County Ham ????


 
No curing expert here but...

A country ham is dry cured and aged maybe 1-2 yr. That is, it is packed in salt then hung to age and dry.
I do not have access to the best way to cook but from memory:
1. Soak in water to desalt
2. Simmer in large pot of water
3. Bake

It was fabulous.

The other traditional way to cook is to slice and cook in a skillet. Add strong coffee for red eye gravy.

I wish I could do the details for you but I have not done it. Just enjoyed somebody else efforts.
Country ham having been dry cured and dry aged should not be handled like city ham.
 
Arun L. said:
What's the best ham I should get to go with the Fathers Pineapple Pepper glaze? Country or city?

What's the smallest ham I can get?
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It depends on how much time and effort you want to spend. Cooking a city ham is easy. Cooking a country ham is a lot of work. It’s like comparing grilling a steak to smoking a brisket. I cooked a country ham once. Now I buy center cut slices from Benton’s Country Hams or the grocery store.
 
Jeff Boudman said:
It depends on how much time and effort you want to spend. Cooking a city ham is easy. Cooking a country ham is a lot of work. It’s like comparing grilling a steak to smoking a brisket. I cooked a country ham once. Now I buy center cut slices from Benton’s Country Hams or the grocery store.
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When you've done city hams, do you still like them?

Or is the taste of a country ham that much better?
 
How does this sound?

I buy this cooked country ham. It's not spiral sliced. Is that ok?

fatherscountryhams.com

1lb Fully Cooked Country Ham Sliced Thin - CCH1LB - Father's Country Hams

Our 1lb Fully Cooked Country Ham is cooked slowly overnight, then skin and fat removed, deboned and glazed with brown...
fatherscountryhams.com

I smoke it on my Weber Smokey Mountain, until it reaches 140 degrees internally. 1-1.5 hours.

This recipe below says to braise it in chicken stock. How long do I braise it for? Do I have to do this?

It then says after braising, add the glaze.

I add my pineapple pepper glaze. Is it going to be weird adding a glaze to a ham which was already glazed with brown sugar?

Then it says to broil it.

heygrillhey.com

Twice Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Honey Glaze - Hey Grill, Hey

My Twice Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Honey Glaze is a backyard twist on a holiday classic. Smoking the ham adds so much flavor and moisture.
heygrillhey.com heygrillhey.com
 
That depends. Is a train headed right at you?

Because the ham in question is already fully cooked, 140 degrees is overkill. 115-120 will be fine, you're basically warming it up and adding some extra smoke.

I'd rather have a ham with the skin and fat still intact, though, as they're what makes getting up in the middle of the night to snack worthwhile. At 3am I can work a paring knife like nobody's business. ;)

If you wind up going with a city ham, I'd opt for one that hasn't already been glazed if you plan to do that yourself. To me it seems like the end result could be overly sweet.
 
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Brad Olson said:
That depends. Is a train headed right at you?

Because the ham in question is already fully cooked, 140 degrees is overkill. 115-120 will be fine, you're basically warming it up and adding some extra smoke.

I'd rather have a ham with the skin and fat still intact, though, as they're what makes getting up in the middle of the night to snack worthwhile. At 3am I can work a paring knife like nobody's business. ;)

If you wind up going with a city ham, I'd opt for one that hasn't already been glazed if you plan to do that yourself. To me it seems like the end result could be overly sweet.
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Thanks for the advice. Makes sense.

You're also right that the end result could be overly sweet. I guess it's a good thing I'd only be getting 1 pound. So if I don't like it, I can try something different next time.

Those steps about braising also sound unnecessary, now that you put it in context.

So basically I'm just going to smoke, then glaze.
 
Brad Olson said:
I'd rather have a ham with the skin and fat still intact, though, as they're what makes getting up in the middle of the night to snack worthwhile. At 3am I can work a paring knife like nobody's business.
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Where can I find a country ham like this?

I guess the one from Father's Country Ham, that I linked above, wasn't like this.
 
My guess is that your best bet is to probably look around online and then call or email the suppliers that look promising. Country ham is non-existent in stores here but the city hams can at least be eyeballed for fat and skin.
 
Here is where I get my country hams:

Tripp Country Hams, Old Fashion Award Winning Tennessee Country Ham since 1962

Tripp Country Ham is recommended when planning the menu of a special gathering or just shopping for the very best for your family. Delicious country ham, country bacon, Gift Boxes and Samplers
www.countryhams.com

I've been to the processing plant and I can tell you that the folks in Brownsville, TN do it the Old School way. Back in the day, you butchered hogs in the fall, salted them in cold weather and then smoked them in early spring. After that they were hung up and lasted for the rest of the year or longer. Tripp does the same thing, but they do it all year round by working in climate controlled rooms to simulate the temperatures of the natural Fall/Winter/Spring seasons no matter what time of year.

My wife and I use the soak then simmer routine. Then we (she) glazes the ham with a mustard and brown sugar mix and bakes it for a short period of time, more or less following the excellent preparation instructions on the Tripp website. If you have doubts about how to handle country ham, check the instructions on the Tripp site.

If you've only had city hams before, realize that city hams are more closely related to Spam than they are related to a genuine salt-cured and smoked country ham. Do NOT treat your country ham like a city ham. Keep in mind that because even after proper cooking the ham will be more salty than you might be used to and it definitely be more flavorful. Consequently, the portion size will be smaller than what you might be used to with a city ham.

I remember my long-departed Mother-in-law, (who grew up on a farm where they made their own country hams) saying, "The definition of eternity is two people and a whole country ham."
 
I dislike presliced hams of any type. Even though today it seems to be all the rage. Seems no one knows how to use a knife anymore. The presliced ones dry out so badly
 
Bob Walters said:
Here is where I get my country hams:

Tripp Country Hams, Old Fashion Award Winning Tennessee Country Ham since 1962

Tripp Country Ham is recommended when planning the menu of a special gathering or just shopping for the very best for your family. Delicious country ham, country bacon, Gift Boxes and Samplers
www.countryhams.com

I've been to the processing plant and I can tell you that the folks in Brownsville, TN do it the Old School way. Back in the day, you butchered hogs in the fall, salted them in cold weather and then smoked them in early spring. After that they were hung up and lasted for the rest of the year or longer. Tripp does the same thing, but they do it all year round by working in climate controlled rooms to simulate the temperatures of the natural Fall/Winter/Spring seasons no matter what time of year.

My wife and I use the soak then simmer routine. Then we (she) glazes the ham with a mustard and brown sugar mix and bakes it for a short period of time, more or less following the excellent preparation instructions on the Tripp website. If you have doubts about how to handle country ham, check the instructions on the Tripp site.

If you've only had city hams before, realize that city hams are more closely related to Spam than they are related to a genuine salt-cured and smoked country ham. Do NOT treat your country ham like a city ham. Keep in mind that because even after proper cooking the ham will be more salty than you might be used to and it definitely be more flavorful. Consequently, the portion size will be smaller than what you might be used to with a city ham.

I remember my long-departed Mother-in-law, (who grew up on a farm where they made their own country hams) saying, "The definition of eternity is two people and a whole country ham."
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LMichaels said:
I dislike presliced hams of any type. Even though today it seems to be all the rage. Seems no one knows how to use a knife anymore. The presliced ones dry out so badly
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Thank you. Taking into account both of your posts, and trying to get something that is not pre-sliced, and ~ 5 lbs. or less (since it's just me), this seems to be the best option, even if it is 1 lb. more:

#250 Boneless Center Section – not cooked (6 lbs.)


Since it is uncooked, and I want to use my smoker, how long do I smoke it until it is also cooked?

Then, I apply the pineapple pepper glaze at the end?

Is there anything I should know about slicing ham at the end? Is it easy to do, or do I need to watch some videos?

I've never bought a ham before. I don't know what I had at a few family Thanksgiving dinners, over the past 9 years, since I didn't ask much about it.
 
Ok, doing some reading, it takes 20-25 minutes per lb. to cook. So that should be about 2-2.5 hours for a 6 lb. ham. Does that sound right?

And it should reach 140 degrees.

And is there anything I should know about slicing a ham?
 
Arun L. said:
Ok, doing some reading, it takes 20-25 minutes per lb. to cook. So that should be about 2-2.5 hours for a 6 lb. ham. Does that sound right?

And it should reach 140 degrees.

And is there anything I should know about slicing a ham?
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I’d scrub it down and soak it overnight - changing the water several times.
 
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