The country ham book

Early december is the best time to start curing virginiastyle hams under ambient. This process takes several hours in order to remove most of the salt. Clifty farm country meats 1500 us641 paris, tn 38242. These carefully prepared hams make for the perfect gift or flavorpacked centerpiece for a special meal. The country ham book kindle edition by voltz, jeanne. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. Jean anderson, author of the american century cookbook from the inside flap. To make it even more special this coming holiday season, why not try this baked country ham recipe yourself. Best country ham sandwich in virginia winners 2017 usa.

Country ham hash is delicious for a holiday brunch, but it also makes a satisfying and quick meal for the family during the week. Jeanne voltz and elaine harvell discuss the lore and history of country ham. The winners for best country ham sandwich in virginia are in. Abstractdrycured hams, such as country hams, are popular in the southeastern united states, where the colonists exploited the weather to. Country hams are generally favored in the southern states, probably because its intense flavor goes so well and the saltiness offset with fresh biscuits. Having only read about country ham before, but otherwise being quite fond of all things pork, i wanted to give it a try. A country ham has to do with the process on how the ham was made. When developing our country ham recipe, we focused on the soaking and cooking method. Simmer about 3 minutes, while stirring to collect drippings. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Delicious chunks of ham, bathed in a rich cream sauce under a melted layer of cheese is great for brunch or dinner.

Country ham with beer and molasses from i hear america cooking. Mar 01, 2015 food writer steve coomes of oldham county provides some insight in his latest book, country ham. Country ham is a drycured, almost always smoked, aged ham. Used as a method of preservation from before widespread refrigeration, country ham is packed in a mixture of salts, sugar, and spices and allowed to cure for a long period of time, sometimes months, and often smoked afterwards. Dry cured with salt and other natural ingredients and aged to a rich intensity, true c. Uncooked country ham slices edwards virginia smokehouse.

Virginiastyle hams should be cured for seven days per inch of cushion depth see figure 3a, or one and a half days per pound of ham. This book celebrates country hams colorful culinary past and its continued close ties with life across the south. Used as a method of preservation from before widespread refrigeration, country ham is packed in a mixture of salts, sugar, and spices and allowed to cure for a long period of time, sometimes months, and. They also dish up some of the most mouthwatering recipes ive seen. Ham, in hebrew according to the table of nations in the book of genesis, was the second son of noah and the father of cush, mizraim, phut and canaan. Country ham with red eye gravy saute country ham slices in a hot skillet. Book overview good country ham is a delicacy that deserves to be in gourmet company. Remove from pan and add about 12 cup water or black coffee. Watch me prepare this country ham with cloves, brown sugar, pineapples and cherries. If not to be used within 28 days, freeze for up to 6 months. Country ham and potato bake is pure southern comfort food. The term now refers to this style of ham preservation rather than a specific location, though a smithfield country ham, perhaps the bestknown brand of american. Im a sucker for killing a plate of prosciutto at a dinner party, but thanks to our guest steve coomes, weve discovered a new love for country ham.

Harvell 1999, paperback at the best online prices at. Country ham is a variety of heavily salted ham preserved by curing and smoking, associated with the cuisine of the southern united states. About this recipe if theres one thing that symbolizes a christmas meal, its ham. This book celebrates country ham s colorful culinary past and its continued close ties with life across the south. Party rolls mix softened butter with dijon mustard. Premium country ham steaks blue ridge mountain cured by rays country ham in stock on may 29, 2020. The result is a more subtle, milder flavor that still retains our distinctive countrycure taste. Jeanne voltz a copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. Upon completion of the project in august youth are rewarded with one 1 of the two 2 hams that they have cured. Nov 23, 2019 baked country ham is the centerpiece of a proper holiday meal in many parts of the southand a culinary achievement comparable to chinas thousandyearold egg. Apr 11, 2010 on a recent trip to north carolina, i was at a pork store where they sold many forms of country ham. Few things are as timeless and southern as a country ham. Insider restaurant writer steve coomes publishes book on country. Boneless, fully cooked country ham that delivers real hickorysmoked flavor and is convenient to serve.

Food writer steve coomes of oldham county provides some insight in his latest book, country ham. Bourbon gets its smokiness via temperature fluctuations that move it into and out of the barrels char layer. Smithfield olde world cure country hams are smoked and dry salt cured like the genuine smithfield, but only aged for 36 months a process used by the indians and colonial virginia settlers. Saltcured by hand and smoked with natural hickory wood, these country hams are aged to a rich mahogany color. The book also features a glossary and a list of sources for ordering country hams. The dry, chewy, slowcured stuff is growing fast as a premium delicacy sliced raw or crudo in the manner of prosciutto, according to the new book, country ham.

The discussions with the premier country ham makers was great. In fact, theres a story in jim kokoriss book, the big man of jim beam, in which booker brought one of his smoked hams to a fine restaurant in chicago. The alcohol really penetrates the fat and digs into the palate, breier said. Good country ham is a delicacy that deserves to be in gourmet company. Celebrating country ham s culinary past and its continued close ties with life across americas south, this text discusses the lore and history of country ham, and explains buying, preparing and over 70 recipes are included for country ham and its accompaniments. Dry cured with salt and other natural ingredients and aged to a rich intensity, true country ham boasts a flavor and texture that puts the more common wetcured. The country ham book jeanne voltz university of north carolina. Once you start cooking this country ham hash, the inviting aromas will have your sleepy overnight guests hurrying down the stairs and into the kitchen. In fact, theres a story in jim kokoriss book, the big man of jim beam, in which booker brought one.

The dry, chewy, slowcured stuff is growing fast as a premium delicacy sliced raw or crudo in the manner of. Country ham is the name for the third batch of bookers bourbon in 2019. Dry cured with salt and other natural ingredients and aged to a rich intensity, true country ham boasts a flavor and texture that puts the more common wetcured ham, which is soaked in brine or injected with a salt solution, to shame. Jan, 2014 the best ham salad recipe only requires a food processor, mayonnaise, celery, onion and perfectly combined seasonings. Finchville farms has the best cooked country ham that you will find. Fully cooked, completely boneless bursting with southern hickory flavor. With the country ham book, jeanne voltz and elaine harvell fill a huge void in our knowledge of american cooking. Click to see the winners for best country ham sandwich in virginia, chosen by the readers of 10best and usa today.

Country hams are drycured, or rubbed down with salt and seasonings, before being slowly smoked and then aged for 4 to 36 months. The bible refers to egypt as the land of ham in psalm 78. Hams less than 400 days old are generally cooked by the pervasive traditional method of soaking in water for a period of 12 to 48 hours. The best ham salad recipe only requires a food processor, mayonnaise, celery, onion and perfectly combined seasonings. The smokier the ham such as bentons smoky mountain country ham, the better it paired with a rye whiskey or highrye bourbon. Country ham is a strong, salty, drycured product produced primarily in virginia, north carolina, tennessee, kentucky, and missouri. Seemed very well researched and covered a variety of areas. We write, talk and wax poetic about cured country ham, and we teach clients how to make it, prepare it in recipes, and even pair it with many. Soaking a cured ham causes the salty meat to absorb water, thereby softening the ham and preventing excessive dryness. Country hams best country hams smithfield marketplace. The kentucky native spent 11 years in restaurant operations before leaving the kitchen to write about food. Rather than buy a whole ham, i bought a vacuumpacked selection of slices.

The fattier the ham, such as denhams 2yearold mountain ham the better it paired with a highproof bourbon, like bookers. Apr 26, 2016 country ham and potato bake is pure southern comfort food. The dry, chewy, slowcured stuff is growing fast as a premium delicacy sliced raw or crudo in the manner of prosciutto, according to. Just seven million country hams are sold annually in the united states, but with increased interest in artisanal and local foods, the current love affair with anything pig, and the explosion of internet mail. Bourbon and ham, is that a pairing you would expect. The country ham finds its roots in china and european drycured hams such as chinas jinhua and yunnan hams, italys prosciutto. Ham country is a genealogical and historical page researching the ham or hamm surname in early virginia and north carolina. Country hams are the quintessential dish of the south. The other ham may be purchased by the youth or are sold to community members to help pay for the project. You know, to show them how real ham was supposed to taste.

One dry cured country ham will enhance family and party menus throughout the. Hams descendants are interpreted by flavius josephus and others as having populated africa and adjoining parts of asia. Country hams are seasoned and then slowly smoked, giving them an intense flavor. Harvell to write the country ham book, a short and excellent introduction to one of americas great native. The genuine smithfield ham is a worldfamous country ham aged, smoked, and dry cured with salt for 612 months. Gone are the days of considering it a bluecollar staple that is too often overcooked, squashed between biscuit halves or served swimming in redeye gravy. Pour a 18th cup of water in the bottom of a frying pan over medium heat. The designation country ham first appears in print in 1944, referring to a method of drycuring and smoking developed in the rural regions of virginia, kentucky and other nearby states. Clifty farm country hams country hams, barbecue, bacon. Also, record the date to remove hams from cure on the calendar, as shown. If the vacuum seal is broken while under refrigeration the ham will need to be used within a week or frozen.