 with the Thermopop.
Tips for Making:
Smoked ham pairs wonderfully with homemade biscuits and Carolina mustard sauce for brunch or entertaining a crowd. Leftover ham can be repurposed into quiche, soup or even pot pie. And don’t throw out the ham bone! Save it for making stocks or adding flavor to collard greens and kale.
When ordering a fresh ham from your butcher, specify the size you want, otherwise you may end up with a ham larger than you want/need.
FAQ
Smoking a fresh ham can be a great way to bring out its flavor and create a delicious, juicy meal. Here’s a step-by-step guide to smoking a fresh ham:
- Choose a fresh ham: Look for a fresh ham at your local butcher or grocery store. A fresh ham is different from a cured ham and has not been cured with salt, so it will not have the dark pink hue of a cured ham, instead it will be the color of pork- light pinkish.
- Wood Chips Recommendation: I opt for fruit woods such as apple or peach or milder woods like maple or oak so as to not overpower ham.
- Rest the ham: Once the ham has reached the desired internal temperature of 145 internal degrees, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for at least 10 minutesbefore slicing and serving.
- Enjoy: Serve the smoked ham with your favorite sides, such as mashed potatoes, green beans, and cornbread.
Note: The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the ham and the type of smoker you are using. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) for safety reasons, and note that outside cooking conditions such as the weather and the consistency of your smoker will affect your overall smoking time.
Honey Ginger Smoked Ham (How to Smoke a Green Or Nitrate Free Ham)
- Total Time: 9 hours, plus overnight brining
- Yield: 25 1x
Description
Smoking wood: Apple
Smoker temperature: 250 degrees
Ingredients
- 1 15-pound “fresh” or green ham, bone-in, any “rind” removed
Rub:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher sea salt
- 2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. ground chipotle powder or cayenne
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
Glaze:
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp. fresh ground ginger
- 2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Score the fat on the ham to create a “cross hatch” so the rub can penetrate the meat.
- Spread the rub evenly over the ham.
- Refrigerate the ham overnight uncovered for 12 hours or more to allow it to cure in the spice rub.
- Make the glaze. Combine all ingredients in a pot and let simmer on medium for 20 minutes until the liquid has combined and reduced down. Reserve a small amount to be served with the ham after it is cooked.
- Smoke the ham at 250 degrees, glazing every two hours, until the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees with an internal read thermometer (this will take at least 6 hours).
- Remove and wrap in foil and let rest in your oven (turned off) for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Serve with remaining glaze and slice ham parallel to the ham bone or the flat end of the ham.
Notes
Pro tip: Smoked ham pairs wonderfully with homemade biscuits and Carolina mustard sauce for brunch or entertaining a crowd. Leftover ham can be repurposed into quiche, soup or even pot pie. And don't throw out the ham bone! Save it for making stocks or adding flavor to collard greens and kale.
Pro Tip: When ordering a fresh ham from your butcher, specify the size you want, otherwise you may end up with a ham larger than you want/need.
- Prep Time: 1 hour, plus overnight brining
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Grill, Smoke, Whole30 Recipes
- Method: Smoke
- Cuisine: American
Did you like this smoked ham? Try out my other recipes:
Your description has some contradicting elements:
Smoke the ham: Remove the ham from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the ham in the smoker and let it smoke for about 4-6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 160°F (71°C).
Rest the ham: Once the ham has reached the desired internal temperature of 145 internal degrees, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
160 degrees vs 145 degrees….. ?
Somewhat confused here.
First set of instructions you say:
Set smoker to 225 deg.
Smoke until internal temp is 160 deg.
The when ham reaches internal 145 deg, remove and rest the ham. (160 or 145?)
Second set of instrusctions:
Set smoker to 250 deg
when internal temp is 160 deg, turn off oven, wrap in foil & rest inside stove for 15 min.
Which one is correct with regards to temps and prodedure?
Hi Ken, sorry for the confusion! I have updated the recipe so it is not contradictory: Smoke at 250, pull when the internal temp has reached 145. The recipe reflects these updates! Happy Smoking!
Hi there, I have updated the recipe and sorry for the confusion! Smoke at 250, pull at 145! Happy Smoking!
Hi Robyn,
I have a couple of questions…
In the FAQ you say to brine the ham for 12 hours or overnight. Is this before I use the rub and cure for 12 hours? Can I do the cure immediately after the brine?
You call for “1 15-pound “fresh” or green ham, bone-in, any “rind” removed”. What is the rind? I got my fresh ham as part of a half pig I bought from a butcher.
Definitely going to try this in my pellet grill in a couple of days.
Thanks for the recipe.
Should the ham be put into the brine for a night and then use the rub the next night? Also, should I score the ham before it goes into the brine?
Thanks!
I made this on a Weber kettle today. It was delicious. I did let it get too dry which I believe is either do to my grill’s temperature fluctuating or the fact that the ham needed to be wrapped after the bark set. Overall delicious though.
thanks for the feedback, I should update the recipe to tell people to wrap the ham after the bark sets. Cheers, Robyn
Yes, brine overnight. I don’t believe it needs to be scored before it goes into the brine. You can score it before adding rub before it goes into the smoker.
Hi Greg, I updated the recipe sorry if that part was confusing. It is a total of 4 cups tomato juice, when I originally made mine I did half regular V8 and half v8 spicy version. Hope this helps!!