Grilled Ham Steak and Cheese on Pretzel Rolls

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Here's a simple idea for a tailgate that requires minimal prep work. There are only three ingredients! The first is the almighty pretzel roll. This is my new fascination. I absolutely love pretzel rolls. Costco sells small pretzel slider rolls which are amazing and work great for burger sliders. My regular grocery store, however, sells full size pretzel buns. That's what I've used for today but any size roll will work. Second, pick up a ham steak. Finally, grab some slices of sharp cheddar cheese. That's it. Now the magic can begin! Check out this recipe for grilled ham steak and cheese sandwiches using ham steaks and fresh pretzel rolls.

My pretzel rolls come uncut. The first step for me is to cut them in half. The aroma that comes from this process is quite remarkable.

Open the ham steak package and place the ham steak over direct medium heat. No seasoning or anything is needed. Just toss it on the grill.

After a few minutes, use tongs and flip it over. Once the ham steak is warm and has some grill marks, remove it from the grill, cut it into small pieces which are roughly the same size as your pretzel rolls, and wrap it in foil to keep it warm.

Place all of the cut pretzel rolls down on the grill to warm and toast them. Do this for about 30 seconds until the inside of the roll looks like this:

Flip the buns over and start assembling the ham and cheese sandwich. A good rule to follow here is that the more cheese you use, the more amazing this will be. Layer the bottom bun with a slice or two of cheddar cheese, add the cut ham steak and another slice or two of cheddar cheese. Using 4 slices of cheese will make a oozing gooey amazing mess that you will thank me for. However, using 2 slices will be just fine. Assemble this sandwich over direct heat (or indirect heat if you are too hot) and close the dome for a minute or so. Carefully check the bottom of the bun after a bit to make sure you aren't burning it.

Flip the assembled sandwich over and close the dome for another minute or so. The purpose of this is to completely warm the bun and melt the cheese.

This worked out really well. The juicy salty ham steak works great with the sharp cheddar cheese. The pretzel roll provides solid one handed eating support as well as the taste of a fresh hot soft pretzel. This is like having a warm pretzel dipped in cheese, all built into a grilled ham steak and cheese sandwich!

Here's a special tip: if you don't have a ham steak or you run out of ham steak, just make it with only cheese. It will be the best grilled cheese sandwich you've ever had! Grilled cheese on a pretzel roll!