There are a massive variety of answers to the question, “What is THE BEST Christmas Ham BBQ Recipe?” Reddit Threads, Food Network Articles, Better Homes and Gardens Suggestions, Southern Living Magazine Recipes, The Joy of Cooking Responses, and OBVIOUSLY, REGIONAL BATTLES of Chefs as to whom has the BEST Christmas Ham BBQ ideas can send you, as a BBQ Aficionado, down a rabbit hole of overwhelming information! Let www.ribbqnews,com assist you with some SUPERB recommendations to help ease your stress when planning a delicious Christmas HAM BBQ Menu! The MOST “Googled” and asked Christmas HAM question was “What tips are available to me in order to prepare a Christmas ham dinner on my BBQ?” Professional Chefs, Home Cooks, BBQ Competitors and Lifestyle gurus have weighed in and offered these SCRUMPTIOUS TIPS!
One particularly popular thread and conversation on Social Media outlets is: “OMG! Using APPLE CIDER to prep my ham dinner for BBQ-ing was a GENUIS invention!” Utilizing a 130 year old TIP, boiling your ham the night before Christmas in apple cider and water LOW AND SLOW overnight then finishing it the next day on the BBQ makes for an easy, delicious option for Christmas dinner. Additionally, do NOT throw away your overnight flavorful ham and apple cider water, rather use it to boil your vegetable side dishes; ie- brussel sprouts, turnips, collard greens, kohlrabi, and/or kale. Add salt, pepper, and plenty of butter to taste and VIOLA, your veggie side dishes are ready without muss and fuss! Traditionally originating as an Old Irish and English Recipe, boiling your Christmas ham in Apple Cider affords your meat a sweet, red-apple dessert flavoring, with a hint of vanilla and a juicy and refreshing element to your finished ham. According to www.bulmers.com Bulmers Original Cider, the flavor profile of apple cider is truly a perfect compliment to a Christmas ham dinner, balancing the saltiness of the ham with a sugary-candied taste from apple cider recipes. Primarily sold in pint bottles, Bulmers, a subsidiary of Heineken International, historically is a light bodied apple cider with sweet notes and a subtle tanginess. It is made free from artificial flavorings, colors, and sweeteners. The cider was originally produced as “Bulmers Irish Cider,” to be sold under that name in the Republic of Ireland, and it is sold as “MAGNERS” in all other markets. Over 130 years later the ghosts of our BBQ-ing ancestors and the entrepreneurial spirit of UK Bulmers, Magners, Scrumpy Jack, Woodpecker Cider, Inch’s, Orchard Thieves, Orchard Pig, Old Mout Cider, Blind Pig, and Strongbow lives on in holiday recipe preparations.
When finishing your ham on the BBQ, there are a vast multitude of glaze recipes to choose from to spread, pour, and baste upon your meat before you close that grill cover! Sweet and savory and super aromatic classic ham glazes include: molasses, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns which are fragrant, woodsy glaze renditions.
You can find specific Ham Glaze Recipes here:
- 34 Best Christmas Ham Recipes www.countryliving.com
- Hot Maple Glazed Ham www.hexclad.com
- Honey Brown Sugar Ham Glaze www.thekitchn.com
- Tangy Honey Glazed Ham www.allrecipes.com
- Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham www.cafedelites.com
And a specialty BBQ Recipe from “The Kettle Guy,” Backyard Grilling and BBQ, his “CHERRY HOT HONEY GLAZE” IS TOUTED AS “IRON CHEF WORTHY!” www.thekettleguy.com
Specifically designed for his “Double smoked Ham Recipe,” The Kettle Guy’s glaze is perfect for any ham, whether cooked in your smoker or your oven. The Kettle Guy’s impeccable Recipe, as well as grilling, smoking, and BBQ Tips and Pointers can be found in his “Ultimate Guide to Charcoal Grilling and Smoking.”
Then there are the Good Ol’ Fashioned USA Original ham glaze recipes using Dr. Pepper and Coca-Cola.
- The DR. Pepper Ham Glaze Recipe:
- For a 9 ½ pound ham, you will need:
- ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
- ¾ Cup Dr. Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
- 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
In a medium sauce pan, bring the sugar, Dr. Pepper soda, orange juice and mustard to a simmer. Cook on medium heat until the mixture is syrupy and reduced to about ¾ cup—for approximately 8 minutes. Brush the glaze on the ham, and place on your BBQ and cook until the glaze is sticky on the outside of the ham. YUM!
The Coca-Cola Ham Glaze Recipe only has 3 ingredients:
Coca-Cola
- Smooth Dijon Mustard
- Brown Sugar
You can utilize any cooked ham and then finish the meat on your BBQ with this easy glaze! This recipe calls for ¼ cup of Coca-Cola per pound of ham, approximately 1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard per pound of ham, and approximately 1/10 cup of dark brown sugar per pound of ham. Dijon mustard is “Ham’s Best Friend!” The Dijon mustard gives a hint of acid and tang to the Christmas ham- just make sure that you purchase “smooth” Dijon Mustard- without the whole grain seeds. And, finally Dark Brown Sugar gives this simple glaze a depth of flavor. In a proportioned Coca-Cola -to-Pounds-Of-Ham bowl, combine the 3 ingredients: Coca-Cola, Dijon Mustard and Dark Brown Sugar. Whisk glaze together. Pour glaze into a saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until glaze is thickened to a dark syrup. Score your cooked ham, brush on the Cocoa-Cola glaze, insert meat into BBQ and cook until ham is gooey-slick on the outside.
www.weber.com has a wealth of information on their website, entitled, “Tasty Christmas Barbeque Recipes and Grilling Tips.” Weber exclaims, “Discover why Christmas dinner on the barbeque is one of cooking’s best kept secrets! Our Christmas grilling recipes ensure your festive season jingles all the way.” A strikingly unique recipe for “Barbequed Mince Pies” are sure to be an especially distinctive treat for your Christmas dinner guests!
The following photo from a 1950’s magazine featuring Santa delivering a Swift’s Premium Ham for Christmas dinner harkens back to days of yore. The Christmas ham has a history that spans more than 15 centuries! The tradition of eating ham at Christmas stems from ancient pagan practices where tribes would sacrifice wild boar during the winter solstice celebrations to honor the Norse God, Freyr, who represented prosperity, fair weather, fertility and harvest. Germanic pagans ate ham during their Yuletide festival honoring the mythical “Wild Hunt.” The “Wild Hunt” is a folklore occurring across many eastern, western, and northern European societies and in the religions of the Celts, Slavs, and Germans. The leader of the hunt is often a famed figure associated with each culture and legend: Odin in Germanic legend, Theodoric the Great -Ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy, the Danish King Valdemar Atterdag, the Norse dragon slayer, Sigurd, and the Welsh Guide of Souls Gwyn ap Nudd, for example. Over many a year, as Christianity spread across the world, the practice of eating pork during winter festivities continued, eventually evolving into the modern Christmas tradition of a ham dinner, with the pig symbolizing abundance and good luck! A traditional Christmas ham dinner Blessing is: “Heavenly Father, as we gather around this Christmas table, we thank you for the bounty of your goodness, especially for this delicious meal that we share with our loved ones. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and joy. Bless this food and our time together and may we always be mindful of those less fortunate. And may the memories of today warm our hearts for years to come. Amen.”
“A Christmas HAM is a thing of JOY and SMOKY, STICKY DELICIOUSNESS!”
–Andi Oliver, British Chef, Television and Radio Broadcaster, Author, and Host of BBC’s “Great British Menu” and “Truth About Food” among many other appearances.
Smoked, Baked, Boiled and Glazed, however you prepare the traditional ham Christmas dinner, May The BBQ Gods Be Ever In Your Favor!
