Sweet, Sticky, Boozy… and Guaranteed to Steal the Holiday Spotlights

There are a lot of ways to impress people during the holidays.
You can show up early.
You can bring extra rolls.
You can act genuinely interested in your weird uncle’s woodworking hobby.

Or… you can walk into the house carrying a smoked ham glazed in maple, bourbon, and Rub Yer Meat.
Trust me—that’s the move.

This Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham is the perfect blend of sweet, smoky, sticky, and just boozy enough to make the adults nod in approval. It’s ridiculously easy to pull off, the glaze can be made ahead of time, and the whole cook happens at a breezy 250°F. In other words: this is a holiday flex that requires zero stress but delivers maximum applause.

Let’s get into it.

🐖 What You’ll Need: The Ham

This recipe is built around an 8–10 lb bone-in pre-cooked ham, but the method works beautifully with a boneless version too. Bone-in gives you better presentation and a touch more moisture, but don’t panic—you can’t mess this up.

Most store-bought hams are fully cooked, which means your job isn’t to “cook” it…
Your job is to heat it, smoke it, glaze it, and make it stupidly delicious.

🧂 Seasoning: Give That Ham a Rubdown

Before it hits the smoker, that ham needs a little attention. And yes, that means rubbing your meat.

How to season your ham:

1. Pat the ham dry with paper towels.
2. Give the outside a medium coating of Rub Yer Meat—enough to get good flavor, but not so much that it forms a crust you don’t want.
3. Focus on the outside only. Since we’re using a bone-in ham (often not spiral-cut), keep the seasoning on the surface.
4. Let it sit while you prep your smoker.

This rub helps with color, adds savory kick, and balances the sweetness of the glaze you’re about to cook up.

🔥 Set Up Your Smoker: Smooth and Steady at 250°F

Fire up your smoker and stabilize it at 250°F.
Any mild wood works great here—apple, cherry, pecan, maple… whatever makes you feel festive and powerful.

Place your seasoned ham on the smoker cut side down (if there is a cut side). This helps retain moisture and lets the smoke kiss all the exposed areas.

Your goal:
Bring the ham’s internal temperature to 140°F.

Since it’s pre-cooked, we’re gently reheating it while infusing smoke and prepping for glaze greatness.

An 8–10 lb bone-in ham at 250°F usually takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

🥃 How to Make the Maple Bourbon Glaze

Spoiler: It’s ridiculously easy, insanely good, and ready in 40 minutes or less.

This glaze is sweet, sticky, slightly tangy, and gets its swagger from real bourbon. You can make it the morning of, the night before, or while your ham is catching smoke.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup bourbon
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Assemble the ingredients.

Grab everything and pull out a medium saucepan. This is a simple, one-pot operation—no fancy culinary degree required.

2. Combine and boil.

Add all the ingredients to the pan and heat over medium. Stir a little, then bring the mixture to a low boil.

3. Simmer until syrupy.

Let the glaze simmer for 15–20 minutes, reducing until it reaches a glossy, syrupy consistency—thick enough to cling but not so thick it turns into candy. It should pour like warm maple syrup with a little extra confidence.

4. Glaze, save, enjoy.

Use it right away or store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Rewarm before brushing on the ham.

This glaze is so good you might “accidentally” taste-test it four or five times. Quality control is important.

🐖🔥 Smoking the Ham: The Main Event

With your ham seasoned and smoker humming along at 250°F, it’s time to let the smoke do its thing.

Step-by-step:

1. Place the ham on the smoker.
2. Close the lid.
3. Don’t overthink it.

Let the ham smoke for about 90 minutes before you even touch it. You want that rub to set and the meat to warm up nicely.

Glazing the Ham (Round One)

About two-thirds through the cook, it’s time for its first coating of the sweet, boozy goodness.

How to glaze during the cook:

• Brush the warm glaze generously all over the outside of the ham.
• Let it drip into all the crevices.
• Don’t worry about neatness. This is barbecue, not fine china.

This layer creates that sticky-sweet flavor base that caramelizes beautifully in the remaining cook time.

Close the smoker and let it finish cooking until it reaches 140°F internal.

Glazing the Ham (Round Two: The Grand Finale)

Once your ham hits its target temp, pull it off the smoker and set it on a cutting board or tray.

Now it’s time for the final coat—the one that makes the whole thing shiny, glossy, and irresistible.

Brush on another generous layer of the Maple Bourbon Glaze while the ham is still warm so it soaks in and sets slightly. This final glaze is the flavor-maker, the show-stopper, the part where people start hovering with forks asking, “Is it ready yet?”

No higher-temp blast is needed here—the glaze sets beautifully on its own.

🍽️ Rest, Slice, and Prepare for Compliments

Let the ham rest for 10–15 minutes before carving. This keeps the juices inside where they belong and gives the glaze time to fully settle.

Then slice, serve, and try not to blush as everyone raves about how you “brought the good ham this year.”

Between the sweet maple, the smooth bourbon, the tangy vinegar, the caramelized brown sugar, and the kick of Rub Yer Meat… this thing is a certified holiday attention magnet.

You Just Became the Ham Hero

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or just a random Tuesday when you felt like flexing, this Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham is guaranteed to earn you high-fives, forehead kisses, marriage proposals, or at the very least—requests for seconds.

Sweet. Sticky. Smoky. Slightly boozy.
Pretty much everything you want the holidays to be.