The holiday ham in your fridge is probably cooked already. Many spiral-cut and bone-in half hams are labelled “fully cooked,” so smoking one is really a reheat with a second layer of smoke and a sticky glaze on top. You are not cooking a raw roast through, and the job comes down to three things: a sensible smoker temperature, a sliced surface that stays moist, and the right internal temperature.
The 60-Second Answer
Run the smoker at 325°F, the oven setting FSIS uses for its ham reheating times. Heat a fully cooked ham packaged in a USDA-inspected plant to 140°F inside. A leftover ham, or one repackaged somewhere else, goes to 165°F. A “cook before eating” or fresh ham needs 145°F plus a 3-minute rest. To estimate time, FSIS lists 10 to 18 minutes per pound for a 7 to 9 lb spiral-cut ham and 18 to 24 minutes per pound for a 5 to 7 lb bone-in half. Keep it covered for most of the cook, then unwrap and glaze near the end.
Read the Label First
The package wording sets your target. FSIS defines a “fully cooked” ham as one you could eat straight from the package, so reheating it is about serving it hot. A “cook before eating” ham has to be cooked like raw pork, and a fresh, uncured ham is raw pork. A cured ham stays pink whether it is cold or hot, so colour tells you nothing here. Our guide to what temp ham is done covers every label type.
The 140°F figure only applies to a cooked ham sealed at an inspected plant. If a shop sliced and rewrapped it, or it is left over from a ham you already served, take it to 165°F.
Smoker Setting and How Long It Takes
FSIS builds its ham timetable around an oven set to 325°F, and running the smoker there is the safe, practical choice. A colder cooker keeps the outside of the ham in the 40°F to 140°F danger zone for longer. Smoke at 325°F still flavours the surface, which is where the smoke ends up on any ham, since the inside was cured and cooked at the plant. On a kettle or gas grill, a two-zone fire setup gives you indirect heat at that temperature.
Treat the FSIS minutes per pound as a planning range. For an 8 lb spiral-cut ham, 8 × 10 is 80 minutes and 8 × 18 is 144, so plan on roughly 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours 24 minutes. The thermometer decides when it is done.
| Ham (as labelled) | Safe internal temp | FSIS min/lb at 325°F | Example estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiral cut, fully cooked, 7–9 lb | 140°F | 10–18 | 8 lb: 1 hr 20 min–2 hr 24 min |
| Half bone-in, fully cooked, 5–7 lb | 140°F | 18–24 | 6 lb: 1 hr 48 min–2 hr 24 min |
| Half bone-in, cook before eating, 5–7 lb | 145°F + 3-min rest | 22–25 | 6 lb: 2 hr 12 min–2 hr 30 min |
| Leftover or repackaged cooked ham | 165°F | Not listed | Go by thermometer |
Step by Step: Smoking a Fully Cooked Ham
- Heat the smoker to 325°F with a mild wood such as apple or cherry. Keep the ham in the fridge until the cooker holds temperature; FSIS limits perishable food to 2 hours out of refrigeration, or 1 hour above 90°F.
- Unwrap the ham and set aside any glaze packet if you are making your own. On a bone-in half without slices, score the fat in a shallow diamond pattern. Leave a spiral ham as it is.
- Set the ham cut side down in a foil pan with a little water, apple juice or stock. Cover loosely with foil and put it in the smoker.
- Make the glaze: stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and some black pepper. A spoonful of rub from our homemade BBQ seasoning recipes works in it too.
- When the thickest part, away from the bone, is a few degrees below your target, remove the foil and brush on half the glaze.
- Leave it uncovered so the glaze sets and takes on smoke, then brush on the rest. Pull it at 140°F, 165°F or 145°F, depending on the label.
- Carve and serve. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours.
Why Spiral Ham Dries Out
A spiral ham is sliced to the bone before you buy it. Every slice face loses moisture to hot, moving air, so the outer slices curl and turn leathery. A whole bone-in half has one outer surface and holds up better.
Covering the ham for most of the reheat limits the damage. Cut side down in a pan, with liquid underneath and foil on top, the slices stay pressed together in humid air. You give up some smoke during that stage, but a ham labelled smoked already carries it, and the uncovered glazing stretch adds a fresh layer outside.
Common Mistakes
Glazing at the start is the easiest one to make: sugar left on for the whole cook can scorch before the centre is hot. The second is stopping at 140°F on a store-sliced or leftover ham that needs 165°F. The third is judging by colour, which FSIS says is not reliable on its own. A probe thermometer in the thickest part, clear of the bone, settles it.
The Bottom Line
Smoke a fully cooked ham at 325°F, covered in a pan with a little liquid, then unwrap and glaze near the end. Plan with the FSIS minutes per pound and finish by thermometer at the temperature your label calls for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke a ham at 225°F instead?
The FSIS reheating times assume 325°F, and a cooler smoker keeps the outside in the danger zone longer. We recommend 325°F; the surface still picks up plenty of smoke.
Do I need to rinse a fully cooked ham first?
No. Unwrap it and put it straight into the pan.
How long do smoked ham leftovers keep?
FSIS gives spiral-cut hams and leftovers from a ham you cooked 3 to 5 days in the fridge, or 1 to 2 months frozen for best quality. See how long ham lasts for every type.
What if my ham says “cook before eating”?
Smoke it the same way, but cook it to 145°F and rest it at least 3 minutes. FSIS gives 22 to 25 minutes per pound for a 5 to 7 lb half bone-in.
Related Guides
- What Temp Is Ham Done?
- How Long Does Ham Last?
- How to Tell If Ham Is Bad
- Two-Zone Fire Setup for Any Grill
Never Throw Out Good Meat Again
Get the one-page BBQ cheat sheet: fridge and freezer times for every cut, safe temperatures, and the spoilage signs that are false alarms. Free, no spam.
No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.