By September 2025. Fall in Memphis, and I am 66, walking the neighborhood in my light jacket, watching the leaves turn on the oaks and maples that line Deadrick Avenue. The smoker is happy in fall — the cooler air holds the smoke lower, keeps it closer to the meat, and the results are always a shade better in October than in July, as if the season itself is a seasoning.
Tyrone came over for dominoes, bringing his competitive spirit and his inability to play without cheating, and the evening was full of the brotherly banter that is our love language.
Baked beans on the smoker — navy beans soaked overnight, simmered with onion, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and my BBQ sauce, then smoked uncovered at 250 for two hours. The hickory settles into the sauce and transforms ordinary beans into something that belongs at any table, any gathering, any moment when people need to be fed and comforted and reminded that simple food, made with patience, is the best food there is.
Another week in the book. Another seven days of tending fires — the one in the smoker, the one in the marriage, the one in the family, the one in the church. Each fire needs something different: wood, attention, food, faith. But the tending is the same for all of them: show up, add what's needed, wait patiently, trust the process. Low and slow. Always. Low and slow.
When Tyrone headed home and the dominoes were put away, I stood by the smoker a little longer than I needed to, just letting the hickory do what hickory does. Evenings like that — the ones full of laughter and good food and people you’d take a bullet for — they put me in the mood for something with a little sweetness to it, something that plays off the smoke the same way a good friendship plays off the years. This teriyaki orange grilled ham steak is exactly that: a thick cut over live fire, glazed with something bright and bold, ready in the time it takes to tell one good story.
Teriyaki Orange Grilled Ham Steak
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bone-in ham steak (about 1 1/2 lbs, 3/4 inch thick)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water (optional, to thicken glaze)
- Sesame seeds and sliced green onion, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, orange zest, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 3—4 minutes until slightly reduced. If you prefer a thicker glaze, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook 1 minute more. Reserve half the glaze for serving.
- Prepare the grill. Heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high. Lightly oil the grates. Pat the ham steak dry with paper towels — a dry surface gives you a better sear and lets the glaze stick.
- Grill the first side. Place the ham steak on the grill and cook 4—5 minutes without moving it, until grill marks form and the edges begin to caramelize.
- Glaze and flip. Brush the top generously with glaze, then flip the steak. Brush the second side. Cook another 4—5 minutes, brushing once more, until the glaze is lacquered and the ham is heated through with good char at the edges.
- Rest and serve. Transfer the ham steak to a cutting board and let it rest 3 minutes. Slice against the grain if desired, drizzle with reserved glaze, and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 1420mg