Camp Ham Steak with Honey Spice Glaze
Shelf-stable ham steak, a glaze mixed in the pouch, and a foil packet over coals.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable ham steak | 12 oz | vacuum-sealed and fully cooked; canned ham works too |
|---|---|---|
| Pineapple or apple juice | 3 tbsp | a single-serve juice box, or water plus a spoon of powdered drink mix |
| Honey | 2 tbsp | maple syrup is the same thing here |
| Ground cinnamon | 1/4 tsp | |
| Ground nutmeg | 1/8 tsp | |
| Ground clove | 1 pinch | clove takes over fast |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 sheets, about 18 inches each |
Method
- Burn a fire down to coals, or set a grate low over them. Flames scorch the glaze before the ham warms through.
- Squeeze the honey, juice, and the three spices into a small zip bag. Work it with your fingers until it is one liquid.
- Double up the foil and lay the ham steak in the middle. Turn the edges up so you have walls.
- Pour the glaze over the ham and crimp the packet shut, seam on top.
- Set it on the grate or on the coal bed for about 12 minutes, flipping once. The ham is already cooked, so you are heating it and reducing the glaze, nothing more.
- Open the packet away from your face. Spoon the syrup at the bottom back over the meat before you cut it.
The source of this was an oven-and-Instant-Pot holiday ham, which is a refrigerated eight-pound object and a pressure cooker. Neither travels. What survives the trip to camp is the glaze — juice, honey, and three warm spices — and that glaze works just as well on a vacuum-sealed ham steak, which is shelf-stable until you cut the seal and cooks in a fraction of the time.
Foil is doing the work of the pressure cooker. Sealed, the packet traps steam around meat that would otherwise dry out over coals, and it keeps the honey from hitting bare metal and burning. Keep the heat low and indirect. Sugar on direct flame goes bitter well before the ham is warm.
Packing
Premix the spices at home into the honey, in a small screw-top bottle, so camp is two pours instead of five. The ham steak stays sealed until it goes in the foil; once opened it is a same-night item.
Variations
- No fire: sear the ham dry in a pan over a canister stove, then pour the glaze in off-heat and let it thicken in the residual heat.
- Wrap dried apple rings or a handful of raisins into the packet. They plump in the glaze and stretch the meal.
- Leftover slices go into next morning's tortilla.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/instant-pot-honey-baked-ham