Southern This Southern Cola Ham Steak recipe is perfect when you want roast ham but don’t want a whole ham roast! An easy, 20-minute dinner made up of tender ham steak smothered in a sweet and savory brown sugar cola glaze.
This Southern cola ham steak recipe was inspired by something my mom used to make when I was a kid. Something that we used to come running to the table for. Now, I haven’t recreated my mother’s version perfectly yet, but in the meantime, this recipe is a pretty darn good alternative.
This recipe takes 20 minutes to put together, requires just 5 ingredients, and results in tender and flavorful ham and a buttery brown sugar cola glaze. I’ll be honest..after you try this you might just be wishing you did have the whole ham.
What is a ham steak?
Ham steak is a single slice of a whole ham usually cut from the center of a ham roast. It’s pre-cooked and sold as individually packaged slices.
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!
What you need to make this recipe
- Butter
- 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”.
- Cola, Worcestershire Sauce, and Brown Sugar – combined with the butter to make up a sweet and savory glaze for the ham.
How to cook Southern cola ham steak
Since the meat is already cooked, all you need to do is apply some heat. Here’s how to prep this Southern cola ham steak:
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.
In a bowl, stir together the cola, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.
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 cola sauce, stir until smooth, then serve over the finished ham steaks.
Recipe FAQs
It depends. In this case, you do want to buy ham steak that is already cooked so that all you’re really doing is warming it. When you’re looking for one at the grocery store, look for packages that read “fully cooked”, “cured”, or “hickory smoked”.
If your steak is tough then it’s probably overcooked. You’ll brown on each side for 5-7 minutes but not much more than that. If it cooks too long you miss out on that perfect tender texture.
How to serve
I love to make my ham steak into a complete meal by serving it next to a pile of mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and buttery biscuits.
You can also chop it up and use it in pretty much any recipe you want! That means breakfast casseroles, breakfast hash, mac and cheese, salads, stir-fries, frittatas, you name it. Check out my 10 recipes using leftover ham for even more ideas!
How to store
Leftover cooked ham steak will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. To enjoy again, thaw first in the fridge if frozen, then warm on the stove until heated through.
More easy pork recipes
- Maple Glazed Ham Steaks with Red-Eye Gravy
- Party Time Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Quick Thick-Cut Pan Seared Pork Chops
- Cornmeal-coated Pork Chops
- Leftover Ham and Gnocchi Skillet
If you’ve tried my Southern Cola Ham Steak recipe, or any other recipe on GirlCarnivore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I get inspired by your feedback and comments! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @girlcarnivore as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
Southern Cola Ham Steak
Equipment
- 10-12″ Cast Iron Skillet or other oven safe skillet
Ingredients
Ham Steaks
- 2 tbs butter divided
- 2 ham steaks
Cola Pan Sauce
- ½ cup cola
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
Heat the Ham Steaks
- Heat 1 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.2 tbs butter divided
- Add the ham steaks and brown on both sides, 5 – 7 minutes.2 ham steaks
Make the Sweet Cola Pan Sauce
- Stir the cola, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar together in a bowl and pour over the ham steaks.½ cup cola, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set the ham steaks aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon butter to the cola sauce and stir until smooth.2 tbs butter divided
Serve
- Serve the sauce over the ham steaks and other fixings as gravy.
RavieNomNoms says
Would you believe my family and I were just talking about this over the weekend?! Cola meat was a big thing in the Midwest!
Aaron Paolino says
This is the first cola meat recipe I have tried, a little skeptical at first, but wow! Great recipe.
natalie says
The butter amount is confusing. Ingredients shows 6 tbsp of butter but directions only say to use 2. ????
Kita says
Ah! Thanks for the catch! I am so sorry about that. yes, you will use all of the butter in the dish. Editing the recipe now.
Pauletta C, Sanders says
It says to add the remaining butter to the cola sauce in the skillet.
Lance Kline says
Today was my second time following this delicious recipe. The only thing u added was a tablespoon of honey. The ham steak turned out amazing! Thanks for the Great recipe
Kita says
ooooh. I gotta try the honey!
Max Lorenz says
Yum! I rarely post comments but this was too good.
Simple, quick, and tasty weeknight dish that everyone raved over. Served alongside Sous Vide carrots, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Perfectly balanced sweetness and flavor profile prepared exactly as written. No changes needed. This has been saved to Paprika so I can find, prepare, and share.
Thanks for this one!
Bill says
Carbs look great but I am confused about the serving size. 1 g?
Kita says
Hey Bill, thanks for the catch. The nutrition is calculated by the recipe app so I am guessing there’s a hitch in this one >< I'll see what. I can do to update it.
Erin says
I’ve done a root beer glazed ham before so you know I’d be on board with this too!
Kita says
I saw a root beer the other day and wondered if you had that brand and bottle yet. ;D
Erin says
Aw just text me!!
Anne Marie Gorbey says
I’m still confused about the serving size. I need to know the actual serving size for the calories because I am on a 1200 calorie diet. The serving size can’t be 1 g as indicated. Also, can you tell me how much butter should be used in this recipe. Thanks
Kita says
Hi Anne, I’m not sure what’s up with that 1G either, the nutrition facts are automatically calculated by the recipe plug-in. However, when I do ham steaks, I get 2 servings per steak and have this recipe as 4 servings if that helps. I believe that is where most of the information on nutrition is being pulled from.
Hope this helps!
Shelia says
I know you said that this recipe is for pre-cooked ham steaks. I’m wondering how it can be adjusted to uncooked ham steaks without totally drying them out? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Kita says
This is a great question, Shelia. Thanks for asking. One, I always check to make sure the package doesn’t say ‘smoked’ ‘cured’ or ‘cooked’ if cooking from raw. Then to keep it from drying out (and OMG this happens SO often!) I pull a trick from my mama. I double the sauce recipe and bake the ham steak in the oven preheated to 350F in a baking dish covered with foil until its cooked to 140 degrees internal. I try to get thin ham steaks so that it doesn’t take too long. Check after 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness.
Hope this helps!