Mail-Order Virginia Country Hams

[Kim Shook]

15 minutes ago, TdeV said:

 

Kim, that devilled ham looks delish! Do you have a link to a list of ingredients?

It WAS!!!  Here you go!

[kayb]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

It WAS!!!  Here you go!

I'll testify to it. Garden & Gun is worth a subscription, just for the recipes in it, btw. Link here.

 

[TdeV]

To put diced Virginia country ham into a casserole, do I soak the ham slices before or after it has been diced?

@rotuts?

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

the issue is simple : Salt

 

how much do you want from the ham ?

 

for me , less is much better , and it begins out the flavor of

 

The Pig.

 

you can soak either way

 

diced wil give you more surface area to remove the salt.

 

pat dry and ten use.

 

id there is fat  involved

 

I use very cold or ice water

 

to keep the fat fir

 

if i want that in the final dish

Edited June 30, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

To put diced Virginia country ham into a casserole, do I soak the ham slices before or after it has been diced?

@rotuts?

 

Obviously not @rotuts but as he says, it's all about the salt level.  If I wanted max ham flavor in my casserole, I would not soak the ham.  I would assume that the little diced bits will give up some salt to the dish during cooking so I'd adjust or eliminate other sources of salt. 

 

I do give the biscuit slices a soak before I heat them up for breakfast sandwiches but they're not cooked in a casserole. 

[rotuts]

Id like to give you my impressions of Broadbent's and Father's 

 

Bacon ends  ( for seasoning meat , per web pages ;

 

https://www.broadbenthams.com/Hickory-Baconp-Seasoning-Pieces_pp4-1-Lb-Pkgs_p/productinfo/110/

 

and 

 

https://fatherscountryhams.com/collections/hocks-seasoning-meat/products/fathers-bacon-seasoning-6-pack-bs6

 

Ive worked w several pack of each , and these are my general observations :

 

packets vary with in each company  lean // meaty .   one or two packs doesn't not get you a very good

 

idea as say , 10 packs of each.   

 

over all , I think Brodbents is meatier / pack , but still plenty of fat / pack.   Fathers' is over-all

 

fattier .  remember this is over several packs.   

 

Father's seem smokier than Brodbents , and Broadbent's is pretty smoky .

 

and I think Fathers is a bit saltier than Brodbents.

 

I have quite a few packs from each   but this analysis  is not very scientific.   I didn't do 5 packs from each

 

company at a time and weigh fat vs Lean,  etc

 

I slice up the Ends into small cubes , discard the fat , and soak in cold water for  a while

 

\before I slowly saute until about 1/2 cooked , cool and refrigerate then use as seasoning bits.

 

If i do a lot , Ill vac-bag  and freeze , then open the bag and use what i need , and re-seal that same back

 

then back in the freezer  it goes.   Im doing about 1.5 lbs of trimmings from Fathers today

 

and plan a few 20 min soaks , discard the water , and add fresh.

 

i take something called HCTZ , so dont see the point of loads of exogenous salt

 

after the soaks and saute  , both Brodbents and Fathers are plenty Country-Smoked-Piggy

 

I currently favor the Premium smoked ham pieces over the bacon trimmings, as i dont use that much of the fat.

 

and they are easier to dice , soak and use.    I don't use strip bacon any more , even on TurkeyMeatLoaf

 

which is on hiatus  due to the heat and shopping concerns .   Ive added soaked  dice of bacon and ham into the TML 

 

and studded the top w the same getting good results in the past

 

as ive said before , u like supermarket bacon and supermarket ham

 

country bacon and country ham  are much closer in taste than the stuff from the supermarket.

[heidih]

Somewhat related I enjoyed recently reading about Andre Mack and his putting American hams on showcase, He has quoted Edna Lewis saying "ham held the same rating as the basic black dress. If you had a ham in the meat house, any situation could be faced."   https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/and-sons-is-a-new-ham-and-wine-bar-from-a-celebrity-sommelier-123019

Edited July 18, 2020 by heidih (log)

[rustwood]

I recently I found myself within range of Hemp's Meats in Jefferson Maryland.  In a moment of unbridled enthusiasm, I bought an 18 lb unsmoked country ham.  It is definitely a dry cured country ham, just a very big one.  The cut edge is hard and dry as one would expect.  In their shop the hams are just hanging on hooks on the wall - no paper, no cloth, no netting.  There isn't any packaging or labeling either.  It was just put in an open plastic bag for transport.  I have it (mostly) wrapped in a tea towel and a paper bag right now.  I've never been there before, but I had read at least one enthusiastic recommendation somewhere.  While I will be sharing this ham with other family members, that is still a lot of ham so I am not inclined to cook it whole. 

 

I've read a lot about country ham here on EG and elsewhere on the internet, but I haven't found much on how to break down a whole ham and store pieces of it.  Family members have told me they used to just cut off what they needed, re-wrap the rest and hang it up again.  Of course people used to do a lot of things that are no longer recommended.  I listen to Cooking Issues and am well aware of Dave Arnold's view that one should just slice it thin and eat it raw.  In this case I am reluctant to do that.  It is tempting and would probably be safe, but this seems like a worse than usual time to possibly end up very ill (for future reference, due to increasing COVID-19 cases).

 

I have a saw, so I'd like to cut in half, take a few slices/steaks, then use the 2 halves as roasts - or maybe cut one in half again so I can try cooking it various ways (traditional, smoker, and maybe sous vide - possibly before a short spell on the smoker).  From a storage perspective, cutting before soaking the whole ham seems best, but I am wondering if soaking pieces with a large cut surface would be problematic in any way.  If I cut it up without soaking it, I guess I should still scrub and dry it first?  Should I freeze the pieces I won't be using for a while or can/should I just keep them in a refrigerator?  I have more room to refrigerate than to freeze.  Is there any reason not to vacuum seal them in either case?  I've read that you can cover the cuts with lard/shortening and they will be shelf stable, but I am reluctant to do that. 

 

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

Edited October 31, 2020 by rustwood (log)

[rotuts]

there are probably many ways to deal w this sort of ham , for long term storage.

 

I note you seem to have access to a vacuum sealing system.

 

Id use that , if you have a decent system where the bags will last.

 

why ?  the ham won't dry out any more.

 

you probably don't need to Fz the ham , but if you Vac and have the room , why not ?

 

if you don't have freezer space , vac and keep in the refrigerator.   

 

although cured ham keeps at room temp , it will oxidize if not sealed.

 

ie get a rancid like taste.

 

Id cut the ham into hunks that would make a dinner for ' how many you have '  

 

w leftovers for sandwiches , mac and ham and cheese etc.

 

these smaller 'hams'  will be easier to cook , and rehydrate if you go in that direction

 

and I encourage you to do so.   you can also eventually  keep a hunk or two for thin sliced cured but not cooked.

 

good luck !   hope you enjoy the precess.

 

a country ham , broken down is a joy to have around.

 

its strong taste can then be enjoyed over time , and safely.

Edited October 31, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[kayb]

I'd cut before soaking, but after cutting, since an inner surface is exposed, I'd vac-seal the pieces (however many there are). Long-term refrigeration of vac-sealed packages should be fine. I prefer to soak right before I cook.

 

I'd also cut it into meal-sized packages before I vac-sealed.

 

[rustwood]

Thanks Rotus and Kayb for the feedback.  I suspected that was the way to go, but I wasn't sure and didn't want to ruin any of it - nor get sick.  Point taken on the meal-sized packages.  I may cut it in smaller portions than I initially had in mind.
 

[gfweb]

I made a very nice hot country ham dip for my son and d-i-l over the weekend. Bentons ham.

[rustwood]

6 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I made a very nice hot country ham dip for my son and d-i-l over the weekend. Bentons ham.

 

Like cheese dip or a dipping sauce for ham?  Details/recipe please!

[Shelby]

28 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I made a very nice hot country ham dip for my son and d-i-l over the weekend. Bentons ham.

You can't leave us hanging like that.  Need recipe please 😁

[kayb]

Ditto.

 

[gfweb]

@rustwood@Shelby@kayb

 

I softened brick of cream cheese

Mayo about 3/4 cup

1/2 tsp dijon

1 handful of grated parm (?1/3 cup)  (green can dreck is OK here)

1 fine diced shallot

1/2 tsp sriracha

3/4 cup of food processor (cuisinart miniprep*) shredded country ham

 

Mix it all up with your pimiento cheese fork and let sit for  a few hours.

 

Dust with pimenton and broil for 10 min

 

* I love my miniprep...used at least weekly...what a bargain. Big processor maybe twice a year.

Edited November 3, 2020 by gfweb (log)

[Kim Shook]

@gfweb - thanks for posting that recipe - it sounds like something we would love.  

 

We were so sad to discover that Wegman's no longer seems to carry the Edward's petite country ham that we used to buy there.  We've checked twice and they haven't had it and didn't know if they would.  Wegman's price was about $30 - half what Amazon is charging now.  And buying direct from Edward's it is $70.  We are really hoping that this is temporary.

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

here is what Id to :

 

call Wegman's    in NY look for their corporate offices

 

they then might direct you to someone in their large organization that might help you

 

then if you odnt get anywhere 

 

call Edwards

 

and explain the Wegman's connectiion

 

you might learn somnething

 

and its sort of risk free.

 

cheers

[Eatmywords]

I read the name of this thread rather quickly and well, there's probably something wrong with me for what I first registered.  

[rotuts]

the other day I made

 

Ravioli ( purchased ) w canned peas and country ham.

 

I have a ' solid ' supply of country ham , some from Fathers

 

https://fatherscountryhams.com/collections/hocks-seasoning-meat/products/fathers-bacon-seasoning-6-pack-bs6

 

some from Broadbent:

 

https://www.broadbenthams.com/Hickory-Baconp-Seasoning-Pieces_pp4-1-Lb-Pkgs/productinfo/110/

 

as far as Im concerned , the bacon pieces and ham pieces ( seasoning ) are very similar

 

they are salty and very very smokey 

 

I doubt I could tell the difference

 

So I pulled out 2 1 - lbs packs for processing :

 

 

after removing most of the fat :

 

 

I got these fine dice.    its a bit of a chore to get to this size dice.  next time Il

 

de-fat , then cut into larger chunks , partially freeze and try using my cuisinart w a

 

very sharp blade , a few pulses at a time , the recall to get to about this size :

 

 

this is fine dice.   these two packs were from Fathers , and I think Fathers has more fat on the

 

chunks then Broadbent.

 

so out of 2 lbs :  ( 900 grams )  I got 500 grams of dice.

 

I plan to de-salt them in cold water , and tame some of the serious smokeyness

 

Im thinking of making a few small bags  w a cube of ice or two in them

 

( easier to seal )  and SV the bags @ 130.1 for a few hours

 

know the dice won't get tender at that temp for so few hours

 

but just a desalting , and taming the smokiness

 

probably soaking them over night in the refrigerator w cold water

 

would accomplish the same thing.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

I bought a fair amount of Father's early on in pandemic. I actually ended up tossing some; I just felt it overwhelmingly smoky. The salt (also pretty intense) I can deal with by blanching a few times, but I couldn't really find anything workable with the smoke.

[rotuts]

yes  the smoky-ness is intense

 

water treatment helps

 

but its still there even muted.

 

and your living space is going to  be 

 

aromatique for a day or so.

 

Ill do a batch of the premium

 

https://www.broadbenthams.com/Premium-CountrypHam-Seasoning-Pieces_pp-4-1-lb-Pkgs/productinfo/830/

 

next to see about its smokiness.

 

P.S. : that's one of the reasons Id like to try 130.1 F for a few hours

 

Im wondering if @ that temp  more smokiness would move into the water

Edited February 15, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

Yes, some of the pieces were like sitting around a campfire~!!

[btbyrd]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[blue_dolphin]

I found the smokiness of the Broadbent hocks and other seasoning meats to be more moderate compared to Father's.