All About Country Ham

[essvee]

I just got back from TN with a lot of country ham from Tripp's. I like the stuff but the salt always catches up to me and ruins the last half of it.

My question is: has anyone soaked country ham in the same way one would salt cod for desalination purposes? I have plans to try it once I open the package, but I thought to ask you all in case it's a bad idea.

Also, any creative use for country ham you can think of? It's good for Chinese food, and it's good for shrimp and grits, and of course for biscuits et al, but I have too much of the stuff for just that. For the record, I bought a package of biggish slices, 12 or so.

Thanks for any and all ideas,

essvee

[monavano]

We're lucky to have Calhoun's Country Hams here in VA. Patrick O'Connell, chef and owner of The Inn at Little Washington has this recipe.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes...-and-pine-nuts/

[Katie Meadow]

I frequently cook ham shanks mainly for the stock, so I too have ham left over that needs to be put to good use. And I'm also salt-sensitive. The best way for me to deal with leftover ham is to encorporate it into a dish that can be undersalted. Ham salad is yummy, and if you eat it as a sandwich on good bread that cuts the salt somewhat. Another salad that works well is a warm rice salad with some ham in it.

My favorite use for leftover ham is in soups. Try making bean soups, vegetable soups with potatoes or soups with greens like kale or collards and seriously undersalting them--or even adding no salt at all during cooking. Then half an hour or shortly before the soup is done add the shredded or chopped ham. The salt from the meat disperses (or at least it seems to) and does the job. If anyone at the table thinks it isn't salty enough, they can sprinkle at will.

[ray goud]

Was it pre-cooked country ham that you bought? If so, then you had to refrigerate it to keep it from going bad. If not, it had all the salt from curing still in it and required no refrigeration. In the latter case it probably came with instructions for cooking, which included the soaking step. The soaking won't remove all the salt, but a lot of it. Then you still should cut thin slices and enjoy the intense flavor. Look at the website for Smithfield hams for guidance, also.

Ray

[Doodad]

Any rice dish, such as jambalaya or risotto, and don't add salt. Small dice on the ham will stretch it.

Me, I like it eat it till my feet and hands swell.

Edit to add this is where my family gets it. And has for some 40 years. My aunt grew up around here. The guy realized he made more off ham than the gas station so.....http://www.turnerhams.com/.

Edited April 15, 2008 by Doodad (log)

[Busboy]

We've used country ham from Monovano's buddies at Calhoun's to make a Nuevo Latino version of the always-delish Cubano sandwich -- possibly the greatest sandwich ever. Our variations are:

1) Make yourself a nice pork loin for dinner, put the leftovers in the fridge until a good game or fine movie or other sandwich-worthy event comes along. Although, if you're having a sandwich-fest because you have so much ham to use up, it's worth roasting up a dedicated loin.

2) Make the sandwich according to this recipe. You may want to get your sharpest knife out and shave the ham as best you can. It's a bit of a pain but, in my experience, pre-sliced ham is thicker than you want. Pickles should be of a robust dill sort. Remember that this is not the place for your best local authentic crusty baguette. Bread should be at least somewhat squishy.

3) Ignore tradition (this is Nuevo Latino, after all ) and make yourself some mayo with lime and roast cumin. Best if you home-make it, but you can add lime and cumin to Hellman's in a pinch.

4) Serve with your favorite variation on black beans.

This helps solve the salt problem, too, because though the ham is a key ingredient, there's a lot of other food going on to balance out the salt.

[essvee]

Thanks for your replies, all. Keep 'em coming!

[HungryC]

The ham fairy visited me over the weekend, and I'm the proud owner of a whole, dry-cured, pepper-coated country ham. It's a "southHampton" country cure, packed by RM Felts of Ivor, VA. Now I have a few questions:

--besides slicing paper thin & eating like prosciutto or slightly thicker & on biscuits, what are YOUR favorite ways to eat country ham?

--how do I care for my ham? It is presently still wrapped in original packaging.

[budrichard]

Only a few country ham producers certify ham for consumtion without cooking and are so marked on the procduct. If not marked for consumption without cooking, than you run the risk of listeria. Best to query the producer of the ham.

Country hams are stored at room temperature typically. Long term storage of country ham runs the risk of mites eating the product.-Dick

Edited February 16, 2009 by budrichard (log)

[tazerowe]

I grew up about 10 miles from there. Honestly, most people wouldn't consider this to be a ham for raw consumption. Locals would soak it for several days to reduce the salt, then boil it before slicing.

[HungryC]

So what's the difference between my Felts ham and the country hams that are eaten raw?

[tazerowe]

So what's the difference between my Felts ham and the country hams that are eaten raw?

←

I'm not an expert, but I am not sure any American country hams were traditionally eaten raw. European hams are cured for raw consumption, but they use significantly less salt and rely on air drying. The climate in US ham country is too humid, so these are heavily salted and smoked to preserve them. As a result, then need the cooking to balance the salt.

Now, recently, some of the better US producers have noticed the similarity between the products and the fact that some consumers went ahead and ate the country hams raw - there was an article in the NY Times maybe 10 years ago noticing the trend. Many of these, like Edwards (made about 10 miles from your Ivor ham), produce special hams for raw consumption. These are excellent, but my impression is that they are significantly less salty and rely on modern air conditioning, etc. to create a more European curing environment.

Your Felts, while a fine country ham, is a traditional product and I would not expect it to be designed for raw consumptions. I have no idea if raw would be safe or would taste good. My gut tells me it is more likely safe that tasty. However, poached, sliced and on biscuits, it will be very nice.

[Ktepi]

I don't think I've posted about making country ham in my bedroom.

Note: I do not guarantee anything about doing as I've done. I knew how country ham was made and the basics of what goes on during curing, and I'd done simple things like bacon and city ham for years.

The selection of pork is not very good where I live, but for a month or two at the beginning of the year, I can find whole fresh hams. Last year I decided that the combination of factors -- the availability of that ham, living alone, and having a loft -- indicated that NOT curing a country ham would be a wasted opportunity.

The ham was covered in salt -- kosher salt, curing salt, and some sugar -- and plunked into the fridge for 5-6 weeks, with the resulting liquid poured off during the first week.

After that, I turned the temperature up on the fridge to 40something degrees and let the ham equalize for another 4 weeks -- this is when the level of salinity in the ham balances out, giving the salt more time to reach the center, from what I understand.

After that, time to hang the ham. My condo is too big for me; I don't use the loft for anything, because it's too hot in the summer and I can't hear the doorbell, so my home office is downstairs. But the loft is there, overlooking my bedroom, a perfectly convenient place for me to check on the progress of the ham...

I let the ham hang for roughly eight months. It could have hung longer, but I wanted to start the New Year with home-cured ham and home-grown black-eyed peas. I soaked it for a day and a half or so, simmered it in a lobster pot, let it cool, and sliced:

Excellent stuff. I use it instead of tasso in jambalaya.