Grandma’s Baked Ham Salad Sandwiches

July 2023. Memphis summer, 64 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 39 years of marriage.

I made cornbread in the cast iron skillet — buttermilk, cornmeal, bacon drippings, the recipe that goes back to Mama and before Mama to her mama and before that to wherever the tradition began. Baked at 425 until golden and crusty, the edges dark and lacy, the center soft and crumbling. Some weeks cornbread is enough. Some weeks the simplest food is the most profound.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

That week in Orange Mound reminded me that the smoker is only part of the story — the rest gets told in the kitchen, where Rosetta holds court the same way Mama did, and her mama before her. When I think about the food that carries a family forward, it isn’t always the long cook; sometimes it’s the midweek thing, the thing you make because you have a leftover ham and people you love and a pan that knows what to do. Grandma’s Baked Ham Salad Sandwiches are exactly that kind of recipe — the one passed hand to hand, generation to generation, the same way I received the fire from Uncle Clyde.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups cooked ham, finely chopped or ground
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons white onion, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 small dinner rolls or slider buns, split
6 slices American or mild cheddar cheese, halved
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line with foil.
Make the ham salad. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped ham, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, celery, onion, and black pepper. Stir until evenly mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Assemble the sandwiches. Place the bottom halves of the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Spoon a generous portion of ham salad onto each roll bottom, spreading it evenly to the edges. Lay a half-slice of cheese over each mound of ham salad.
Top and butter. Place the top halves of the rolls over the cheese. Brush the tops generously with melted butter.
Bake. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and the cheese is melted through.
Rest and serve. Let the sandwiches rest for 3—5 minutes before serving. They hold together best when sliced apart with a sharp knife directly in the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grandma’s Baked Ham Salad Sandwiches — When the Smoker Rests, the Kitchen Speaks