Maple Brined Fresh Ham Steak
This Maple Brined Fresh Ham Steak is home-cured, resulting in a nitrate-free authentic ham steak. Fresh ham has an umami-rich pork flavor profile, while the salty-sweet brine gives this steak another layer of flavor.
Fresh ham steak is both delicious and versatile. Because of this, you will find it can be incorporated into a variety of dishes. We love to make these into fresh ham steak sandwiches and sliders for gamedays and parties. Size up and make a large roast to feed a crowd. It doesn’t take any additional work outside of slicing!
Make the steaks your main dish and serve it with mashed potatoes and veggies. In addition, it’s easy to turn leftovers into fresh ham hash and eggs for a lip-smacking breakfast experience.
Once you learn how easy it is to make fresh ham, you’ll find yourself putting this into your favorite food rotation.
Fresh ham is nothing like the smoked holiday staple you might have grown up with. Its flavor and texture are more like pork loin, but with skin that cooks up as crisp as pork belly.
In butcher technical terms, it is defined as the uncured leg of pork. Since the meat is not cured or smoked, it has the flavor of a fresh pork loin roast or pork chops. Its raw color is pinkish red and, after cooking, grayish white. Ham containing no cure must be labeled “Fresh” or “Uncured” – prepared without nitrate or nitrite.
Maple Brined Fresh Ham Steak
Ingredients
Brine - Wet cure
- 2-3 pound fresh ham steak
- 2 quarts water
- ½ cup sea salt fine
- ¼ cup maple sugar substitute: Brown sugar
Crockpot
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika or enough to cover each side, depending on the size of your steak
- 6 ounces pineapple juice 100% - no sugar added
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice no sugar added
- ½ cup maple syrup dark
- ¼ cup maple sugar
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Instructions
Brine
- Place the water, salt. and maple sugar in a two-gallon bag. Rub the ingredients with your fingers until the sugar and salt are dissolved in the water. Add the ham steak. Press out all of the air and seal the bag. Place the bag in a 2nd two-gallon bag in case the inner bag leaks. ; ) Place the bags in a large casserole dish. The brisket should be entirely submerged in the liquid throughout the brining process.2-3 pound fresh ham steak, 2 quarts water, ½ cup sea salt, ¼ cup maple sugar
- Place in the refrigerator until the brine for a minimum of 48 hours and up to 72 hours.
Crockpot
- Remove the ham from the bags and rinse thoroughly to remove the excess salt. Pat dry and rub each side with smoked paprika to cover.2 tbsp smoked paprika
- Spray the crock with cooking spray. Place ham steak into the crockpot. Pour the juice and syrup on top of the steak.6 ounces pineapple juice, 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Cover and bake the ham for 2 to 3 hours on low or until a thermometer inserted into the middle of the meat reads 155 °F.
- Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Heat on medium-high until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir often to ensure the mixture does not stick or burn. It should cook at a consistently low simmer.1 cup pineapple juice, ½ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup maple sugar, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Brush the top with the maple pineapple sauce, and broil until glazed. Let sit for 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices.
Serve
- Slice and serve warm with the sauce.
Kitchen Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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