This Grilled Ham is coated in a honey bourbon Dijon glaze and cooked low and slow over indirect heat until caramelized and warmed through. It costs just $1.65 per serving and keeps the oven free for other holiday dishes.
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Grilling ham has become one of our favorite holiday traditions because it keeps the oven free for sides and desserts. The honey bourbon glaze creates a caramelized crust, and at just $1.65 per serving, this ham feeds 16 and makes an impressive budget friendly holiday centerpiece.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Budget Friendly — $26.34 total for a honey bourbon glazed ham
- Low and slow indirect heat warms the ham through without drying it out or burning the glaze
- Perfect for any holiday that calls for an impressive centerpiece
- The spiral scoring technique creates gorgeous caramelized channels that hold the glaze in every bite
After 14 years of developing recipes, I know the best holiday centerpieces look impressive without requiring much hands on work. This Grilled Ham does exactly that. Plan ahead and make this grilled ham recipe for your holiday dinner. Add your favorite side dishes and your meal is complete. Try these other ham recipes – Smoked Pulled Ham, Grilled Spiral Ham, Double Smoked Ham, and Ham Steak on Blackstone.
Why Grill the Ham Instead of Baking It
Most holiday ham recipes go straight into the oven — but grilling gives you three significant advantages that baking cannot replicate.
It frees up the oven. Holiday cooking is always a battle for oven space. Putting the ham on the grill means the oven is completely free for casseroles, side dishes rolls and desserts all cooking simultaneously without any juggling.
The smoke adds incredible flavor. Even on a gas grill the indirect heat and any wood chips you add give the outside of the ham a subtle smoky depth that an oven simply cannot provide. The honey bourbon glaze caramelizes in that smoky environment into something genuinely extraordinary.
The indirect heat is more forgiving. A ham in the oven requires careful temperature monitoring to avoid drying out. The lower consistent temperature of indirect grill heat is remarkably forgiving — the ham warms through slowly and evenly without the risk of the glaze burning before the center is hot.
Ingredients
- Bone-in ham butt half, 10–12 pounds — a pre-cooked bone-in ham is what this recipe uses — it just needs to be heated through to 135°F while the glaze caramelizes. The butt half has more meat than the shank half and a more uniform shape that sits flat on the grill. Look for a fully cooked or ready to eat label at any grocery store
- Honey — the sweet sticky base of the glaze that caramelizes beautifully over indirect heat. Local wildflower or clover honey gives the best flavor
- Bourbon — adds a warm caramel-like depth to the glaze that pairs perfectly with the pork and honey. Use any bourbon you enjoy drinking. Apple juice or apple cider works as a non-alcoholic substitute with a slightly sweeter result
- Dijon mustard — the tangy emulsifier that binds the honey and bourbon together and adds a subtle savory depth that prevents the glaze from being one-dimensionally sweet
- Salt and black pepper — balances all the sweet elements in the glaze and seasons the surface of the ham throughout
Carrie’s Tip: Score the ham in a diamond pattern before adding the glaze. Cut diagonal lines about ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart, then repeat in the opposite direction. This helps the honey bourbon glaze soak into the ham, creating caramelized pockets of flavor in every slice.
How do you Cook a Whole Ham on the Grill
Step 1 – Prepare the Ham – Remove the ham from its package and pat it dry with paper towels. Score the ham by cutting into the rind of the ham in a diamond pattern making sure that the cuts are approximately 1/4-1/2″ deep.
Step 2 – Add ham to pan – Place the ham in a large disposable foil pan. Place 2 cups of water in the bottom of the pan around the ham.
Step 3 – Preheat Grill – Preheat the charcoal grill or gas grill to medium high indirect heat (approximately 350 degrees F). In order to set this up, preheat the grill over medium high heat with all the burners on for 15-20 minutes.
Step 4 – Turn outside burners off – Then turn off all the burners except the outside burners and leave the middle burners off. Put the ham in the pan in the center of the grill on the grill grate over one of the burners that is off.
Step 5 – Cook Ham – Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F in the thickest part of the ham.
Step 6 – Prepare Glaze – While the ham is on the grill, place the honey, bourbon, dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, whisking the ingredients together and cook until the honey melts (5-6 minutes) to make the glaze.
Step 7 – Add Glaze to Ham – Baste the ham with the glaze during the last 30-45 minutes of the cook time. Brush the ham with the glaze every 10 to 20 minutes until the ham is cooked through.
Step 8 – Serve and Enjoy – Once the ham is heated through, let the ham rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. I like to cover with aluminum foil while the ham rest. Then carefully move the ham to a large cutting board. Then carve the ham into large slices with sharp knife and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Always use indirect heat. Direct heat burns the sugary glaze before the ham heats through — always keep the ham away from direct flames for the entire cook
- Score before glazing. The crosshatch scoring is what creates caramelized pockets of glaze in every slice — do this before the ham ever touches the grill
- Glaze in multiple layers. One thick coat slides off and burns — multiple thin layers applied every 15 minutes build the richest deepest caramelized glaze
- Use a meat thermometer. A 10–12 pound ham can vary significantly in cook time — always cook to temperature not to time
- Rest before carving. The 15–20 minute rest allows the juices to redistribute and the glaze to set so every slice is perfectly moist and the glaze stays in place
How to Use Ham Leftovers
Serving Suggestions
This grilled ham is delicious served with your favorite grilled side dish recipes. If you are grilling out your main dish recipe, add your sides to keep your kitchen clean. Here are some of our favorites.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator
- Store carved ham in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days — keep the bone for making soup stock
Freezer
- Wrap carved ham tightly in plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the refrigerator
Reheating
- Reheat individual slices in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or warm glaze for 2–3 minutes per side — or warm a larger portion covered with foil at 325°F for 15–20 minutes
The ham bone
- Never discard the bone — simmer in a large pot with water, onion, carrots and celery for 2–3 hours for the richest most flavorful ham stock that becomes the base of the best split pea soup you have ever made
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer not to grill your ham, in can place in the oven. Use the same recipe details and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure not to skip the bourbon glaze if you put it in the oven.
When choosing the best ham for grilling, we recommend the bone-in ham specially the butt half. We get the ham that this is no additional ingredients added.
You can use a boneless ham with natural juices, but for a holiday dinner we like the flavor of a bone-in ham. You can follow this recipe using a spiral ham as well.
Cook to an internal temperature of 135°F on the grill then rest tented with foil for 15–20 minutes until the temperature rises to 140°F.
Approximately 15 minutes per pound at 325°F on indirect heat — a 10–12 pound ham takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours total including the glazing phase.
Yes — a boneless ham cooks faster than a bone-in. Use the same method and glaze but reduce the cook time to approximately 12 minutes per pound and check the temperature earlier.
Yes — substitute apple juice or apple cider for the bourbon. The glaze will be slightly sweeter and less complex but still delicious and completely alcohol-free.
The ham is too close to the heat — always use indirect heat and never place the ham over direct flames. If the glaze is burning too quickly reduce the grill temperature and move the ham to a cooler zone.
More Grilled Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make honey bourbon glazed ham, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Grilled Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Bone In Ham Butt half (10-12 pounds)
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup Bourbon
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
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Instructions
- Remove the ham from the package and pat dry with paper towels. Score the rind in a diamond pattern, cutting approximately ¼–½ inch deep.
- Place the ham in a large disposable aluminum pan. Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of the pan around the ham.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high indirect heat, approximately 350°F. Heat with all burners on for 15–20 minutes, then turn off the middle burners, leaving the outside burners on.
- Place the pan in the center of the grill over an unlit burner.
- Cook for 1½–2 hours, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 135°F in the thickest part.
- While the ham cooks, combine the honey, bourbon, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, whisking until combined and the honey is melted.
- During the last 30–45 minutes of cooking, brush the ham with the glaze every 10–15 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the grill and let rest for 15–20 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board, slice, and serve.
Recipe Video
Not sure how to convert this to a 2 burner grill…
You would follow the directions the same. You will just need a smaller ham.
Mine has brown sugar in it also. I haven’t made it in a long time, but you can do it in the oven. Also, I love this ham this way. It tastes great.
The addition of brown sugar sounds amazing! Thank you for the positive review!