Mail-Order Virginia Country Hams

[rotuts]

@btbyrd

 

how do you make the dash ?

 

Ill freeze the bacon seasoning and use the fat finely chopped up in my turkey meat loaf which starts out 93 % lean.

 

thanks for the tip on the shocks.

 

they were very nice over the phone and sent the package on its way in a few hours.

 

it too some time Im guessing to cross the road.

 

the PC tip is a nice one.   Ill try it in the iPot.

Edited February 28, 2018 by rotuts (log)

[rustwood]

On 2/26/2018 at 10:57 PM, btbyrd said:

Col. Bill Newsom's Country Hams (KY)

 

After reading Peter Kaminsky's Pig Perfect, Newsom's was on my list of hams to buy but I never got around to it.  I may have to revisit that list.  Has anyone had any experience with them?  Looks like I have another month or so if I want to pull the trigger on one other their premium aged hams this year.

 

[lindag]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2014 at 9:30 AM, rotuts said:

consider some of that bacon.  its cut and vac's.  it is intensely smokey  for me thats a good thing

 

it is so intense Ive doubled my ( turkey ) meatloaf output.

 

its unfortunate they dont seem to have smoked breakfast sausage.

 

BTW they have smoked and unsmoked cure hams.

 

I looked for hocks at their website but couldn't find any; do you have to call to order?

[rotuts]

@lindag

 

http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/all-products/hocks-seasoning-meat.html

 

its under " Hocks and seasoning meat "

[btbyrd]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@btbyrd

thanks for the tip on the shocks.

how do you make the dash ?

the PC tip is a nice one.   Ill try it in the iPot.

 

 

I do a cold kombu infusion overnight, in part because that's how Morimoto does it in his book and in part because that's how my lazy ass likes to do it. 10g kombu per liter of water. Strain the next day and pop that into the pressure cooker with the hocks. I forget how long I go, but it really doesn't matter. It's at least an hour; I'm thinking that I go 90 mins in the IP,  but you could shoot for an hour and see how you like it. If you use kombu infused water instead of regular water, the ham kinda ends up with a dashi-like flavor which can be better or worse depending on what you're going for. The ham stock is good plain or "dashi-fied." Either way, there will be a ton of flavorful stock and the hock meat will still be lip-smacking delicious. It's almost impossible to overcook. I keep meaning to try pulling the muscles into individual threads and deep frying them a la ChefSteps's Crispy Ham Threads. I've done that with flank steak for Modernist Cuisine's crispy beef thread salad. It was a labor of love, but freaking tasty. It takes about a million years to pull those threads...

 

Crispy ham action starts at around 52 seconds in:

 

 

 

37 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@lindag

 

http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/all-products/hocks-seasoning-meat.html

 

its under " Hocks and seasoning meat "

 

I believe the quote that @lindag was referencing was about Benton's, not Father's. Benton's doesn't have hocks on their website, but I'd be surprised if they didn't offer them. I know that they sell "bacon ends" over the phone (they're not on the website) so they probably have hocks as well.

[lindag]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@lindag

 

http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/all-products/hocks-seasoning-meat.html

 

its under " Hocks and seasoning meat "

Thank you, I will order some.  It seems I was looking in the wrong place, I thought the hocks mentioned were from Edward's.

Edited February 28, 2018 by lindag (log)

[btbyrd]

Officially, I refer to pressure cooked Father's ham hock stock as "Hot Ham Water." It's so watery... and yet there's a smack of ham to it.

 

 

Emphasis on the smack.

[TdeV]

These hams look very interesting. What do you recommend if one prefers low smoke flavouring?

[TdeV]

Also, what exactly is "country ham" flavour?

[rotuts]

@TdeV

 

well its Ham , but intense 

 

in the best possible way.

 

if you have only had

 

' store ham '

 

or Canned Ham

 

as I had growing up

 

baked w cloves etc

 

this is much more intense  

 

if you want to try it,

 

go to one of the above and get some

 

vacuum packed slices

 

it salty

 

but you can soak in in ice cold water first.

 

Mu Uncle , in Ohio  used to get these and soaked them for a few days

 

changed the water

 

then baked them

 

I was albe to stop by on the way to Job !

 

cooked , cooled and ready for snacks

 

unbelievable it was.

[kayb]

John T. Edge (Southern Foodways) referred to country ham as "America's proscuitto." That's about as close as I can come. 

 

A fried slice on a hot biscuit with some sorghum molasses is the finest breakfast or snack to be found.

 

[rotuts]

@kayb

 

that's close

 

id never cook proscuitto

 

nor older country hams

 

but the others:

 

after a really really long soak

 

and simmer

 

the only way Id eat ' ham .

[Martin Fisher]

3 hours ago, TdeV said:

Also, what exactly is "country ham" flavour?

 

Umami

[TdeV]

I have ordered some ham hocks from Father's and will report back.

I intend to taste every single one of the hams which have been recommended!

Edited March 1, 2018 by TdeV
clarity (log)

[rotuts]

@TdeV

 

Bentons has some excellent hams

 

some are ' older ' and prosciutto-like

 

""    Our Aged Whole Bone In Country Hams are dry cured and hickory smoked: incorporating time, patience, and the traditional family recipe to produce a delicious product. These hams are aged 12-14 months, giving them a much more complex and intense flavor that many of our customers prefer when enjoying them as charcuterie; similar to how folks enjoy an Italian prosciutto ham or Spanish serrano ham.  ""

 

https://shop.bentonscountryham.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=awch

 

they seem to be very reasonably priced.

 

my Hocks and Trimming Sample is said by UPS to be arriving today.

 

 

Unless the UPSs truck gets washed away by the rain.

 

 

and yes I know I should not joke about bad weather.

 

 

 

 

[lindag]

16 hours ago, TdeV said:

I have ordered some ham hocks from Father's and will report back.

I intend to taste every single one of the hams which have been recommended!

 

I put a 'set' of hocks in my shopping cart then discovered the shipping cost was even more than the hocks.

i still want them though, they look much meatier than those I can get locally.

 

[rotuts]

@lindag

 

that's why I put two sets in my cart.

 

It looks like they are Vacsealed.

 

if sealed well I just freeze them that way

 

or add another VacSeal as i have a sealer.

[btbyrd]

Whenever you order from Father's, Benton's, Edwards, or whatever.... you're going to eat it on shipping. So order a bunch of stuff. My standard Father's order is 12 hocks, 8 pounds of bacon, and a pound of prosciutto slices. I have similar standard orders elsewhere. Vacuum-sealed ham and hocks will keep for pretty much ever in the freezer, or for months in your fridge. Bacon is the only thing you need to worry about eating quickly. I've found that the fat in country bacon is liable to oxidize and become rancid, and I'm super sensitive to rancidity in bacon. So I make an effort to plow through the bacon quickly when I get it. When tomato season hits, order all the bacons from all these companies.

 

Or really, why wait?

 

[rotuts]

here is my order :

 

 

Hocks and Bacon , in the box.  its a big box

 

 

12 hocks on the counter.   the size varies a little , but all are larger than I expected.  viz a viz  hocks ive purchased in the supermaket

 

this are much more like little hams.

 

 

the bacon seasoning sample.    again much larger than I tho0ugh.

 

I was going to weigh a few , but the scale demanded new batteries 

 

and I was missing the point  .  you will be pleased w all sizes

 

the UPS box said 19 lbs , so Im guessing  18 + lbs products.

 

im as please as Ive ever been with any new order w this particular Father's new oder.   indeed this tops them all.

 

the box was so heavy that I developed Quite the Thirst , which I have to deal with

 

right now.

 

outstanding stuff , and for the total price  a real bargain 

 

Im still a might fan of Benton's  Bacon

 

but high quality country smoke pig ' seasoning ' product  , Im set for several years.

 

and the packaging does not need further VacPacking

 

you might need a new Freezer , though.

 

 

 

 

[Anna N]

7 minutes ago, rotuts said:

here is my order :

Wow!   Quite a bonanza. 

[rotuts]

P.S.:

 

fortunately Pig Fat is significantly healthier than Beef or Chicken or Turkey fat,

 

its a bit of a shame that ducks , with their therapeutic fat 

 

[ed.:  water fowl , i.e. animals that fly w features and land and swim in ice cold water have therapeutic fat for Folks like Me  built in Statins I call the effect ]

 

don't have Hocks this big.

 

just saying.

[kayb]

M'mmm. I can see many a pot of beans coming from that smoked pig.

 

[btbyrd]

Looks like you forgot something.

 

[rotuts]

Nope.

 

Im a Benton's Man.

 

my sister sent me some of their bacon 

 

and that's that'

 

not top suggest that F's is not as good.

 

just that's that'

 

Ill review after i try the 6 pack of F's seasoned stuff

 

but for me

 

Bacon is  'hard wood' cured.

 

I can add my Personal Seasoning to that.

 

What !

 

 

no BratWust bacon ?

 

I do use Penzey's  Bratwurst seasoning on scarab;ed eggs

 

just an idea ;

 

BratWurst Smoked Bacon.

[Kim Shook]

20 hours ago, rotuts said:

here is my order :

 

 

Hocks and Bacon , in the box.  its a big box

 

 

12 hocks on the counter.   the size varies a little , but all are larger than I expected.  viz a viz  hocks ive purchased in the supermaket

 

this are much more like little hams.

 

 

the bacon seasoning sample.    again much larger than I tho0ugh.

 

I was going to weigh a few , but the scale demanded new batteries 

 

and I was missing the point  .  you will be pleased w all sizes

 

the UPS box said 19 lbs , so Im guessing  18 + lbs products.

 

im as please as Ive ever been with any new order w this particular Father's new oder.   indeed this tops them all.

 

the box was so heavy that I developed Quite the Thirst , which I have to deal with

 

right now.

 

outstanding stuff , and for the total price  a real bargain 

 

Im still a might fan of Benton's  Bacon

 

but high quality country smoke pig ' seasoning ' product  , Im set for several years.

 

and the packaging does not need further VacPacking

 

you might need a new Freezer , though.

 

 

 

 

Quite the bonanza!  Mr. Kim has converted his co-workers to Benton's bacon, so when we order we get a BIG box.  And if the carrier leaves it outside the front door, you can smell it before you open the door.