Apple-Wood Smoked Ham with Pineapple-Apricot Topping

Whether it’s a holiday event or casual weekend get-together, bringing home a fully cooked ham for dinner makes “cooking” as easy as it gets: warm it in the oven for a while and it’s ready to serve.

But you can make the meal a little extra special by adding your own touch to the preparation. A simple spice rub gives savory aroma to the ham as well as great flavor. Instead of buying the ham already glazed, make a fresh topping yourself. And rather than warming it in the oven, take it out to the smoker  (or turn your grill into a smoker) for that real smoked-ham flavor you just can’t get in pre-cooked meats—even if it says “smoked” on the label.

Spice and Herb Rub for the Ham

Smoking a small, three- to four-pound ham takes only about an hour. I used apple wood because the chips add lighter smokiness than mesquite or hickory. Regardless of the wood you use, let the coals die considerably before adding the chips and ham to the smoker (or grill). This will ensure that the temperature is low enough for the meat to absorb rich, smoky flavor without becoming dry and overcooked. (Let larger, fully cooked hams smoke an additional 20-30 minutes.)

A simple, fresh, and fruity sauce to spoon on top of the sliced ham adds great flavor contrast to the dish—a balanced blend of smoky, salty, and sweet. And while pineapple is a common accompaniment to ham, you can do more with it than lay canned rings on top.

First, start with a fresh pineapple. When a recipe has only three main ingredients, it’s important to go fresh when you can. Chopped pineapple and apricot preserves melded with a little butter and some seasoning are all you need to make a flavorful finish for the dish. Doesn’t get easier than that.

Chopped Fresh Pineapple

 

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the Ham

• 1 tsp dried herb mixture, such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 3- to 4-lb, petit-cut ham
• olive oil, for drizzling
• apple juice (enough to fill the pan), cilantro sprigs, allspice berries, black peppercorns (or other aromatics) for the smoking liquid

For the Topping

• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1 1/4 cups chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the Ham

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the ham and let rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

Spice and Herb Rubbed Ham

1. When the coals are ready, scatter the wood chips over them. Place the smoking liquid ingredients in a pan and set on the rack above the coals.
2. Drizzle the ham with olive oil and place on the off-heat side of the rack. Smoke 1 hour, turning once halfway through.

Oil-Drizzled Ham Ready to Smoke

Ham Beginning to Smoke

1. Remove the ham to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Slice into serving pieces and spoon the pineapple-apricot sauce (recipes follows) on top, or serve the sauce alongside.

Apple-Wood Smoked Ham 

Sliced Apple-Wood Smoked Ham

For the Topping

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the apricot, pineapple, and pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Stir slowly until the preserves have slightly melted and the sauce is syrupy.
2. Remove from the heat and keep covered. Rewarm gently over low heat before using.

Pineapple-Apricot Topping