Karl’s Barbecued Ham Steak with Lemon Thyme Glaze

When Safeway has a half price sale on hams (after a holiday) I buy a half a ham and cut it into ¾ inch ham steaks to freeze for later. While ham steak is good just on its own, it is nice to dress it up a bit. For this Sunday’s dinner, I thought I would try to barbecue the steak and put a lemon glaze on it.

Karl’s Barbecued Ham Steak with Lemon Thyme Glaze

Last week I made some lemon marmalade and I thought that with a bit of herb it would make an excellent glaze. If you do not happen to have a jar of my marmalade handy, you could substitute two tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with two tablespoons of honey.

Black eyed peas are a natural to go with my Southern ham. For a vegetable, I decided on Brussels sprouts and cauliflower—Jan and Chris’ favorites, respectively. Eilene’s comment was “Southern? So all the dishes have meat in them?” Hey, at least I didn’t fry everything in bacon grease—although I would if I could get away with it.

Karl’s Barbecued Ham Steak with Lemon Thyme Glaze

Ingredients

¼ cup Karl’s Lemon Marmalade
1 tsp. fresh thyme
½ tsp. black pepper
1 ham steak (about 1½ lbs.)

5-6 leaves Italian parsley (flat-leafed)

Directions

1. Build a bi-level barbecue.

Note: Start the coals and push them to the back of the grill. This gives you one area of intense heat and the front of the grill which is cooler.

2. Mix the marmalade, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.

Tip: Ham never needs added salt.

3. Sear the ham steak directly over the coals for 10 minutes.

4. Flip the steak over and set it on the cooler side of the grill.

Tip: Lay the thickest edge of the steak just at the edge of the coals.

5. Baste the meat with half of the lemon mixture.

6. Insert a constant-read meat thermometer and close the top of the grill.

7.Baste the steak once more with the remining glaze, after about ten minutes.

8. Continue barbecuing until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145º F (about 30 minutes).

9. Transfer the steak to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil.

10. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes.

11. Serve garnished with a few leaves of Italian parsley.