Shopping at Costco is a great way to save money while finding good food. Costco is an excellent place for the budget-conscious to pick up many food items like steak and chicken. Ham is a less expensive piece of meat, and Kirkland has a great option. How do you smoke the Kirkland hickory smoked spiral ham with glaze on a pellet grill?
For starters, smoking a ham is easy. It’s tough to go wrong with a Costco spiral ham. It comes already smoked, so by heating it in your pellet grill, you’re double smoking the meat. All you need to do is get the ham’s center to 140ºF, 145ºF if you’re smoking a fresh ham. However, most hams you purchase at the grocery store are precooked. The Kirkland Signature hickory ham is fully cooked, so you only need to bring it back up to 140ºF.
Since the Kirkland ham is hickory smoked, your pellet grill or smoker will not add more smoke flavor to this meat. However, when heating the ham in a smoker, you can add a little more flavor to the meat.
The Kirkland Signature spiral ham comes with a 6oz packet to make a sweet glaze. It’s delicious and worth trying. If you don’t want to use their glaze because you have another plan, keep the packet and make the glaze for another dish.
How Much are Hams at Costco?
Kirkland Signature pre-cooked hickory smoked spiral hams found only at Costco are of great value. The last 2 out of 3 times I purchased this ham, it was under $2/pound. The last time I bought this ham, it came to about #20. Even when purchasing at a higher price, the value is still great for the amount of meat you can carve off one of these bone-in hams.
Is the Costco Spiral Hickory Ham Good?
I highly recommended this Kirkland Signature hickory smoked ham with glaze. It’s a safe choice for someone new to smoking, using an oven, or doesn’t cook much at all. Unlike other large pieces of meat like turkey or brisket, It’s difficult to mess this up. Not only do I recommend this for beginners, but I suggest it to anyone since it comes out juicy and flavorful.
How Long are Costco Hams Good For?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, “Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or less and your freezer at or near 0°F.”
Can You Freeze a Costco Ham?
If you cook the ham within a week of bringing it home, leave it in your refrigerator. If you buy it with the intent of cooking it more than seven days away, freeze it. Freezing the ham will maintain its overall flavor and quality if you freeze it for 12 weeks or less.
When you plan on thawing the frozen ham, plan ahead of time. Allow it to thaw for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. If time is an issue, submerge the sealed ham in cold water and check it regularly. Place it back in the fridge as soon as it is properly thawed.
How Many Pounds of Ham do You Need per Person?
Plan on ½ pounds per person when choosing a bone-in ham like the Costco Kirkland spiral option. If you select a boneless ham, plan about ⅓ pound per person. Keep in mind that some people eat more than others, but this will generally even out. I like to have more food than can get eaten, so there are leftovers for ham soup or sandwiches.
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What Wood Should You Use to Smoke a Costco Spiral Ham?
Since the Kirkland spiral ham is already hickory-smoked, you don’t need to add any smoke flavor. However, if you need to heat the meat, you might as well add a little more smoke in the process. You should choose a wood that pairs well with both pork and hickory. This short 2.5-hour smoking isn’t going to add a ton of additional smoke flavor, but it helps choose a nice pairing of aromas.
Pecan
Pecan wood is right up there with hickory for how great it is. It leaves your ham with a nice texture along with a robust and sharp taste. However, it works best when smoking for a more extended time than the time it takes heating the Kirkland ham. It’s still a good option, but you won’t get the full range of benefits pecan wood can bring.
Your ham already has a robust earthy flavor from the hickory, and pecan comes in more subtle. This makes pecan a great option to pair with flavors like hickory, apple, or cherry. You won’t be worried about overpowering any of the flavors already present with your Costco ham.
Cherry
If you smoke a ham for a more extended period, cherry wood will have excellent red color. This won’t happen very much when smoking the ham for 2 hours, but you can get some red coloring. Cherry will also bring a mild, sweet aroma similar to other fruitwoods. Cherry combines nicely with the earthy hickory of the Costco ham.
Maple
Maple wood gives off a mildly sweet flavor that isn’t too strong. Maple is an excellent wood for pork foods like ham. Applewood is sweeter than maple, which doesn’t leave your ham sweet. This makes maple a good option since you will sweeten the ham with the glaze.
The difference between hickory and maple is that maple wood is sweeter and more subtle. This makes it pair well with your hickory-smoked Kirkland ham.
Recipe for Smoking a Kirkland Spiral Ham with Glaze
Directions
Step 1 – Unwrap the red outer foil and set the glaze packet aside. Then remove ham from the clear plastic packaging.
Step 2 – Set the pellet grill to 325ºF with either the recommended pecan, cherry, or maple pellets.
Step 3 – Once preheated, place the ham directly on the grill grates or use a pan and close the lid. Make sure to remove the round plastic piece on the bottom of the ham.
Step 4 – After 2 hours, check the ham’s internal temperature. Once it reaches 130ºF or more, it’s time to add the glaze.
Step 5 – To prepare the glaze, follow the instructions on the packet. In a pot over medium heat, bring the packet contents along with three tablespoons of water or orange juice to boil. I prefer to use orange juice if I have it.
Step 6 – Once the ham is at least 130ºF, increase the smoker’s temperature to 375ºF.
Step 7 – Once the grill is preheated, pour or mop the glaze all over the outside of the ham. Use all the glaze you have.
Step 8 – Close the lid and smoke for another 20 minutes.
Step 9 – The ham should easily have an internal temperature of 140ºF, the minimum temperature you want to reach.
Step 10 – Remove the ham and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
Step 11 – Slice and serve warm.
If you’re curious about smoking more pork products, you may want to take a look at How Long It Takes to Smoke Ribs.
Hickory Smoked Spiral Ham with Glaze on Pellet Grill
Equipment
- Pellet grill or smoker
- Wood pellets - Pecan, Cherry, or Maple
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Kirkland hickory smoked ham
- 1 Glaze packet
- 3 tbsp Orange juice or water
Instructions
- Unwrap the red outer foil and set the glaze packet aside. Then remove ham from the clear plastic packaging.
- Set the pellet grill to 325ºF and fill the hopper with either pecan, cherry, or maple pellets.
- Once preheated, place the ham directly on the grill grates or use a pan and close the lid. Make sure to remove the round plastic piece on the bottom of the ham.
- After 2 hours, check the ham’s internal temperature. Once it reaches 130ºF or more, it’s time to add the glaze.
- To prepare the glaze, follow the instructions on the packet. In a pot over medium heat, bring the packet contents along with three tablespoons of water or orange juice to boil. I prefer to use orange juice if I have it.
- Once the ham is at least 130ºF, increase the smoker’s temperature to 375ºF.
- Once the grill is preheated, pour or mop the glaze all over the outside of the ham. Use all the glaze you have.
- Close the lid and smoke for another 20 minutes.
- The ham should easily have an internal temperature of 140ºF, which is the minimum temperature you want to reach.
- Remove the ham and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve warm.
Nutrition
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Smoking Food Board!!
Putting it directly on the grill blackens the outside at 325. I adjusted the temperature to 250