How to Cook a Ham Steak
Boneless slices of ham that come from a whole ham roast are known as ham steak. Most of the time, ham steak is fully cooked, so it doesn’t take long to warm it up for a meal. You’re not really cooking it at that point but just making it warm enough to eat. Check the packaging for the ham steak to see if it is identified as fully cooked. Otherwise, you’ll have to cook it completely before eating.
I’m going to give you a simple method for how to cook a ham steak, and then you will be able to add this food to your meals for a satisfying, savory dish. Ham steak is a great alternative to a whole ham roast, as it cooks much faster and can be easily served for individual portions. You get the same great ham taste and texture without having to do as much work on it.
There are a number of ways how to cook a raw ham steak or a fully cooked ham steak to make it come out just the way you want it. Whether you want to cook it in a skillet on the stove or in the oven, I’ll show you both cooking methods.
How to Cook a Ham Steak in a Pan
This is the fastest and simplest way for how to cook a fresh ham steak. There are really just a couple steps to follow, and you will soon have delicious ham steak. It makes a great addition to your breakfast with a side of eggs and toast, or as an addition to a sandwich with cheese and veggies. You can also add ham steak to your dinner with a side of mashed potatoes and some steamed vegetables.
How to cook a ham steak in a pan? Just put a little butter in the skillet to cook it. Since this meat doesn’t have a lot of fat, it will not be able to cook in its own oils, and you should have a little bit of butter oil in the pan to keep it from burning and sticking to your pan.
Fry up them ham steak for a few minutes on medium heat, being sure to flip it over to cook on the other side so that it cooks evenly. You can then brush your ham steak with glaze or another coating and cook the ham steak for a few seconds more on both sides to ensure your glaze or coating is cooked into the ham steak.
How to Cook a Ham Steak in the Oven
You can also cook ham steak using your oven. This takes a little longer, but it is healthier since you won’t need to add any butter oil to cook it with this method. It takes about 10 minutes to cook, so even this method isn’t very time consuming.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You do not need to prepare the baking pan for this cooking method. It can remain ungreased. If you want to glaze your ham, you should add that before baking it.
I like mixing together mustard, brown sugar and a little pineapple juice. Spread that over your ham and coat on both sides and then bake for about 20 minutes. It doesn’t need to be covered, but it may need to bake for slightly longer until the ham is completely warm all the way through.
This method for how to cook a fresh ham steak in the oven will vary based on whether your ham is frozen or fully cooked.
How to Cook a Ham Steak without Drying It Out
With both of the methods I’ve given you for how to cook boneless ham steak, I’ve suggested using a glaze or coating of some kind. There’s an important reason for this. You don’t want your ham to dry out, becoming tough and moisture free. , adding a glaze or some sort of coating to the ham ensures that it is juicy and full of moisture.
That’s vital for the best results, but you may prefer yours dry and you can simply leave the glaze off when cooking.
If you don’t want your ham to dry out, though, be sure to cover and saturate it fully with your glaze. I wouldn’t suggest straight barbecue sauce for your glaze, and you should add something with a little more liquid in it to help prevent the ham steak from drying out.
How Long to Cook a Ham Steak?
It’s important that you follow the recommended cooking time when you are making ham steak. I showed you how to cook ham steak in a pan, is the length of time you cook it for determines how dry it is or how tough it is. If you still want it to be juicy, you keep your cooking time to a minimum and just ensure that the ham is heated all the way through.
Keep in mind that the ham may be fully cooked already, you should check the package to determine whether it is. If it is already cooked, it won’t take long to warm it up. If it hasn’t been cooked yet and it is raw, it will take longer to cook and you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
One important tip for how to cook a ham steak in a skillet is to keep your heat from getting too high. Medium heat is ideal, especially since most cuts of ham steak are fairly thin. If you cook it at too high a temperature for very long, your steak will dry out and become tough and leathery. That’s not what you want, so ensure that you keep the heat to medium or even low as you cook it.
I have covered how to cook a ham steak on the stovetop and in the oven, and as you can see this is a fairly simple and quick meat to cook. There nothing complicated about making it, so it’s easy to add it to your meal as a last-minute addition.
Ham steak can be your main dish or a side dish in a larger meal. It can also be chopped up and used in scrambled eggs, soup, potato, and pasta dishes, or in rice.
