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    Home » Pit Boss Recipes

    Published: Nov 13, 2023 · Modified: May 31, 2024 by Mads Martigan · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Pit Boss Smoked Ham with Cherry Fig Glaze

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Pit Boss Smoked Ham with a Cherry Fig Glaze is the ultimate holiday meal!

    It is a double smoked ham with a homemade cherry and fig exterior. If you're looking for one of the easiest main dishes for your holiday celebration, this ham is it!

    Double smoked ham with a cherry glaze on a cutting board to show the slices of ham

    Ham is one of the most popular main dishes at holiday gatherings because when you buy a smoked ham, you're basically just heating it up in an oven.

    We wanted to add extra smoke flavor with our Pit Boss pellet grill, making this a twice smoked ham.

    We glazed it with a homemade cherry sauce that adds so much flavor and makes this ham a truly special focal point of a holiday dinner.

    To make it even easier, we chose a spiral sliced ham so that part of the ham is already sliced.

    Not only does this save time carving the ham, it also allows for the addition of seasoning and glaze between the slices of ham for maximum flavor.

    Jump to:
    • Prepare and Season the Ham
    • Video
    • Best Wood Pellets and Wood for Ham
    • Start the Pit Boss and Seyt the Temperature
    • Double Smoke the Ham
    • Prepare and Add the Glaze
    • Target Internal Temperature
    • Carve and Serve the Ham
    • Storing and Reheating Leftover Ham
    • 📖 Recipe

    Prepare and Season the Ham

    We purchased a bone-in spiral sliced half ham, weighing 9.7 pounds. The rule of thumb for bone-in hams is to plan on ½ pound per person.

    This means our almost 10 pound ham would feed nearly 20 people!

    We use a wire rack set over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet to make this ham to minimize clean up.

    Open the package and remove the glaze packet. We wanted to use a homemade cherry glaze, so we discarded the provided packet.

    smoked ham in packaging from the store

    If your ham is packed in juices, pat it dry with paper towels.

    Coat the ham in a cooking oil of your choice. We used olive oil.

    Wildone Stainless Steel Cookie Pan with Cooling Rack
    Wildone Baking Sheet & Rack Set
    • 🍒4 Pieces Baking Set - Including 2pcs baking sheet 17.3 x 12.2 x 1 inch and 2pcs cooling rack 16.8 x 11.22 x 0.67 inch
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    Since we are cooking at a lower temperature, we do not need to worry about the smoke point of the oil.

    Season it with your desired seasoning. We used Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry Rub.

    Sprinkle the rub on the entire exterior of the ham and in between the slices.

    a cold ham seasoned with BBQ rub on a wire rack over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet
    Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry BBQ Rub Large 12.25 oz
    Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry BBQ Rub Large 12.25 oz
    Check Price on Amazon

    Video

    Rather WATCH than read? Check out our video for Double Smoked Ham on our YouTube Channel:

    YouTube player

    Best Wood Pellets and Wood for Ham

    For this double smoked ham that will be glazed with a cherry sauce, we like using cherry wood. You can use cherry wood pellets in the hopper.

    Make sure you store your pellets in a good airtight bucket like this one.

    Bear Mountain Premium BBQ Woods 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets - Cherry Flavor (20 lb. Bag) Perfect for Pellet Smokers, Fruity Wood-Fired Flavor
    Bear Mountain Premium BBQ Woods 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets - Cherry Wood (20 lb. Bag)
    • MILD CHERRY FLAVOR: Cherry BBQ pellets add a fruity, smoky flavor to your favorite red meat, fish, lamb, or pork dish
    • ALL-NATURAL HARDWOODS: Made from 100% all-natural hardwoods with no flavorings, fillers, or additives
    • USE WITH MULTIPLE GRILL TYPES: Ideal for all outdoor pellet grills, smokers, gas, charcoal, and electric grills
    Check Price on Amazon

    We like adding extra smoke flavor to our pellet grill recipes by adding a pellet tube smoker or a firebox with charcoal and real wood chunks.

    For this ham, we added the firebox with cherry wood chunks. We find that this gives the best wood smoke flavor to our food!

    Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.
    Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.
    Check Price on Amazon

    Start the Pit Boss and Seyt the Temperature

    Start the Pit Boss and allow it to run through the start up cycle.

    Then, set the temperature to 250°F.

    Sugar starts to burn above 300°F. We chose 250°F to allow for maximum smoke and to avoid burning the sugar on the ham.

    Double Smoke the Ham

    Since we purchased a smoked ham, smoking the ham on the Pit Boss is technically smoking it twice.

    We think this gives some good smoke flavor that you don't get from a ham out of the package baked in an oven.

    Place the wire rack and baking sheet with the seasoned ham directly on the Pit Boss grates.

    If using a pellet tube smoker or firebox, position this toward the back and not touching the ham.

    You do not want the heat emanating from the tube or box to cook your ham or interfere with the temperature gauge on the smoker.

    a half ham cut side down on a wire rack over a baking sheet on the grates of a Pit Boss pellet grill

    The baking sheet will catch a lot of the fat drippings and the excess glaze later which will drastically reduce clean up!

    a ham being smoked for a second time on a wire rack over a baking sheet on a pellet grill

    Rotate the tray throughout the cook to ensure the ham is cooking evenly.

    After about 2 hours, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. Avoid placing the thermometer touching the bone that runs down the ham.

    a MEATER wireless probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham

    We have a ThermoPro leave in thermometer that we like, but it has a wire coming out of the probe that needs to run outside the grill to the thermometer base.

    ThermoPro TP08 300FT Wireless Meat Thermometer for Grilling Smoker BBQ Grill Oven Thermometer with Dual Probe Kitchen Cooking Food Thermometer
    ThermoPro TP08 300FT Wireless Meat Thermometer with Dual Probe
    • 300ft remote range
    • Oven safe with highly accurate stainless steel meat probe and oven/ grill/ smoker temperature probe, to allow you to monitor both food and ambient temperature simultaneously
    • Food temp & HI/LOW ambient temp alarm
    • Highly accurate temp range 14˚f to 572˚F; Displays both Fahrenheit and Celsius
    Check Price on Amazon

    To avoid wires completely, we now like using the MEATER thermometer.

    The MEATER is a single probe that simultaneously measures the internal temperature of the meat and the ambient temperature of the smoker to give an estimated finish time.

    It connects to a free app on your smart phone to give you all of this information up to 165 feet away.

    an iPhone screen showing the MEATER app with ham selected and the internal temperature of the ham
    MEATER Plus: Premium Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer with Bluetooth | for BBQ, Oven, Grill, Kitchen, Smoker, Rotisserie | iOS & Android App | Apple Watch, Alexa Compatible | Dishwasher Safe
    MEATER Plus: Premium Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer with Bluetooth
    • Dual temperature sensors enable you to monitor both the internal meat temperature (up to 212°F) and the ambient/external temperature (up to 527°F) at the same time.
    • Dishwasher safe
    Check Price on Amazon

    Once the ham reaches 100-110°F, it's time to add the glaze.

    We spot check with an instant read thermometer in different places on the ham to make sure it is really up to temperature in all spots.

    ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer for Cooking with Ambidextrous Backlit, Waterproof Kitchen Food BBQ Grill Smoker Oil Fry Candy Instant Read
    ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer
    Check Price on Amazon

    Prepare and Add the Glaze

    cherry glaze in a saucepan being whisked

    Whisk together the following ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat on an oven range:

    • Cherry Preserves (Bonne Maman brand recommended)
    • Fig Marmalade (Fischer and Wieser brand recommended)
    • Red Wine Vinegar (do not substitute)
    • Honey
    • Cinnamon
    • Cloves
    • Nutmeg
    • Salt

    The sauce is ready when the preserves have melted and the sauce is well combined. If you are using a leave in thermometer, remove it while you are adding the glaze.

    Bonne Maman, Preserve Cherry, 13 Ounce
    Bonne Maman, Preserve Cherry, 13 Ounce
    Check Price on Amazon

    Use a large spoon to carefully drizzle some of the sauce over the top of the ham, allowing the sauce to run down the sides.

    Fischer & Wieser Whole Lemon Fig Marmalade, 10.9 Oz., Pack Of 2
    Fischer & Wieser Whole Lemon Fig Marmalade, 10.9 Oz., Pack Of 2
    Check Price on Amazon

    Then, use a silicone basting brush to brush the sauce over the exterior of the ham and in between the ham slices.

    Wearing food safe vinyl gloves with cloth liners underneath for heat protection, lift the slices to get the glaze in between them.

    The silicone bristles are ideal for getting in between the ham slices.

    a red silicone spatula brushing cherry glaze onto the surface of a ham on a wire rack
    HOTEC Silicone Heat Resistant Marinading Meat Grill Basting Pastry Brush for Oil Butter Sauce Sausages Desserts Turkey Baster Grill Barbecue, Multicolor
    HOTEC Silicone Heat Resistant Basting Brush
    • BPA Free
    • Temperature Resistant -104℉~660℉(-40℃~315℃).
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    Brush more glaze on the ham every 10-15 minutes, as desired.

    Target Internal Temperature

    The target internal temperature for ham is 145°F. This will take about 4 hours total on a Pit Boss at 250°F.

    glazed double smoked ham on a wire rack baking sheet combo on the grates of a Pit Boss pellet grill

    Remove the ham to a cutting board and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

    cherry glazed twice smoked ham on a cutting board

    Carve and Serve the Ham

    If you have a spiral sliced ham, about half of your meat will already be sliced part way. Use a good meat slicing knife to finish cutting those slices.

    MAIRICO Ultra Sharp Premium 11-inch Stainless Steel Carving Knife - Ergonomic Design - Best for Slicing Roasts, Meats, Fruits and Vegetables
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    If you need more ham, slice through the unsliced portion of the ham.

    Only cut as much as you need. Leaving part of the ham intact will ensure it stays juicy and warm.

    If you have leftover glaze, you can serve it, warmed, with the ham.

    Ham goes great with classic holiday sides like Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Macaroni and Cheese, and Smoked Sweet Potatoes.

    Add a side of Smoked Cornbread and some Smoked Green Beans and you have a full meal!

    Storing and Reheating Leftover Ham

    Leftover ham should be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

    To reheat the leftover ham, place the slices in a shallow baking dish with a little bit of liquid.

    This can be some chicken broth or extra cherry sauce.

    Cover the dish with aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 300°F until the ham is heated through.

    Ideally, you want the ham to reach an internal temperature of 145°F.

    📖 Recipe

    Double smoked ham with a cherry glaze on a cutting board to show the slices of ham

    Pit Boss Smoked Ham with Cherry Fig Glaze

    Mads Martigan
    Pit Boss Smoked Ham with a Cherry Fig Glaze is the ultimate holiday meal! It is a double smoked ham with a homemade cherry exterior.
    No ratings yet
    PRINT PIN SHARE SAVE Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 4 hours hrs
    Rest Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, BBQ, Christmas, Holiday, New Years, Smoked, Thanksgiving
    Servings 12 people
    Calories 125 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pit Boss Pellet Grill
    • Wire Rack
    • Baking Sheet
    • Cutting Board

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 Bone-in Spiral Sliced Half Ham about 10 lbs
    • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil or oil of choice
    • 3 tablespoon Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry Rub or seasoning of choice

    Cherry Glaze:

    • 13 ounces Cherry Preserves Bon Maman brand recommended
    • 5 ounces Fig Marmalade brand recommended
    • ¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar do not substitute
    • ¼ Cup Honey
    • ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon Cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
    • ⅛ teaspoon Salt

    Instructions
     

    Prepare and Season the Ham

    • Open the package and remove the glaze packet. Discard the packet.
      1 Bone-in Spiral Sliced Half Ham
      smoked ham in packaging from the store
    • If the ham is packed in juices, pat it dry with paper towels.
    • Place the ham on a wire rack set over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. This will minimize clean up later.
    • Coat the ham in cooking oil.
      2 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • Season it with your desired seasoning, such as Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry Rub. Sprinkle the rub on the entire exterior of the ham and in between the slices.
      3 tablespoon Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry Rub
      a cold ham seasoned with BBQ rub on a wire rack over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet

    Start the Pit Boss

    • Start the Pit Boss and allow it to run through the start up cycle. Then, set the temperature to 250°F.
    • Oil the cooking grates to prevent the ham from sticking.
    • If using a pellet tube smoker or a firebox with charcoal and wood, get it started while the grill preheats.

    Double Smoke the Ham

    • Place the wire rack and baking sheet with the seasoned ham directly on the Pit Boss grates on the cooler side of your grill. This tends to be the right side closer to the exhaust pipe.
      a half ham cut side down on a wire rack over a baking sheet on the grates of a Pit Boss pellet grill
    • If using a pellet tube smoker or firebox, position this toward the back left, not too close to the ham or to the Pit Boss temperature probe.
    • Rotate the tray throughout the cook to ensure the ham is cooking evenly.
    • After about 2 hours, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. Avoid placing the thermometer touching the bone that runs down the ham.
      a MEATER wireless probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham
    • Once the ham reaches 100-110°F internally, add the glaze.

    Prepare and Add the Glaze

    • Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the preserves have melted and the sauce is well combined.
      13 ounces Cherry Preserves, 5 ounces Fig Marmalade, ¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar, ¼ Cup Honey, ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Cloves, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
      cherry glaze in a saucepan being whisked
    • If you are using a leave in thermometer, remove it while you are adding the glaze.
    • Use a large spoon to carefully drizzle some of the sauce over the top of the ham, allowing the sauce to run down the sides.
    • Use a silicone basting brush to apply the sauce over the exterior of the ham and in between the ham slices.
      a red silicone spatula brushing cherry glaze onto the surface of a ham on a wire rack
    • Wearing food safe vinyl gloves with cloth liners underneath for heat protection, lift the slices to get the glaze in between them.
    • Replace the probe thermometer to continue monitoring the internal temperature of the ham.
      glazed double smoked ham on a wire rack baking sheet combo on the grates of a Pit Boss pellet grill
    • Brush more glaze on the ham every 10-15 minutes, as desired.
    • When the ham reaches a target internal temperature of 145°F, remove it to a cutting board and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
      cherry glazed twice smoked ham on a cutting board

    Carve and Serve the Ham

    • If you have a spiral sliced ham, about half of your meat will already be sliced part way. Use a good meat slicing knife to finish cutting those slices. If you need more ham, slice through the unsliced portion of the ham.
    • Only cut as much as you need. Leaving part of the ham intact will ensure it stays juicy and warm.
    • If you have leftover glaze, you can serve it, warmed, with the ham.

    Video

    Notes

    Storing and Reheating Leftover Ham:
    Leftover ham should be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
    To reheat the leftover ham, place the slices in a shallow baking dish with a little bit of liquid. This can be some chicken broth or extra cherry sauce.
    Cover the dish with aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 300°F until the ham is heated through. Ideally, you want the ham to reach an internal temperature of 145°F.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 84gCalories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 1091mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 0.1IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.3mg
    Keyword cherry glazed ham, double smoked ham, ham smoked on a pit boss, holiday smoked ham, pellet grill smoked ham, pit boss double smoked ham, pit boss ham, pit boss smoked ham, smoked bone in ham, smoked half ham, smoked ham on a pellet smoker, smoked spiral sliced ham
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    About Mads Martigan

    Mads is the founder of Madbackyard.com and has been a BBQ and Grilling enthusiast for the past 15 years. He loves to write about and make videos on smoking and barbecuing all kinds of great food.

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    Comments

    1. Anonymous says

      April 20, 2025 at 8:08 pm

      we made this today for Easter and it was great ... so smokey and juicy. it did not dry out at all. could not find fig so I got orange marmalade and was great ... our company raved over this ham. said it was best they ever had. will be making again.

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    Robert "Mads" Martigan, the founder of Mad Backyard

    Hi, I'm Mads, the founder of Mad Backyard and an avid outdoorsman, barbecue/smoker buff, and pellet grilling enthusiast who loves to share my passion for outdoor living and outdoor cooking with the world.

    More about me →

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