Spiral Ham — The Fire That Never Goes Out

March 2023. Spring in Memphis, and I am 64, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Charlie in Nashville, thriving in the way Charlie thrives — quietly, competently, with the determination of a Johnson woman and the grace of something uniquely hers.

Comfort food this week: a big pot of collard greens with smoked turkey neck, simmered for three hours until the greens were dark and silky and the pot liquor was a treasure. The kitchen smelled like Mama's kitchen in the shotgun house, and I stood at the stove and stirred and thought about hands — her hands, small and strong, teaching mine everything they know about turning humble ingredients into something that feeds not just the body but the soul.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 64 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

That night in the lawn chair, watching the smoke rise off Uncle Clyde’s pit, I kept thinking about the kind of meat that rewards patience — the kind that asks you to slow down, to trust the process, to let time do what hurrying never can. A spiral ham carries that same spirit: it’s already been through its smoke, already been cured, and all it needs from you is low heat and attention, the same things every good thing in life needs. When I want to bring the smoker’s warmth indoors — to feed a table of people the way Mama’s kitchen fed ours — this is the recipe I reach for.

Spiral Ham

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham (8–10 lbs)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice or orange juice (for the roasting pan)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Set your oven to 325°F. Remove the ham from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Prepare the pan. Place the ham flat-side down in a large roasting pan. Pour the pineapple juice into the bottom of the pan to keep the ham moist during cooking. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
3. Slow roast. Bake the covered ham for approximately 15 minutes per pound — about 2 hours for a 8-lb ham — until the internal temperature reaches 130°F.
4. Make the glaze. While the ham roasts, combine the brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Glaze and finish. Remove the foil from the ham. Brush a generous layer of glaze over the entire surface, working it into the spiral cuts. Return the ham to the oven uncovered and bake for an additional 20–30 minutes, brushing with glaze every 10 minutes, until the exterior is caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
6. Rest and serve. Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes before transferring to a cutting board. The spiral cuts make serving easy — simply slice along the bone and fan the pieces out on a platter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 410 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 1480mg