The Pork Ham Steak
For many this is a frustrating cut because it curls when cooking or they just don't know what to do with it, but for me it's one of my favs! A ham steak is really just a slice of ham from a whole ham roast. When cured, like bacon and salt pork, just a little ham can add a lot of flavor to a dish. It infuses dishes with a sweet, smoky flavor that I find more subtle than other pork products. Typically, we cut the ham steak into cubes and throw it into stir fries, soups, and casseroles.
One thing to be aware of is that ham steaks are usually not pre-cooked. If you’re planning on using it in a cold preparation, be sure to cook it quickly before adding it in. Cubed ham will cook through in just a couple of minutes, and a whole steak will only take a little longer.
I tend to grill most of our ham steaks, here are some recipe links that are very simular to the ways our family tends to enjoy them, we tend to wing it rather than use a recipe anymore for them, but these links look pretty close to what we do.
Pineapple Glazed Ham Steaks
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ham steaks
8 canned pineapple rings, drained
2 tablespoons pineapple juice from can
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
*Preheat oven to 375.
*Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
*Place the ham steaks on the lined sheet and arrange pineapples rings over top.
*In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, mustard, brown sugar and cloves. Drizzle over top of ham steaks.
*Bake for 10-15 minutes until ham steaks are warmed and glaze is just browned. Serve immediately. Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Brown Sugar Glaze Ham Steak
Ingredients
1 pound ham slice
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
*Melt butter in the large skillet and add ham. Cook until brown on both sides. (Approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.)
*Remove ham steak from the skillet and keep warm.
*Add the remaining ingredients to the pan (water, Dijon mustard, brown sugar and paprika.) Cook until sugar is dissolved, approximately 5 minutes.
*Place ham steak back in the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes with the caramelized glaze.
*Serve hot and expect raving reviews!
Ham Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Ingredients
12 ounces ham cut into bite-size strips
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce reduced-sodium
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 cups broccoli florets
1/2 16-oz package pepper stir-fy vegetables frozen
2 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted
*For sauce, combine orange juice, soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger and garlic powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
*Pour cooking oil into a large skillet or wok. Heat over medium high heat. Add broccoli and frozen peppers to skillet. Cook and stir about 3 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
*Remove vegetables from skillet. Add ham to skillet; cook and stir about 1 minute or until heated through; push ham to edges of skillet.
*Stir sauce; add to center of skillet. Cook and stir until thickened. Return vegetables to skillet. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serves 4.
Ham Steak and Potatoes in the Oven
Ingredients
1 ham steak
3 - 6 potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced thin
10.5 ounces cream soup (mushroom, celery or chicken)
1 - 2 cup shredded cheese
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (or a 13 x 9 inch if more ham steak is used. See notes.)
*Place ham steak into prepared pan in either one large piece or individual-sized portions.
*Layer potatoes over top ham. Season with black pepper.
*Spread cream soup over top potatoes. (Use 2 cans if serving a bigger family.)
*Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
*Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
*Optional: turn off oven, sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Return to warm over to melt cheese for approximately 5 minutes.
*Let casserole sit 5 - 10 minutes before serving to set up.
Notes
This ham steak dinner uses smoked ham steak, not raw.
Use as many or as few pieces of ham steak and potatoes as your family eats. For a small family, use one can of cream soup and an 8x8 inch baking dish. For a larger family, add more ham and potatoes, use two cans of cream soup and use a 13x9 inch baking dish.
Any type of cream soup works; I usually use cream of celery, cream of mushroom or cream of chicken.
Cheese is completely optional. If you want a cheesy ham steak and potato casserole, cheddar cheese or Colby jack works great.