I have always wanted to make this holiday ham. It is an old school roast that my grandparents used to serve me when I was a little kid! This time though, our Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham will break some rules. We are going to make it a little spicy so we can cut out some of the sweetness. We are also going to use my Cherry Chipotle Ale seasoning from Spiceology. Lets just say that this was amazing.
History of the Holiday Ham
There are many traditional holiday roasts including Prime Rib, NY Strip Roast, Beef Tenderloin, Turkey and many many more. That being said, the Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glaze Ham is an absolute staple piece. Traditionally, the ham can be served in many different ways depending on where you are from.
Since I live in the USA, then I will mostly stick to understanding those traditions! Growing up, my grandparents used to serve me Southern style baked ham with a sweet maple syrup glaze that went over the top. Some years, my grandmother would make the old school Cherry Pineapple Ham with the pineapple sliced and maraschino cherries pinned onto the ham. I always loved that cook because I used to eat the maraschino cherries while she cooked. My childhood experience is now the inspiration for Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham recipe.
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Let’s Smoke it
For this ham, we grabbed a 8lb spiral ham. You are welcome to do this recipe with an unsliced ham, but that will increase the cooking time! Next, I seasoned it with my Cherry Chipotle Ale seasoning from Spiceology. Feel free to use any sweet bbq styled seasoning if you do not have this rub at home. Finally, we pinned the pineapple slices and maraschino cherries to the backside of the ham using toothpicks.
Preheated my fire to 325F for a 1.5-2.5 hour cook with this ham. Add the Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham onto the smoker and you are ready to go. Again, feel free to do this in your oven if you don’t have a smoker. When the ham is close to 145F internal, I will start making the simple glaze to go over top. Add the glaze to the ham and kick up the heat in the smoker to help caramelize the outside before eating.
Time to eat this Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham!
This simple recipe is both old school and new school. It uses tons of great flavors as well as a delicious smokiness for the win. Try the Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham recipe now below. Cheers!
Have you preordered my cookbook Food by Fire???
Cherry Chipotle Pineapple Glazed Ham
Ingredients
Ham:
- 1 Spiral Ham around 8 lbs
- 2 tbsp of Cherry Chipotle Seasoning or a Sweet BBQ Seasoning
- 12 Sliced Pineapple in heavy syrup
- 12 Maraschino Cherries
Glaze:
- 2 tbsp of Butter salted
- 1.5 tbsp of Chipotle Puree
- 1 tbsp of Bourbon
- 1 tbsp of Pineapple Juice
- 1 tbsp of Maraschino Cherry Juice
- 2 tsp of Honey
Instructions
- Set your spiral ham with the cut open side facing towards you for prepping. Season the ham with the Cherry Chipotle Seasoning (or whatever you like) thoroughly making sure to get all the crevices. On the back side of ham, start placing pineapple slices all over securing them with toothpicks. Once you have covered the back with pineapple slices, secure the maraschino cherries in the center of each pineapple slice with another toothpick. Set the ham aside until you are ready to cook.
- Preheat your grill for indirect cooking to 325F. Add some cherry wood chips if you desire extra smoke flavor.
- Add the ham onto the smoker and cook for about 1.5-2.5 hours until the ham reaches 145F internal. When the ham is close to being done, preheat a skillet for your glaze. Add the butter to melt, then add all the other ingredients. Mix the glaze thoroughly and let simmer until thickened (about 4-5 minutes).
- Before the ham is done, pull it off the smoker and place it into a aluminum foil bin or cast iron. Thoroughly glaze it on all sides, and then place it back on the smoker. Open up all the vents in the smoker to increase the heat and let it caramelize the glaze. Cook at high heat for about 7-8 minutes. When done, pull it off and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Just made this ham and loved it for something a little different than the ordinary. Added Cherry wheat beer from Bell’s to the pan to keep the moisture up which made a beautiful au jus. Great recipe!