This is the best ham steak recipe! Glazed with a simple brown sugar reduction, this easy recipe is just like mama used to make it. Sweet, quick, and on the table in minutes!
This glazed ham steak recipe was inspired by something my mom used to make when I was a kid as a quick weeknight meal. A dinner that we used to come running to the table for and had us all begging for seconds.
This recipe takes 20 minutes to put together, requires just five ingredients, one pan, and results in tender and flavorful ham and a buttery brown sugar cola sweet glaze. I’ll be honest… After you try this, you might just be wishing you did have the entire ham.
What is a ham steak?
Ham steak is a single slice of ham usually cut from the center of a whole ham roast. It’s pre-cooked and sold in individual packages of single slices in the meat department (usually near the bacon).
Since ham steaks are thin and already cured, they are quick to cook and perfect for when you’re serving just a couple of people. You get the delicious flavor of roast ham without having to buy a whole ham!
This recipe was one of those easy dinners my mom used to make on busy weeknights that the whole family loved.
There are many ways to cook a ham steak, like grilled ham steaks, oven-baked, or just dicing them up and tossing them into eggs for a hearty breakfast like this diner-style ham and cheese ham and cheese omelet. But this brown sugar ham steak recipe will always be my favorite.
What you need to make this recipe
- Butter – make sure its unsalted
- Ham Steak – they can be found next to the whole roast hams at your local grocery store. Ensure that the package says “fully cooked”, “cured”, or “hickory smoked”. For this recipe, we skip the bone-in pound ham slice and go for the smaller cured slices just like you would slice off a spiral sliced ham.
- Cola, Worcestershire Sauce, and Brown Sugar – combined with the butter to make up a sweet and savory glaze for the ham.
How to cook brown sugar glazed ham steak
I’m convinced a great pan sear is the best way to best way to cook a ham steak! It results in edge-to-edge golden brown crisping while still keeping everything moist in just a few minutes of prep!
This great recipe forgoes a ham steak marinade, instead cooking the meat in a sweet brown sugar sauce that reduces to the glaze.
Since the meat is already cooked, all you need to do is apply some heat. Here’s how to prep these simple ham steaks:
Heat one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add in the pork.
Brown the steaks on both sides for 5-7 minutes.
Pour the cola mixture over the ham, then simmer until slightly thickened (about 3-5 minutes.) Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add one more tablespoon of butter to the same skillet, stir until smooth, then serve the brown sugar glaze over the finished ham steaks.
