Ham steaks rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 7 recipes to cook with them.

What are ham steaks?

A ham steak is a thick slice cut crosswise through a whole ham, usually about half an inch thick, often with a round leg bone in the middle. It is the same cured, mostly precooked pork as a holiday ham, just portioned for a skillet instead of the oven.

That precooked head start is the whole appeal. A ham steak goes from fridge to plate in well under ten minutes, which makes it a go-to for breakfast and fast weeknight dinners.

For the difference between city and country ham and how to handle a whole leg, see ham. This page is about the slice and the skillet.

How to Cook a Ham Steak

Get a heavy pan hot, add a thin film of oil or butter, and lay the steak down. Sear it for about three to four minutes a side until the edges brown and crisp and the center is heated through.

Since it is already cooked, you are warming and browning, not cooking from raw.

Pat the surface dry first so it browns instead of steaming, and snip the fat edge in a couple of spots so the steak lies flat instead of curling.

A glaze takes it from plain to special. Brush on honey or maple syrup in the last minute or two so it caramelizes without scorching, the idea behind Honey-Glazed Ham Steaks and Maple Glazed Ham Steak.

The classic Southern breakfast move is redeye gravy: pull the steak, pour a splash of black coffee into the hot pan, scrape up the browned bits, and spoon that thin, salty gravy over the ham, exactly as in Ham & Redeye Gravy.

Pairing and Mistakes to Avoid

Ham steak is salty and faintly sweet, so it plays best against fruit and acid. Pineapple, cranberries, nectarines, and apple all cut the richness, the thinking behind Ham Steak with Cranberries and Ham Steaks with Fresh Nectarine Chutney.

A whiskey or mustard pan sauce works the same way, as in Gammon (Ham) Steaks with Whiskey Sauce (Irish).

For breakfast it slots in beside eggs, grits, and biscuits. Diced into a casserole, it carries salt and smoke through the whole dish.

The biggest mistake is overcooking. It is already cooked, so leaving it in the pan too long just dries it out and turns the edges leathery. Pull it as soon as it is hot and browned.

The second is over-salting the plate. The ham brings plenty, so go easy on the rest of the meal.

Substitutes

A thick slice carved from a whole cooked ham is the obvious stand-in, which is really the same thing. Canadian bacon gives a leaner, rounder slice for breakfast, milder but in the same lane.

Gammon, the British cut, is essentially the same steak under a different name. For a smoky pork chop feel, a smoked pork chop sears up similarly, though it usually needs a touch more cooking since it is not always fully cooked.

Buying and Storing

Ham steaks come bone-in or boneless in the meat case, often vacuum-sealed. Bone-in has a bit more flavor; boneless is easier to dice. Look for firm, rosy meat and a band of fat around the edge that will crisp in the pan.

Check the label the same way you would a whole ham: plain "ham" is meatiest, while "ham and water product" is pumped with brine and browns poorly because of the extra moisture.

Keep it cold and tightly wrapped. An unopened steak holds to its printed date; once opened, use it within three to five days. It freezes for one to two months before the texture and fat start to suffer.

Quick facts

In Chinese

火腿牛排

British (UK) term

Ham steaks

en français

steaks jambon

en español

filetes de jamón

Recipes using ham steaks

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes