What’s your opinion on cured country hams?

SciAggie · January 10

Our grocery has some Smithfield cured country hams (in a sack) at a very reduced price. What’s your opinion on them? Will they continue to keep well if hung in a dry location? I’ve never had or cooked a ham like this - just looking for opinions.

SGH · January 10

Call me real quick brother Aggie. I don’t have time to type right now but I can take a quick call.
228-627-5400

jeffwit · January 10

Personally, I don’t care for them. Too tough and too dry for my taste.

jeffwit · January 10

Of course, you’ll probably take it and make something magical in that cooking nirvana in your back yard.

northGAcock · January 10

My opinion is lightly steam pieces (3-4 inches in diameter), .....place between a top and bottom of a freshly made home made biscuit. Serve with grits. Have your lady take a picture of the smile on your face.

To address your question (sorry for the trip down memory lane)....cut it, vac seal and freeze it in portion packs. Thaw and steam under low heat.

tml1230 · January 10

northGAcock said:

My opinion is lightly steam pieces (3-4 inches in diameter), .....place between a top and bottom of a freshly made home made biscuit. Serve with grits. Have your lady take a picture of the smile on your face.

To address your question (sorry for the trip down memory lane)....cut it, vac seal and freeze it in portion packs. Thaw and steam under low heat.

You got me at grits...

nolaegghead · January 10

It's probably uncooked. American prosciutto, in a way.

They are typically very salty so need to be soaked or used where the salt is a good thing.

Some people love them, others not so much.

Half price, I would buy, you only live once.

nolaegghead · January 10

Yes, I believe they can be stored without refrigeration, but I would follow their recommendations, and usually a dry, low humidity location is not ideal for cured meats.

SGH · January 10

nolaegghead said:
Some people love them,

We do.

JohnnyTarheel · January 10

tml1230 said:

northGAcock said:

My opinion is lightly steam pieces (3-4 inches in diameter), .....place between a top and bottom of a freshly made home made biscuit. Serve with grits. Have your lady take a picture of the smile on your face.

To address your question (sorry for the trip down memory lane)....cut it, vac seal and freeze it in portion packs. Thaw and steam under low heat.

You got me at grits...

And me when you said place it between the top and bottom of a biscuit......

SciAggie · January 10

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I think I’ll give it a shot. Then I’ll know if I like it.

GrillSgt · January 10

Jump on it. I’ve got a great recipe that I believe could be accomplished on the egg. I don’t care what it looks like don’t dismay, even if it has some skippers (maggots). One of America’s great foodstuffs. Smithfield is quality but tends to be a little saltier than the norm.

Biggreenpharmacist · January 10

I love em.

SciAggie · January 10

jeffwit said:

Of course, you’ll probably take it and make something magical in that cooking nirvana in your back yard.

We’ll try to live up to the expectation.

SciAggie · January 10

northGAcock said:

My opinion is lightly steam pieces (3-4 inches in diameter), .....place between a top and bottom of a freshly made home made biscuit. Serve with grits. Have your lady take a picture of the smile on your face.

To address your question (sorry for the trip down memory lane)....cut it, vac seal and freeze it in portion packs. Thaw and steam under low heat.

Thanks for the portioning tip. I welcome the remarks because I have zero idea what to do with the thing.

SciAggie · January 10

nolaegghead said:

It's probably uncooked. American prosciutto, in a way.

They are typically very salty so need to be soaked or used where the salt is a good thing.

Some people love them, others not so much.

Half price, I would buy, you only live once.

Thanks for the information. That’s the thing - so many of y’all have so much experience. The price tag was actually off when I went to get the ham. They are holding it for me until tomorrow. I expect to get it at a very reasonable price.

SciAggie · January 10

GrillSgt said:

Jump on it. I’ve got a great recipe that I believe could be accomplished on the egg. I don’t care what it looks like don’t dismay, even if it has some skippers (maggots). One of America’s great foodstuffs. Smithfield is quality but tends to be a little saltier than the norm.

PM me the recipe if you don’t mind. I sure have no idea how to prepare the thing.

SGH · January 10

One of our favorite ways to eat country ham is to slice some about 1/4 thick and fry it 15-30 seconds per side in a dry skillet. Slap it on a biscuit for a real breakfast treat.

Theophan · January 10

I used to live in Virginia, and I had Smithfield hams (the real thing, not just Smithfield brand regular ham), and they were WONDERFUL! A real pain in the neck, though, at least for someone like me who wasn't used to preparing a real country ham. Smithfield hams are just a particular type of country ham, and country ham in general is heavily salted (also with curing salt, I'm sure), and then hung up to dry and age, often for a year or even more! And the longer they age, the more powerful they get in <cough> fragrance and flavor. They can have mold and generally look very unappetizing on the outside, and that's part of the pain in the neck part. The instructions with the ham had you wash them, try to clean that stuff off as well as you can with a brush, then soak them in plain water overnight, scrub them a little more, maybe, finally bake them, with or without a bit of a glaze. You slice them much thinner than a regular ham, and they are just wonderful! It can take a bit of getting used to for some, maybe. They're very salty, much more so than regular ham, and that "aged" flavor may not be for everyone. One of my stepdaughters used to love country ham, but any time her mother was frying it in a skillet, she'd complain that it smelled like old stinky socks...

If your store has any country ham in smaller sizes, like those vacuum-packed slices, for example, you could try frying some, maybe with a little water at first, and see whether you like country ham at all without having to buy a whole ham. But my memory of genuine "Smithfield Ham" is that it's just a particular type of country ham (I think the pigs are fed on peanuts or something), but MAN they were GOOD!

It's plenty aged now, no need to hang it and then maybe forget about it for several more years and, in doubt, throw it away. I'd say if they're a good price, buy one and COOK it -- try to follow the directions that come with them, and it'll be worth the trouble!

SciAggie · January 10

@Theophan Thanks. I’m excited to try it. This is a link to the ham I’m talking about:https://www.smithfieldmarketplace.com/product/uncooked-country-ham/country-hams

lousubcap · January 10

As mentioned somewhere above treat it like an American prosciutto.
The difference between a country and "city" ham is several orders of magnitude-handling/serving process and flavor to name a couple. Expect a heavy salt flavor and you will enjoy. FWIW-

GrillSgt · January 10

Here you go: http://gardenandgun.com/recipe/sweet-tea-brined-country-ham/

SciAggie · January 10

GrillSgt said:

Here you go: http://gardenandgun.com/recipe/sweet-tea-brined-country-ham/

Thank you kindly.

Theophan · January 10

I don't know whether there's an awful lot of difference between the Smithfield "Country Ham" you're looking at and a "Genuine Smithfield Ham" that is at least somewhat different, and more expensive (link above, and photo below, from the same site you linked to).

It looks like the "Genuine Smithfield Ham" is smoked and pepper coated, among other things, whereas the regular Smithfield country ham is not. Again, a "Smithfield Ham," as in "Genuine Smithfield Ham" is a very specific thing, a particular type of country ham. I honestly don't know whether it's better than a regular Smithfield country ham, and it's more expensive -- might be worth trying the more affordable one.

On that line, though, I don't see the super low price on the one you linked to, whereas they have a version of a cooked country ham that went from $119.99 down to $59.99! Whoa, that's quite a difference! And you don't have to do all of that stuff to prepare it to cook, just warm it up and eat it.

I'd say whatever you choose, it'll be good eating, so long as you're OK with very salty and a more powerful, aged flavor that many of us LOVE, but maybe for some would take a little getting used to.

Biggreenpharmacist · January 10

SGH said:

One of our favorite ways to eat country ham is to slice some about 1/4 thick and fry it 15-30 seconds per side in a dry skillet. Slap it on a biscuit for a real breakfast treat.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

do this. Add a little butter and molasses and cancel all your plans for that day cuz you’ll be fat and miserable after eating a pan full of biscuits and half a ham.

Woodchunk · January 10

Be sure to scrub the ham off and rinse in between soakings or not if you want it more salty

SciAggie · January 10

Thanks again for all of the comments. I appreciate it.

Teefus · January 10

My folks used to tell a story about going to Western Kentucky to my Great Grandparents house for a holiday meal when they were first married. When it came time to prepare the meal, my Great Granddad fished a country ham out from under the bed where it had been stored for a couple years in a burlap bag. My mother was horrified as they peeled the layer of mold off the outside and prepped it for cooking. She said it was the best ham she'd ever had.

Teefus · January 10

These folks are relatives of mine. Too far removed for any economic advantage however.

Image: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.smithfieldmarketplace.com/images/uploads/962_470_L.jpg

SciAggie · January 10

@Teefus That's a cool story.

Woodchunk · January 10

Tip, after cooking and before carving, shave off some pieces of fat and save that to put up against the bare meat after slicing. Keeps it from drying out

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What’s your opinion on cured country hams?

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Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-né, jock-a-mo fee na-né