Country Hams


 
T

Tom in VA

TVWBB Member
Iwas just reading in the cooking section that country hams are not appropriate for preparation in wsm. It did not say why and I would assume it has to do with the curing process.

But I was thinking of doing a country ham for Christmas in the wsm but, can anyone tell me why I shouldn't.

Thaks for any info in advance...
 
The flavor of aged country hams is very intense to start...the best I have had was either fried and served with red eye gravy or simmered for hours in water and baked. They make unbelievably good sandwiches.
 
Good question. I'm not sure why Chris wrote that (Chris?) but it might be both the method of curing which leaves the ham dry and the different end-results of the different brands of hams--smoked, unsmoked; very salty, fairly salty, and salty--makes it hard to determine an approach that would work well using the WSM in the way it's generally used.

Adding smoke to an unsmoked ham would be hard if not impossible without drying the ham out. Cooking the ham without smoke is possible but you run a risk of drying there as well. Most people bake them with liquid in the roasting pan, tightly covered so that they steam (sometimes then baking uncovered, glazed, after it's done), or at least cook them with plenty of liquid in the pan.

I have cooked many but am by no means an authority. This is just my opinion. Do you have an approach you think might work?

(I'm doing a fresh ham at Christmas.)
 
We've (my wife and I) have boiled many and I was just looking to do something different. Around here, I think you actually have to spend a night in the pokey if you dont have country ham at Christmas. Last year I did a regular ham in the smoker and realized that I have now become a county ham convert (much to my mother's chagrin).

I did do a search on the past posts about country hams and have seen that the topic was discussed around Thanksgiving. I guess I should have done the search first, but I didn't.

As far as the sandwiches, I have my own ham salad recipe and it really isn't the same without the country ham. But it isn't for everyone.

I may try the ALton Brown recipe which there was a link to from this site.

Thanks for responding.....
 
I'm brining in a fairly intensely flavored brine then paste-rubbing (primarily garlic, Tabasco, brown sugar, coriander), then high-heat smoking to 150 internal. I'll serve it with grilled pineapple salsa and guava ketchup, pistachio rice with pomegranate molasses, and shredded stir-fry Napa cabbage plus something else for color on the plate--not sure what yet so feel free to make a suggestion. I'll open with calabaza soup (spiced with Scotch bonnets--but this year I think I'll be using habs...
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thank you for those), and then cheese and chile-stuffed plantain empanadas. I need a third course.
 
Just remembered my third course--can't believe I spaced it out (long day). Duck and andouille gumbo. Too many ducks on the ranch at the moment.

Tom, you could do the country ham and something in the smoker as well. Kind of a two meat meal. Just a thought.
 
I saw the show Good Eats on the Food Network and it happened to be about hams.

He got a Country Ham and "washed" it out for 3 whole days in a cooler. He would change the water twice a day letting it drain out and adding fresh water. Two things happened here. He got most of the salt out and added moisture to it allowing him to cook it over.

He didn't use a smoker but the oven. Still it's the first time I've seen a country ham done this way.
 
I saw that episode, too. I have never made a fresh ham, so I'm going to brine one, do it in the kettle over indirect, and glaze it with molasses/rum/butter glaze.
 
Originally posted by Tom in VA:
I was just reading in the cooking section that country hams are not appropriate for preparation in wsm...
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This same question came up last year:

Country Ham

I said:

"I wrote this because most sources suggest that the proper way to prepare a country ham is to soak it (with numerous changes of water), then bake it in the oven. Given that country hams are such a premium (read "expensive") item, can be hard to come by, and have been so lovingly smoked and cured for up to a year, I felt it best to suggest that readers not attempt to smoke a country ham in the WSM."

However, in the same thread Jim Minion said:

"Country hams can be smoked with hickory, pecan or a fruitwood. The thing that needs to be done to get the best results is to soak on fresh water for a couple of days, changing the water 3 or 4 times during that time. Smoke to 160 internal in the center of the ham, very good eating."

So while I don't recommend it in the article, you might give it a try on Jim's recommendation. I guess I should update the article to reflect this.

Regards,
Chris
 
He got most of the salt out and added moisture to it allowing him to cook it over.
Click to expand...
I learned to soak them for days and always have. Though soaking and changing the water often removes some salt they remain fairly salty; they don't absorb much water.

Much would depend on the source of the ham. Some are so intensely smoked (Joyner Red Eye, e.g.) or full-flavored (Smithfields) that, imo, adding more smoke would be overkill. Were I to try it I'd go with an unsmoked or lightly smoked ham. I still think they would work better in a pan with liquid so that they steam/bake. If anyone tries one in the WSM please report.
 
You can always just use your WSM as an oven. Cook the ham over lump and just don't add any smoke wood.

I had a house in Smithfield, VA for six years and always had a 'Smithfield' ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We would usually just get the petite (boneless) ones and cook according to the directions on the label.

'Smithfield' hams (not the brand) are a special cure process that is similar but different than most country hams and must be processed within a few miles of Smithfield, VA.

And yes, they are $$$$. And there are specially cured hams made in small batches that cost even more, and taste incredible.
 
I grew up in VA and my mom always fixed a VA ham for Christmas. She soaked it overnight (after removing the skin) and the next day she scored the surface, rubbed it with a mustard and brown sugar mixture. She then studded cloves all over the crosshatched scoring and baked it. I don't know the temp or how long - just remember that it was always great.
Any suggestions out there for how long to cook and the temperatures?

Ray
 
Actually, my wife (native Virginian, from whom I learned to prepare a country ham), has always used the stove top to cook country hams. She has a roasting pan with a substantial amount of water, simmer until the meat thermometer tells us its done. We put it over two burners on the stovetop. Usually, we soak it for a day (24 hours) but the longer it's soaked obviously the less salty it will be.

I showed my wife the Alton Brown recipe using Dr. Pepper and she said lets try it. So we'll see how it turns out.

Thanks to all...
 
There are so many ways to do one. I also like the simmer approach; you can use the stovetop or the oven for that depending on what else you've got going on.

For a straight-bake many start at 375 for an hour then lower to 275 for an additional 15-20 min/lb.

For a liquid bake (half-immersed in liquid (soda [I'm not a fan], water, fruit juice, vinegar, or any combo), covered, you can go with 400 for an 20-30 min then a reduction to 325 for an hour or 1.5, then flip the ham and continue til done. Or, you can go with a 250 oven the whole time (20-25 min/lb).

I prefer the simmer then bake-toglaze approach. For this one I cover the ham in a mix of water, juice, and vinegar and bring it to a boil. Then I lower the heat, and simmer for about 20 min/lb or so, till tender, adding water/juice/vin as it reduces.

When it's done I remove from heat and let it sit overnight in the liquid. The next morning I remove the ham and dump the liquid. At that point I remove the skin, leaving the fat below (most of it anyway), a score it in a crosshatch pattern.


With the oven at 375 I put the ham on a rack in a roasting pan, fat up and rub it all over with brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and a pinch of clove. I stud the ham with some more cloves and bake for about 1 hour.


In all cases I soak the ham for at least two days, changing the water frequently (three days for the saltier hams) before cooking.
 
Tom--

I looked up the AB recipe to see what you were referring to. Though I am not a fan of cooking with sodas (a personal thing; I don't even drink it) it should work well. I highly recommend the pickle juice though if you've not used it before. Really tasty in the liquid mix with country ham.
 
I have not tried using the pickle juice but if we go with that recipe I will certainly use it.

For your simmer-bake glaze method do you use equal parts water, juice and vinegar or how is that broken down proportionally? (providing you don't mind sharing that info w/ me). I've always used an apple cider vinegar, do you have a different opinion, I've often thought of trying to use a balsemic but never had the nerve to try it.

If you feel compelled to share any of your preferences I would appreciate it. Like I said, I've been having country ham more or less the same way for years and just want to try something new.

Thanks for any info you provide!

Tom
 
Don't mind at all--I'll share anything anytime.

I use about a 50-50 mix of juice to water. If using vinegar as well I still 50-50 the water-juice mix then dump in some vinegar (about 1 c). (Alternate pouring water and juice into the pot with the ham; when just about covered add the vinegar and stir.) You can certainly change the proportions. but those work for me. If juice is unavailable an alternative is water to cover plus a c each of brown sugar and vinegar.

I have used cider vinegar most often and often apple juice. Peach juice is very good (as is a peach glaze (more below)) and so is cranberry juice; I always use 100% juice or juice blends.

I'm not a fan of balsamic with apple juice but it works well with peach and with white grape juice, imo. A terrific combo is peach juice and fig vinegar. I do like balsamic as an element in some glazes though, especially those with mustard and brown sugar and/or honey. For this type of glaze bring about .75 c balsamic to a boil in a small pot; add a good pinch or brown sugar and lower the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered till the vinegar is reduced by 2/3 or so and is quite syrupy. Allow it to cool slightly then stir in some Dijon or brown mustard, some more brown sugar and/or honey (I like both), a very tiny pinch of allspice and some black pepper. (As a glaze for roast chicken or pork tenderloin I use thyme in the mix.)

A simple rub of brown sugar with pinches of cinnamon and clove and a studding of whole cloves good.

A peach glaze is nice on country ham and couldn't be easier. Just take about .75 c of best quality peach jam or preserves and mash it with a fork. Add a pinch each of cinnamon and allspice and a half-pinch of clove and mix well. Spread it on the ham and, if desired, stick pecan halves in the middle of the diamonds formed by crosshatching.

You can remove the hock before cooking (I always do) and save it for greens.

On the simmering stage: Cover the ham with your choice of liquids, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently. Add liquids as needed to keep the ham submerged. Many recommend pulling the ham at a 160-170 internal and you certainly can. Remove it and then when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin (leaving .25-inch of fat) and score in a crosshatch; glaze then bake. Usually I simmer to an internal of 140 or so then shut of the heat and let the ham sit in the pot till the next morning before pulling, skinning, glazing, and finishing.

Hope this helps.
 
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