 The unique feature of country ham is the layer of mold that forms on the wrapping paper and ham surface as it hangs and ages. Newbies who receive a Tennessee Country Ham for a gift usually freak when they unbag their present and then unwrap the paper that has shrouded the meat all during the curing process. A nice, moldy carpet coats portions of the rind and paper. This is simply removed by scrubbing the ham with a mixture of vinegar and water or with plain water and a stiff bristle brush. The meat is sliced with a saw just 1/4″ thick. Having worked in a meat department that was constantly visited by local farmers toting their treasured cured hams to be sliced, I learned that it was ‘bragging rights’ when it came to how long one of these hams were hung. Three years was the limit, but it seemed that the more mold and the longer aged the better these ‘specialists’ viewed their product. Hog killing commenced around Thanksgiving, hams, bacon and shoulders were cured and smokehouses were loaded with the goodies to be smoked or to be used without smoking. I remember one farmer’s story about a most disastrous year. He had corn fed and slaughtered his pigs to put up meat for the year. After a gruelling day of salting down, wrapping and hanging portions, cutting up roasts, chops, ribs and other cuts for the freezer, grinding sausage and rendering lard, this industrious man and his family went to bed and slept the sleep of hard workers. The family went about the rest of the year and on into winter with the happy knowledge that come Fall, there would be good eatin’s from the smokehouse for sure. Sometime during the summer, the farmer went to the smokehouse and opened the door. To his horror, all that he found hanging from the rafters were bones tied with rope and picked totally clean of any shred of meat. Rats had crawled along the rafters, shinnied down the ropes and feasted on the cured meats without so much as asking! In the meat department, we cured hams all year long. We purchased fresh hams from our local packing plant, which you can do as well. We let them warm at room temperature for a couple of hours and then coated with our cure, hanging them in the cooler for the first 12 weeks. As meat begins to cure, it must be kept cool. This is why the farmers always waited until Thanksgiving or later to kill their hogs. With a walk-in cooler or refrigerator, however, the curing process can take place any time of the year.  I thought that I would give you a step-by-step lesson on how to create these wonderful hams with the help of some great kids. A group of home schooled students got to mix an anatomy and physiology class with learning to cure meat at the Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ digs. We had purchased a hog that was taken to our local packing house and then we picked up the quarters to process ourselves, including curing the hams. As you will see, curing meat is a pretty simple process and is a wonderful way to preserve meats for a long time. One note, however, once these hams are sliced, the meat must be wrapped in freezer paper and frozen or, if eaten soon after slicing, kept in the refrigerator for a short time.
           So there you have it!! |
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Tags: cured meat, curing, ham, meat processing, sustainable living
Yum!
I love country ham and you make it look like lots of family fun.
Thanks for this post.
There are so many people who have no idea what a cured meat is. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve explained to folks that the mold on a country ham is not a problem.
We have a basement/cellar that stays very cold in the winter time and is use for storing/curing food. A cold garage or shed in the late fall or early winter will work well for curing too.
Again thanks for the post.
I’m I too late for breakfast 🙂
Yum!
I love country ham and you make it look like lots of family fun.
Thanks for this post.
There are so many people who have no idea what cured meat is.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve explained to folks that the mold on a country ham is not a problem.
We have a basement/cellar that stays very cold in the winter time and is use for storing/curing food. A cold garage or shed in the late fall or early winter will work well for curing too.
Again thanks for the post.
Am I too late for breakfast 🙂
Try explaining to a butcher in Oklahoma about the mold!! I’ve actually had one remark, “You really need to just throw this away because it has spoiled.”
Yes, I’m afraid you are too late for breakfast, but I’ll be sure to let you know next time! 🙂
This was really interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten country ham, but I’m often tempted to buy a slice at the grocery. Maybe I will after reading your post. My mother-in-law tells about her father curing hams. Her mother kept a cured one in pie safe along with a bowl of clabber for making biscuits. Can I be a home-school student? What fun!
If you’re home and you are learning something new, you’re a home school student in my book!! 🙂
The first time I ever had country ham was in Gatlinburg at the Mountainview Inn when I was in the 5th grade. I thought it was wonderful.
I’m convinced that you can do just about anything! Thanks for the fascinating post!
Awww shucks. The fact is, everybody can do anything if they are willing to take a stab at it! 🙂
Love your blog Mary Beth and the recipes all look yummy.
I am a farmgirl #1582, Blessed in Colorado and I would love to be part of your give away.
Hope I am in the right place to do that.
Thank you.
Thanks, Debbie!
After you brown the ham and add the water aren’t you supposed to “bile” it down? &; > That is what my Aunt Mag would have called it. i’ve heard my Mom tell of the men killing the hogs ,then that long day of work ,including rendering out the lard.I think they waited for the next day to make the “head cheese”. Your writing is wonderful and your directions are great ,even I could follow them.
Thanks so much for some important information that was missing off my cured ham gift again this year. A neighbor gives us cured ham steaks every year and we were having a hard time cooking it properly. It was over-the-top salty. I wasn’t soaking it long enough. I have so much of this ham in my freezer to use. This is what’s for dinner tonight! Thank you~
Your welcome, Beth!! Hope you enjoy your dinner. We love the stuff!! 🙂