Ham with Dr Pepper and Apple Bourbon Glaze

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We smoked a couple of hams over the holidays, and this one was a solid winner.

I started with a smoked boneless ham.  This particular one was an applewood smoked ham packed for Sam's by Smithfield.  I like these or one of their Smokehouse Reserve hams when Sam's has them. They don't stock them all of the time but when they do we grab a few.

I lightly wiped it with a little peanut oil, perhaps a tablespoon, and then seasoned it heavily with Gentry's Ham Bone BBQ Seasoning.  This is a new rub, at least it is to me. It is a sweet rub with the warmth of cinnamon and all-spice that pairs perfectly with ham.

I smoked it with more applewood on a large Big Green Egg.  I was using a spider rig/stone/drip pan combo. No particular reason for that versus a plate setter, it was just what I had nearby. I'm using Craycort grates as usual. I went at 275°f for about 1 hour and then foiled it for the second hour.

While the ham cooked, I made a thin glaze of more Ham Bone, Dr Pepper, and Jim Beam Apple.  Alexis picked up that miniature at some point, and it seemed like a good use here.  You could probably just use any bourbon, but the apple flavored bourbon worked well here.

Dr Pepper and Bourbon Ham Glaze

Ingredients

Lobster Eggs Benedict

[FTC Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post and I'm not contracted by Smithfield Foods or their PR firm.  However, in full disclosure, they did take me on two trips this year.]

When we were in Smithfield, VA, we had breakfast at the Smithfield Gourmet Bakery and Cafe. One of the items on the menu was Lobster Eggs Benedict and of course, almost everyone in our party opted for that dish. It was a split biscuit topped with ham, eggs fried over easy, Hollandaise sauce and of course, lobster. 

Lobster Eggs Benedict as served at the Smithfield Gourmet Bakery and Cafe in Smithfield VA.

 As I was eating it, I told myself I would be making it at home and staying true to my word, here it is.

I'm sure that you guessed we made this on our grills instead of inside.  You were right.  Here's what we did.

First we started with Alexis making pan style buttermilk biscuits.  She did that on one of our ceramic kamado grills set up with an Adjustable Rig but you could also use any type of indirect set up for the kamado grill, such as a plate setter or heat deflector.  It is best to bake them high up in the kamado so you take advantage of the heat reflecting down.

Look how moist and flaky these biscuits turn out.  I love them this way instead of the typical round biscuits.

Next I made a Hollandaise sauce.  I beat about 5 egg yolks and a splash of cold water until frothy. I put that over a double broiler and whisked in clarified butter until doubled in volume. Then I seasoned it with lemon juice, cayenne, and a bit of salt.  Use a thermos or double insulated mug to keep your Hollandaise warm. That way you don't have to worry about splitting it when heating it back up.

Next I baked 6 eggs in a muffin pan. I seasoned them with a little BBQ rub and salt. This was indirect on a ceramic kamado grill running 350°f.  I bake them until the egg whites are set, about 15 to 20 minutes.  

While the eggs baked, I prepped the lobster.  I just split open a thawed tail, removed the meat, and cut it into bite sized chunks.

Tip:  Seafood proteins are wimps. They can't handle heat at all before they start to degrade, so always keep seafood as cold as possible until the last minute you use them.

I put the lobster bits in the muffin pan, poured warm clarified butter over them and put them back in the grill for just another few minutes. 

Because the butter was already warm, it only took a few minutes for the lobster to get done which is an internal temperature of 135°f.

We had ordered a nice Charles Henry Gray ham but that was for Thanksgiving and I wasn't touching it before the big day, Alexis would have killed me. So instead I ran to the store and picked up a ready to eat Smithfield Anytime Boneless Ham.

Once everything is is cooked, it's just a matter of putting it all together.  Split the biscuit and top it with sliced ham, 2 eggs, lobster and the Hollandaise sauce.

As great as theirs was....I have to say mine was a wee bit better myself :)   Now I just want to try it again using some of the leftover Charles Henry Gray country ham that we had for Thanksgiving. 

How I Cook Smoked Ham On The Kamado Grill

Whether it is a special holiday meal or just a craving, it is hard to beat a good ol' glazed ham fresh off of the grill.

I don't think there is an easier cook on the ceramic kamado grill, like my Grill Dome, because these hams are really just "heat and eat".  Someone else has already done the hard work of smoking and curing the ham.  You're just taking the opportunity to add a little more flavor by skipping the "cooking box" in your kitchen and using your grill.  It's kind of hard to mess it up.  

What to Buy

What we are talking here is your fully cooked, spiral sliced bone-in ham.  Anywhere from 8-12 lbs is a great fit for most kamado grills.  According to Honey Baked Ham Company, a 13 lb ham will yield 22-24 dinner servings. What you don't want are:

• raw ham- these require you curing the ham yourself by smoke or salt,
• a "picnic ham" - that is actually the front shank of the pig, not the ham,
• boneless ham- a deboned ham would be one thing but most "boneless hams" that I see are more like a "ham loaf" than ham,
• canned ham - every time someone buys a canned ham, a spider named Charlotte dies. That's all I have to say about that.

Kamado Set Up

• Clean out your kamado grill and fuel it up with lump coal.  
• Wood or not?  I buy hams that were smoked in the curing process so it doesn't need more smoke but a lot of Eggheads like to double smoke their hams.  Lump coal is going to add a mild layer of smoke anyway.  If I do add wood, it's typically going to be just a few small hickory or apple chunks (not soaked).  

Grill Dome set up with lump and three small chunks of hickory in a Kick Ash Basket.

• I then fire up the coal and preheat the Grill Dome to 325°f.  Once it has held steady at this temp for about 15 minutes and the smoke is thin blue or clear, I'll put the indirect pieces into the grill and allow it to re-stabilize for another 10-15 minutes.  There are several ways you can do the indirect set up.  Here are a few.

Grill Dome set up with with the indirect grate, a stone, and the standard hinged grate.

Typical Big Green Egg indirect set up using a plate setter, in this case, a cast iron plate setter.

Indirect set up using a spider rig and stone.  I have one of the Craycort grate sections removed so you can see the "spider" which is the wire frame holding up the stone.

The Cook

As I said, cooking this type ham is as easy as can be and it requires basically no meat prep, especially when compared to spatchcocking a turkey, trimming a brisket, or injecting a pork shoulder.  That said, you should take the chance to add flavor through your smoke, rubs, and glazes.  Here's a twist on an old Southern favorite, I add two Meat Church rubs to the party.  Meat Church is a personal favorite of ours and it is wildly popular among the kamado grill crowd.

Cola Glazed Twice Smoked Ham

Ingredients

• 10-12 pound fully cooked, bone in, spiral sliced ham
• Meat Church Deez Nuts bbq rub (honey pecan)

For the Glaze

• 1 355ml bottle Mexican Coke (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Meat Church Honey Hog Hot bbq rub 

Instructions

1. Preheat Grill Dome or other grill to 325°f and set up for indirect heat.
2. Mix together glaze ingredients in a small pot and simmer lightly until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.   
3. Place ham, cut face side down, in a half sized steam pan or other grill safe pan.  Drizzle liberally with the cola glaze.  Season with a moderate coat of Deez Nuts.  
4. Place pan with ham on the grill over indirect heat for 10 minutes per pound.  Baste with the collected glaze every 20 minutes or so.  
5. Remove from grill, slice from the bone, and serve with leftover glaze.

The secret for the Coke glaze is using REAL Coke.  Not Classic Coke.  Real Coke with real sugar, look for Mexican Coke.  Food City carries it here in Knoxville.

The honey pecan of the Deez Nuts gives a salty sweet note to balance the sweet heat of the glaze.  I just added Deez Nuts to our competition rib process, I like the flavor a good bit.

Notice there are only a few wisps of smoke, not billowing clouds.  You want a clean, light smoke for ham.  Yucky smoke (thick, white, and full of particles from incomplete combustion) will stick to your glaze and give your ham a bitter foul taste.

Something this good shouldn't be this easy.

If you want something a little different, here are a few other great recipes for ham on the grill. I was able to find them all online via Google but I highly recommend you buy the book because all of these are fantastic grilling books that belong on your shelves.  You'll get your money's worth.

Spiral Sliced Ham with Spicy Apricot Glaze
-From World Champion Pitmaster, Chris Lilly's, book Fire and Smoke, A Pitmaster's Secrets

Maple Bourbon Ham
-From Smoke and Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

Smoky Marmalade Glazed Ham
-From Weber's New Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance

Smoked "Baked" Ham
-From Serious Barbecue by Adam Perry Lang



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