A long history
…stormy and rainy
For scheduling reasons our Easter celebration had to happen the Sunday before Easter. Rather than bright springtime weather, the day was stormy and rainy. However, it did little to dampen the spirits of our guests, Gary Elgin, Scott and Janice Tocher and my wife’s youngest son, Rodney Rohrback. The basic menu was listed in the previous post, but at the last moment we decided to substitute the kind and preparation of the ham.
…plans do change
Although it was my intention at our Easter feast to serve a “city” ham that I smoked myself over wild cherry wood, plans do change. A gift of a beautiful, traditional Tennessee Country Ham from Avanti Savoia’s founder, Doug Slocum, changed all that. (Doug, by the way, has been experimenting himself with home cured pork tenderloins for his own use).
…the history and lore of hams
The change in menu also offered me the opportunity to perfect the preparation of the unique “country” ham and delve deeper into the history and lore of hams in general.
Pork has had a prominent place on American menus since the Seventeenth Century. It is the cured hind legs, single pieces of hind legs or shoulders that are used to make what we usually think of as ham. Hams from the front legs are called Picnic Hams.
Just for the sake of information, here are some brief definitions of various hams.
Old Fashioned Country Ham – Hams of this tradition are produced throughout the “ham belt” of the Southern states (particularly Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia). Methods and procedures vary from producer to producer and from region to region. Country Hams are prepared with a salt cure and usually nitrates, sugar and pepper. Typically, they are then smoked over hardwood and then aged from 2 to 3 years. They are commonly sold whole with bone-in, but also come in pre-sliced pieces that are vacuum packed.
Smithfield Hams – These are indeed old fashioned country hams as well, but by law a ham can only be sold as a Smithfield Ham if it processed in Smithfield, Virginia, utilizing the Smithfield method. This method entails a dry salt cure followed by a pepper coating, hickory smoking and a lengthy aging process. The hams are produced from a particular breed of hog and are fed a specific diet.
Smithfield “type” or old Virginia Hams – These are hams processed in much the same way as authentic Smithfield’s but are produced outside of Smithfield and cannot be labeled as such.
Tasso “Ham” – A spicy Cajun specialty that strictly speaking, is not even ham. Chunks of pork (or sometimes beef) are highly seasoned and hot smoked for 2 or more days. In cooking, Tasso is finely chopped and used to flavor many Louisiana dishes.
Commercial, mass marketed American Ham – Before any sort of processing occurs the meat may be referred to as fresh ham. Generally however, most of these hams are cured using a dry method, sweet-pickling method or even more commonly, injection cured. These methods are also sometimes combined. Commercial hams, after curing can also be smoked and aged. This manner of ham can be sold as fully cooked and also partially cooked. Labeling and package instructions should be carefully read and followed.
Canadian bacon - Although it is called “bacon” this product is more akin to ham. It is taken from the eye of the loin, pre cooked and smoked.
Italian Ham (Prosciutto) – Prosciutto is only one of many famous cured pork products from Italy. Versions of “Prosciutto” are now being produced in America, although Prosciutto from Italy is the true Prosciutto. Authentic Italian Prosciutto is salt cured and air dried, but not smoked and contains no nitrates or preservatives. Prosciutto Cruda di Parma is more salty and less fatty, while Prosciutto di San Daniele is less salty, fattier and contains less moisture. Quality Prosciutto can be purchased through many specialty markets. Cut and served in extremely thin slices, it is delicious with melon and figs and also lightly cooked as a component in a variety of Italian dishes.
Spanish Ham (Jamon Iberico) – This is the high quality traditional dry-cured Spanish ham that is produced from a black pig (Pata Negra) native to the Iberian region. There are several varieties distinguished by the diet of the pigs. Similar in flavor to Prosciutto, they each have their own unique subtleties. It is appearing in American restaurants specializing in Tapas. There is also a lower quality ham known as Jamon Serrano.
French Ham (Jambon de Bayonne) – Produced near the town of Bayonne in the Basses-Pyrenees, this is the French version of cured ham. A unique traditional curing method makes this ham a sought after delicacy. It is very pink in color and low in sodium.
German Ham (Westphalian Ham) – These hams are produced from pigs fed on acorns in the Westphalia forest of Germany. They are seasoned with several herbs and spices and then slow smoked over beech and juniper woods. These dark hams with a light smoky taste are similar to the Black Forest Ham.
British Isles – There are also small production of styles variously know as York, Scotch, Irish and Gammon.
...pork curing and preserving
Now then, back to our story of American Country Hams. Early immigrants to America certainly brought their knowledge of pork curing and preserving with them to the new world, where Native Americans were already skilled at salt curing and the smoking of venison.
…a long history in the Southern Appalachian Mountains
The tradition of cured pork also has a long history in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The author
Wilma Dykeman, until her death in 2006, was the Official Historian of the State of Tennessee. In her book, The French Broad, she comments on the importance of the “hog” culture of this area.
“…hog and hominy state”
“… corn carried as fat on the ribs of hogs and fowls was most easily transported along the muddy, winding roads of the nineteenth century, and was finally most easily sold as fresh meat to the cotton plantation owners and tenants in the lowlands but by far the greatest traffic of this era was in hogs, and most of the hogs were from Tennessee. In the census of 1840 Tennessee was the greatest corn-producing state in the Union. Her nickname became the ‘hog and hominy’ state, and production of the two went together just that closely. Corn brought the best price when it became pork. It was estimated… that between 150,000 and 175,000 Tennessee hogs were driven up the French Broad (river) every year…”
…one that was just about perfect and another that was almost inedible
There are two basic cures for ham – wet and dry. All Country Hams are dry cured. Country Hams are available either whole or sliced and vacuum packed. The sliced variety served fried is the way Country Ham is most available in Southern restaurants. I find personally that the sliced fried ham is just too tough and salty for my taste, although the old timers swear by it. The truth of the matter is that up until now I have only cooked two whole country hams in my life, one that was just about perfect and another that was almost inedible.
…even a well prepared Country Ham is always salty
To ensure success this time, I was determined to learn as much about these unique hams as possible. Fortunately, our third ham (the one pictured on this post) looked good and tasted wonderful. However, even a well prepared Country Ham is always salty and has a distinctive gamey or high flavor that is not for everyone.
…something akin to boot leather
Once upon a time, the illness Trichinosis was a great concern and prompted cooks of an earlier generation to over-cook pork to something akin to boot leather. Today’s government standards ensure that commercially cured ham is free of the micro parasites that cause this disease. To be sure, it is recommended that pork be cooked to reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
…soak the meat for a full 48 hours
Due to the aging process, Country Hams may be covered with mold, however this is harmless. When you are ready to begin the preparation process; remove the ham’s cloth covering and scrub the ham’s surface under warm running water until it is clean. Next and this is paramount, soak the entire ham in cold water with a splash of vinegar. Instructions that I have encountered recommend soaking for a few hours up to overnight. The soaking not only helps remove some of the salt, but also softens the ham. My recommendation is to soak the meat for a full 48 hours, changing the water after the first 24 hours. A large ice chest proved perfect for this chore.
Some cooks like to save it for seasoning…
After soaking, but before cooking, it is practical to trim away the crusty, hard surfaces of the meat not covered by fat. This “face” as it is sometimes known, is much too hard to eat and makes carving difficult, as well. Some cooks like to save it for seasoning, but I find that there are always plenty of scraps leftover anyway, and I think that they taste better than the external pieces. A little seasoning with Country Ham goes a long way for my taste.
…I prefer simmering
The ham can now be cooked in the oven, either by braising (simmering) or baking. I believe that I prefer simmering. For this particular ham, we placed it in a large pan with sides, added about an inch of Black Cherry Juice and covered it tightly with foil. This ham weighed about 15 pounds and recipes suggested various cooking times, ranging from 10 to 20 minutes per pound.
The final formula…
After giving it much thought, we decided on the 20 minutes per pound scheme. However for the record, our cooking time ended up being a little bit longer. The final formula was 4 hours 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Upon removing it from the oven, we allowed it to set covered another 20 or 30 minutes. We then removed the foil, scored the ham and brushed on a Black Cherry/Jack Daniel’s Whiskey glaze. In the meantime the oven was heated to 425 and the ham returned uncovered to the hot oven for 15 minutes. Upon glazing, the ham was removed from the oven and set to rest for an hour or so, until we were ready to eat.
…very thin slices
Carving the ham simply requires a meat fork and a long thin (very sharp) slicing knife. First, the surface rind and excess fat are removed and saved or discarded, as you prefer. Next, begin to cut very thin slices from across the top, parallel to the bone. Proceed across the top of the ham and then slice on each side of the main bone. Serve the partially carved ham with some nice slices around it on a beautiful platter. It does make a very dramatic presentation.
…quality and regional tradition lives on.
Although Country Hams are available at many grocery stores in the south, we encourage you to become acquainted with
Benton’s Smokey Mountain Country Hams of Madisonville, Tennessee. Benton’s hams, bacon and other products have found their way on to the menus of some of the finest restaurants in America. This small company is a treasure where quality and regional tradition lives on.
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