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This rotisserie ham is cooked on a Weber grill with the rotisserie attachment and glazed with a simple Coca Cola ham glaze. A fantastic holiday ham recipe to make on the grill or smoker!
Anytime that I can put a big piece of meat on the rotisserie, I’m happy. There’s nothing like watching a rotisserie turkey or prime rib spin around on the spit, glistening in the sun as every inch gets perfectly browned and delicious.
So when I was brainstorming ham recipes to make for the holiday, I immediately thought of my trusty Weber grill rotisserie attachment. And Coke.
Coca Cola is a popular ingredient to add to a ham glaze because it adds sticky sweetness and depth of flavor, but it’s not something that my family had ever tried before. We’re more of the traditionalists with the classic brown sugar glaze or, if I’m feeling frisky, the whiskey brown sugar glaze that I do for a double smoked ham on the pellet smoker.
But after trying the Coke ham glaze, I’m officially a believer!
When you combine the Coca Cola with more classic glaze ingredients like brown sugar, cinnamon, and clove, you get a delicate balance of sweetness and spice that will have your holiday guests jumping up for seconds.
Rotisserie Ham Video
Ingredients for the Coca Cola Ham Glaze
- Coca Cola – The regular Coke, NOT diet. You want that extra sugar to create a fantastic ham glaze.
- dijon mustard – A nice flavor to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar. You can substitute spicy mustard if you wish.
- brown sugar – I initially thought that the cola glaze would be too sweet with added sugar because the soda already contains so much, but after heated and reduced, the Coke isn’t as sweet as you might think.
- apple cider vinegar
- cinnamon
- ground clove – This gives your smoked rotisserie ham that traditional glazed ham taste, and the smell of cinnamon and clove just screams “holiday”.
What You Need to Cook a Rotisserie Ham
- grill or oven with rotisserie capabilities
- rotisserie attachment – including the rod, pronged forks, and motor mechanism to make the rotisserie turn
- wireless meat thermometer – You definitely don’t want to use a wired meat thermometer (with the probes that are connected to the base by a wire), because the wires would get tangled up as the rotisserie turns.
We used our Weber Searwood XL pellet grill to make our smoked rotisserie ham. You can also try this method using a Weber kettle charcoal grill outfitted with the appropriate rotisserie kit.
How to Make Glazed Rotisserie Ham
Here’s a step-by-step look at the cooking process. Full instructions are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1: Score the ham. To allow the flavors of the delicious ham glaze and smoke to penetrate, score the ham with shallow cuts in a diamond pattern, about 1/2″ deep.
Step 2: Put the ham on the rotisserie rod. Your rotisserie grill attachment should have two sets of pronged forks, one for either side, to hold your meat in place on the rotisserie shaft.
Once the ham is snugly in place, insert a wireless meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham so that you can monitor the internal temp as it’s cooking.
*Chef’s Tip: I recommend “dry fitting” the rotisserie forks by sliding one fork onto the rod shaft and fitting it in place on your grill. Then you can adjust the position of the first fork to where you need it before you slide the ham on. You may need to remove your grill grate to allow enough clearance for the ham to rotate properly.
Step 3: Cook the ham on the rotisserie. Once you have the bone-in ham fitted on to the rotisserie rod, the remaining steps are pretty much set-it-and-forget-it, especially if you’re using a pellet smoker that maintains temperature well.
Fit the rotisserie on the grill, turn on the power to fire it up, and cook the ham at 275°F until it reaches an internal temperature of about 125-130°F.
Step 4: Make the Coca Cola ham glaze. Begin by reducing Coca Cola in a small saucepan, then blend with the spices and other ingredients to form a glaze. Adjust thickness based on preference.
I personally prefer a thinner glaze, because it can be applied more often, and there’s less chance the sugars will burn. The thinner consistency also helps the glaze to really get in all of the nooks and crannies of the scored ham.
Step 5: Glaze the rotisserie ham. Use a pastry or basting brush to start basting the ham with the Cola glaze. Because my glaze was a bit on the thinner side, I started glazing my smoked ham at about 128°F internal temp, and I basted every 15 minutes, five times in total, to build layers of flavor.
Step 6: Rest and serve the smoked Coca Cola glazed ham. Once the ham reaches an internal temperature of about 145°F, remove the rotisserie from the grill or smoker. You will need to use heat-proof gloves to take out the metal rod, or allow it to cool down enough to be able to touch it.
Then, allow the ham to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving for the glaze to further set up.
Surprisingly, no. With the added apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and spices, it creates a balanced flavor profile that doesn’t overwhelm.
Absolutely. While a rotisserie enhances caramelization and even cooking, an oven will work also. Simply place the ham in a large roasting pan, and bake at 300-325°F. Begin glazing when the internal temp is about 20 degrees shy of the final temp of 145°F.
There’s a hint of cola, but it’s mostly an elevated sweet-savory experience that is absolutely delicious!
Coca Cola Glazed Rotisserie Ham
Equipment
- grill with rotisserie attachment *See notes for oven cooking instructions.
Ingredients
- 8-12 lb smoked ham, uncut
- 12 oz can Coca Cola, not diet Coke
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Set up the grill for the rotisserie – you may need to remove the grill grate or attach the rotisserie motor to the grill. Follow instructions for your specific rotisserie attachment. Then heat the grill or smoker to about 275℉ with your choice of wood or pellets.
- Use a knife to score the top and bottom of the ham with shallow cuts in a diamond pattern, about ½" deep.
- Fit the ham onto the rotisserie rod and secure it with the pronged forks. Once the ham is snugly in place, insert a wireless meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham to monitor the internal temperature. Or you can use an instant read probe thermometer to check the temp periodically as the ham cooks.
- Place the rotisserie ham on the grill, turn on the rotisserie, and close the grill lid. Cook the ham at 275℉ until the internal temperature reaches about 125-130℉.
- While the ham is cooking, prepare the cola ham glaze. Pour the can of Coca Cola into a small saucepan, and heat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about 25 percent. Then whisk in the other ingredients including brown sugar, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and clove. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the glaze has reduced and lightly coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside. The glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Once the ham reaches an internal temp of about 125-130℉, use a basting brush to baste the ham with the cola glaze, making sure to get the glaze in all of the scored nooks and crannies. Close the grill lid and continue to cook. About 15 minutes later, baste again. Continue basting the ham every 15-20 minutes until the internal temp reaches 145℉. *My ham took a total of about 4½ hours to cook in total (to reach 145℉) and I basted a total of 5 times. Cooking times will vary.
- Using heat-proof gloves, carefully remove the rotisserie rod from the grill and transfer the ham to a cutting board to rest. Rest the glazed ham for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Cooking times – Different grills maintain heat differently. The times in the recipe are a guide only. You should always cook your meats to the proper internal temperature, not to a specific time. For reference, our rotisserie ham took a total of 4.5 hours to reach 145°F.
- Oven cooking – If you don’t have a grill, you can also cook this cola-glazed ham in the oven in a roasting pan at 300-325°F. Cover the ham with aluminum foil for the first hour. Then uncover and cook until the internal temp reaches about 125-130°F. Once the temperature reaches 125-130°F, baste every 15 minutes until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
