You all know I’ve never met a cut of pork I didn’t like. Today, glazed ham’s on the menu. I’m taking a spiral ham, seasoning it up, making a glaze, and cooking it on my Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker. I’m expecting it to turn out great, and this is the perfect recipe if you want to impress a big crowd this holiday season.  

Apricot Glazed Ham | Heath Riles BBQ

Is there anything that tastes better during the holidays than a slice of tender, glazed ham? There’s nothing more mouthwatering than a sweet, juicy piece of cooked ham with your mashed potatoes and broccoli casserole. 

If you’re a ham fan like me, you’ll flat out love this simple but delicious recipe. 

The Ingredients

Spiral Honey Glazed Ham. This is a higher-quality ham than most of the ones you find in grocery stores. It’s a pre-cooked ham already flavored and ready to be warmed up. 

Duck Fat Spray. I like using this as a binder for all types of meat. It adds some rich flavor, too. 

Heath Riles BBQ Peach Rub. This rub is fruity and sweet, but has a little heat to make things interesting. Ham is a great vehicle for this rub.  

Homemade apricot ham glaze. I used a jar of apricot preserves, part of the glaze package that comes with the ham, water, brandy, and a teaspoon of my Peach Rub. 

 The Equipment Setup

I’ll be cooking my ham on my Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker with Royal Oak Lump Charcoal and Tumbleweeds. 

The Process for Making My Apricot Glazed Ham

I took a video of me walking through how I made this ham and uploaded it to my Youtube channel. Tune in if you want to watch exactly how I prepared and cooked this recipe. 

Let’s get started!

1. Put on gloves. I donned some black nitrile gloves. I like using these gloves to keep everything clean as I handle the food and spices. 
2. Place the ham on a wire rack. I unpackaged the ham and put the big boy on a wire rack. Remember, the ham’s already been cooked, so we’re just warming it up today. 
3. Spray on the binder. Using my can of Duck Fat Spray, I worked around the ham, being sure to cover every part of it. I twirled the pan to make it easier to reach all of the meat. 
4.  Sprinkle on the spice. I grabbed a shaker of my Peach Rub and started shaking a nice layer of it on the ham. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered can be challenging, so I tilt the wire rack at an angle to help me out. I make sure to hold the ham, too, so it doesn’t slide off the rack. I patted the rub into the binder as I went. 
5. Fire up the grill. I loaded my Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker with Royal Oak Lump Charcoal and Tumbleweeds and set it at 275°F. It can go a little cooler or a little hotter and still turn out good. 
6. Heat the ham. Once the grill was ready, I set the ham, rack and all, directly on the grates. I left it until it warmed up to around 110°F. 
7. Make the glaze. While the ham was heating, I mixed up my homemade ham glaze. I added some of the ham glaze pack that came with the ham, apricot preserves, water, brandy, and my Peach Rub to a small saucepan and mixed it well. I reduced it over medium heat until it had the consistency of a glaze. 
8. Start glazing it. Once the ham reached an internal temp of 110°F, I started glazing it with a basting brush, laying it on thick. I wanted the glaze to sink into the meat and carmelize up, because I knew that would taste delicious. Shutting the grill lid, I left it to cook a bit longer. 
9. Pull the ham off the grill. Once the ham hit an internal temperature of around 140°F, I pulled it off the grill by tilting it away from the wire rack, picking it up, and setting it on an aluminum pan. Once it rested, I moved it to a serving platter. 

The Results

This ham is phenomenal. It smelled just like a peach tree and was dripping with savory glaze. When I tasted it, the flavors from the seasoning, glaze and the natural taste of the ham melted together in a mouthwatering way. If you cook your holiday ham this way, I guarantee it’ll be the talk of the table. It’s just that good. 

Serving Suggestions for My Apricot Glazed Ham

As a main course, most people eat 1-3 pieces of ham with the rest of the dinner. You can put 1-2 pieces of it on bread to make a fantastic sandwich (which is what I like to use it for). 

Storing Leftovers

Store the sliced up ham in an airtight container and put it in the fridge to eat on for up to 3 days. You can use it for sandwiches, put it in soup or chili, or add it to some breakfast omelets. It’s good with everything, trust me. 

Equipment and Tools

Goldens’ Cast Iron Cooker, Royal Oak Lump Charcoal, Royal Oak Tumbleweeds, Stone and Wood cutting boards, Small wire rack, Small saucepan, Thermoworks Silicone Tools, Serving platter, ChefAlarm