How to Cook Ham Steak

Co-authored by Sasha Reyes

Last Updated: October 2, 2024 References

Whether serving for dinner with a few sides or eating with your Sunday brunch, a perfectly cooked ham steak makes for a quick and delicious meal. Cooking your ham steaks the right way and with the right flavors can produce something much better than the sum of its simple parts. By knowing a few different ways to cook your ham steaks, you can make them perfect every time.

Ingredients

1 ham steak, around 1 pound (0.45 kg)
1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) cooking oil, such as olive or canola
Salt and pepper to season
Glaze of your choice

Sweet Maple Glaze

¹ ⁄ ₄ cup (59 ml) of maple syrup
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp (15g) of Dijon mustard

Marmalade Glaze

1/3 cup (110g) of orange marmalade
2 Tbsp (30g) of melted butter
2 tsp (10g) of dry mustard
1 Tbsp (15ml) of orange juice

Barbecue Glaze

1/4 cup (50g) of brown sugar
2/3 cup (150g) of ketchup
1/2 cup (120ml) of cider vinegar
2 tsp (4g) of paprika

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Pan-Frying Ham Steaks

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1
Use cooking oil to grease a large frying pan. You shouldn’t need a lot of oil for this. The oil is only needed to prevent the ham steaks from sticking, rather than to deep-fry them. Use whatever cooking oil you have on hand, or substitute a small pat of butter instead. ^{[1]
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- You can use a paper towel dipped in oil to apply only a very thin layer to the pan. Alternately, use a small amount of cooking spray to lightly grease the pan.
2
Put the frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Turn a larger element on your stove to a medium to high heat and allow the oil to begin heating up. Keep an eye on the skillet as it heats up. If it begins to spit oil, both the amount of oil and the heat are likely too high. ^{[2]
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- If you are cooking with butter, keep the heat lower until you put the ham steak in the pan. The butter may brown and burn otherwise.
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3
Pat the ham steak dry with a few paper towels. Ham steaks contain a lot of extra moisture that can keep them from browning fully. To reduce the amount of extra liquid going into the pan, dab at the outside of your ham steaks with a few paper towels to dry them as much as you can before cooking them. ^{[3]
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- If you skip this step or notice too much liquid in the bottom of the pan while the ham steaks cook, carefully pour some of it out. Be careful not to drop your ham steaks as you do!
4
Cook the ham steak on each side for 4 to 5 minutes, or until brown. Add the ham steak to your preheated frying pan and let it brown on one side. After around 5 minutes, use a pair of tongs or a fork to flip the ham steak over. Cook until browned on both sides and warmed through. ^{[4]
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- If you want to apply a glaze to your ham steaks, brush it over the surface of the meat as you let the ham cook. Keep flipping your ham steaks until the glaze thickens or is cooked through.
Remove the ham steaks from the frying pan or skillet and serve while they’re still warm. You can also keep the ham steaks in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, reheating them just before serving. ^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Grilling Ham Steaks

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1
Brush down your grill with oil. Before heating your grill, use a paper towel dipped in a little cooking oil to grease the cooking surface. This will allow your steaks to be flipped much more easily as they are cooking.
- If you forget to oil your grill before beginning to preheat it, hold the oil-dipped paper towel with a long set of tongs to grease it.
2
Turn your grill onto a medium to high heat. Preheating your grill before cooking the ham steaks will allow them to cook faster, and give you more delicious browning across the meat. Leave the grill to heat up while you prepare your ham steaks. ^{[6]
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- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can use a grill or griddle pan indoors to achieve a similar effect.
If your ham steaks are still moist on the outside when put on the grill, the liquid will have to cook off before they begin browning. Use a couple of paper towels to remove any excess liquid on the outside of your ham steaks before cooking them. ^{[7]
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Evenly space your ham steaks across the surface of the grill and leave them to cook on one side for around 4 to 5 minutes. They may start browning at this point, but shouldn’t cook completely. ^{[8]
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Use a pair of tongs or a grilling fork to flip your ham steaks over. Let them cook on the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes. During this time, lightly brush any glaze you want to apply to the ham steak across the side you can see. ^{[9]
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Flip your ham steak over and glaze the other side. Continue flipping your ham steaks and glazing them until they have grill marks on each side and are heated through. ^{[10]
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7
Take the ham steaks off the grill and serve them immediately. Transfer your ham steaks off the grill and onto a serving plate to eat immediately. If they’re not all eaten, they can be stored for 2 to 3 days in the fridge before they’ll need throwing out. ^{[11]
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- For a little extra flavor, brush over some of your remaining glaze just before serving your ham steaks.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Baking Ham Steaks

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Turn your oven onto a bake or fan bake setting and let it preheat for a few minutes. Find a baking tray with shallow sides and lightly grease it. ^{[12]
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2
Glaze your ham steaks and place them on the tray. Transfer your ham steaks to the baking tray and brush one side with your chosen glaze. Carefully flip them over, and lightly brush the ham steaks with the glaze on the other side. ^{[13]
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- For more glaze and little more flavor, you can continue applying glaze every 5-10 minutes while the ham steaks cook.
Put the baking tray with your ham steaks on it in the oven, and let them cook for around 25 minutes. Check the ham steaks as they cook until they are browned on either side and heated all the way through. ^{[14]
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4
Serve your ham steaks while they're hot from the oven. Take your ham steaks out of the oven and transfer to a serving plate to eat immediately. Any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. ^{[15]
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- Be careful when taking the baking tray out of the oven, as it will be very hot. Use oven mitts or a kitchen towel to avoid touching it directly.
- For extra flavor, add another layer of glaze just before serving your ham steaks.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Glaze

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1
Try a maple glaze for some sticky sweetness. Maple glaze and ham are a delicious and traditional flavor combination. Make a maple glaze by combining ¹ ⁄ ₄ cup (59 ml) of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar, and 1 Tbsp (15g) of Dijon mustard together in a small bowl and mixing thoroughly. ^{[16]
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- Use a high-quality, real maple syrup for the best flavor.
2
Mix up a marmalade glaze for a taste of Easter ham. Marmalade or orange glazes are used frequently when making Easter hams, although these can take hours to cook. Try and get a similar flavor by stirring together 1/3 cup (110g) of orange marmalade, 2 Tbsp (30g) of melted butter, 2 tsp (10g) of dry mustard, and 1 Tbsp (15ml) of orange juice in a small bowl. ^{[17]
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- If you don’t have orange marmalade, you can substitute any other fruit preserve you want. Try apricot, pineapple or plum for a slightly different but equally delicious glaze. ^{[18]
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3
Use a barbecue sauce glaze for some smokey sweetness. Barbecue sauce makes for a perfect ham steak glaze. You can use store-bought sauce or make your own by stirring together 1/4 cup (50g) of brown sugar, 2/3 cup (150g) of ketchup, 1/2 cup (120ml) of cider vinegar, and 2 tsp (4g) of paprika for a delicious barbecue glaze. ^{[19]
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- If your store-bought sauce is a little too thick to make a glaze, dilute it with a little bit of water or apple cider vinegar until it reaches a more workable texture.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I cook ham steak for breakfast?

Sasha Reyes
Executive Chef
Chef Sasha Reyes is the Executive Chef and Owner of Artisan Personal Chefs. With over 20 years of food industry experience, she specializes in private dinner parties, custom sports nutrition plans for professional athletes, and cooking lessons. Chef Reyes graduated from Arizona Culinary Institute in 2011 with a degree in Culinary Arts, Baking, and Restaurant Management.

Sasha Reyes

Executive Chef

Expert Answer

Season and sear your ham steaks! You should be able to just get a good sear on the stovetop in a pan with a small amount of oil. You want to cook it for about 5 minutes on either side.

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Question

How do I cook a ham slice that hasn't been cured?

Community Answer

Lightly fry it, or bake it.

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Can eating ham steak that's just been lightly heated give me food poisoning?

Community Answer

Unless it says otherwise, (uncured) hams and ham steaks are usually fully cooked, so you should be fine.

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