Hello. I was wondering if anyone is storing country ham. I saw an episode of Good Eats and they suggested that one could store it unrefridgerated in the basement for a very long time. Any suggestions on where to get it? Storage? Other smoked products with long easy storage? I have some pepperoni but I am always looking for variety for my preps! Thanks in advance. Keep on Prepp’n!
Smithfield Hams and Edwards of Virginia are good places. Google them…they’re both in Virginia USA
My inlaws cure thier own and it hangs outside in a shed to cure. They do bring it in after slicing and freeze it though I doubt that is necessary.
We don’t eat it like most folks though. We slice it to about 1/8 inch thick, then fry it in a skillet. Making gravy from the grease, and serving it over biscuits. YUMMMM
I think if your gonna bake it, ya have to soak it over night covered in water, but I’m not sure.
thanks for the advice!
If you have not tried a “country ham”, give them a taste-test before you stock them. I believe they are an “acquired taste”. They are salty enough to float The Dead Sea.
Kenpofemme - ditto what Medical Maven said at 21:46. They are way too salty for my tastes, but I know folks who just love them. I would certainly try before you buy a bunch.
I agree, also, about the salt factor. We do love sugar-cured, though- you can buy whole and halfs, around the holidays, at cracker barrel. They ship cold and state that they have to be refrigerated - I haven’t looked into any hams because of this ( and I’d have to be starving to eat the canned hams- another acquired taste, though I know lots of others are stocking.
preppiechick - I plan on using the canned hams in soups and beans. But, yeah, it may be an acquired taste thing:-)
we always smoked and sugar cured our hams and shoulders at butcherin time. and they hung out in the smokehouse till needed and mom did the bacon too. so check on sugar cure as well as salt cure. there is a place about fifty miles up the road from me called Hatfield’s country smoked hams and they have them. not too shabby either.
too salty? is there such a thing? surely not!!! LOL
mmmmm country ham, biscuits and gravy!
As a Virginian, I’ll add my 2 cents - country ham - good enough to make you wanna slap your mamma !! (and that’s VERY good ;>)
LMFAO Captain1 so true, pulling some out of the freezer tonight for supper LOL
Cracker Barrel also carries Country Hams, (at least in the Southern States) they usually have them hanging on a post near the entrance to the dining rooms. They should be soaked in water for 24 hours before eating to remove the excess salt.
EOD et al: I am generally adventurous and omnivorous when it comes to food, but after soaking my next country ham for the required 24 hours I will drink the water and throw away the ham. : )
(By the way, I do not like the canned hams pumped full of water. My holy grail of hams goes back to one that my brother acquired for Thanksgiving back in the late 70s from some little smokehouse in Missouri. It was ambrosia-smoky, salty, and with a hint of sweetness and it was fatty, God Bless it.
Usually, you soak a ham in lots of water for 24 hours. Poach it in several bottles of red wine. Reduce the wine and swirl in some butter to make a sauce for your ham. Eat it and dream of France. <sigh>
Along that line, another good thing to stock is salt cod. It keeps in the fridge for many months. You probably don’t even have to refrigerate it if you have a cool storage place. Befor using it you soak it in water for 24 hours, changing the water several times. Then you flake it and make the most seriously delicious cod cakes you’ve ever had. Or, you puree it and spread it on bread.
The cod comes in little wooden boxes and its the easiest thing to stack in the back of the fridge (with the composting mushrooms, the almost empty bottles of horseradish, and the dozen containers that each contain one olive).
I bought a country ham last Christmas when they were on sale and put it down in the basement. Got it out, scraped some mold off of it, and cooked it a month or so ago. Good as new, it was, and salty, yes, but it’s supposed to be salty - many people slice this stuff so thin you can just about see through it. It doesn’t hurt them to have a little mold on the outside. The trick is just not to cut into the ham at all until you’re ready to cook it, then wash well and remove mold. I like it salty, so we don’t soak the hams before cooking - just cover with water and boil until done. I’m going to get another one to put in the basement soon - we live in VA, so finding one isn’t that much of a problem. The Food Lion grocery stores around here sell them . . . the best are brand name Clifty Farms. They’ll keep better if you can hang them up in a basement, but we just tossed this one in a corner for about 9 months - it was fine. . . better than fine - makes me want another one, just thinking about it!
Medical Maven - LOL! That must have been some ham:-)
When storing in the cellar, make sure no animals can get at it!
Clawdia - I was curious about how big your ham was. I see on the Edwards of Virgina site that their bone-in hams are 16–17 lbs and make 60 servings! Thats a bit much for my family. Was yours smaller?
Sahara – at 12:09 --- Don’t forget that the bone in those hams can weigh upwards of 5–8 pounds. Edwards does have smaller hams, but you have to go the retail store in Williamsburg to get those.
in a large pan,melt a tblspn of butter with an equal amount of light brown sugar.over medium-low heat,place a slice of country ham in the caramelized butter for 10 to 12 minutes per side.remove ham when done. deglaze the pan drippings with black coffee. reduce and serve over grits and eggs and biscuits. red-eye gravy. better then sex. kindof. anyway,good stuff.
The ham I had was about 15 pounds - we cut it in half after opening it, and cooked half. Put the other half in the refrigerator, and about a week after we finished the first half, I cooked the second half, and we just kept right on eating ham . . . it will last a long time in the refrigerator after cooking.
You can get smaller ones sometimes, but that was about average size. And as BB says - remember there’s a good sized bone in ‘em . . . which makes wonderful soup after you’re sick of the ham . . .
A note on sugar-cured hams:
Sugar cures have just as much salt as brine cures, but they also have brown sugar added to the mix, after all it is the salt that preserves the meat. I have sugar cured hams and bacon many times and enjoyed eating it many months later. However, it is definitely an acquired taste and I have yet to see a young child that likes country ham even if it has been soaked to reduce the salt content.
Some may turn their nose up at canned hams, but I’ve got quite a few on my shelves and they will be a welcome addition to beans if need be.
Bronco Bill – at 12:14
Thanks for the tip on Edwards in Williamsburg. I’m going right past Williamsburg on Monday and will pick one up. My dogs were hoping that I picked up a big one with an 8 pound bone but they will probably be happy with the BBRWFK soaked juices (al la Sahara – at 11:52).
HBB - I have canned hams in my preps also. While they may not be my absolute favorite food, I can think of several ways to use them and if times get really tough, I think I’ll be tickled to have them.
Thanks Clawdia. I think I will go for it. The thought of ham for New Years, then ham biscuits and split pea soup is too tempting to refuse.
Strider - I got that recipe a little confused. Thinking back on it, the ham was soaked, boiled in water, then the sauce made with reduced red wine. Wouldn’t want anyone to waste wine boiling a ham, then end up with ham the color of old strawberries. :-P
BB: Edwards 800# operator didn’t know the location of the retail store in Williamsburg. I emailed them, but since it is Friday afternoon and I will be traveling past there at 9 am Monday they probably won’t get back to me in time. I guess I’ll get the bigger “Food Lion” ham, give the dogs the 8 lb bone, and enjoy the BBRWFK juices myself.
Question-once the ham has been cut does it then need to be refrigerated?
Sahara – at 12:43 OK, change my post to BB to “I will get sauced with the BBRWFK.” ;)
inthehills – at 12:19 --- I *cannot* wait to git to Virginnie!!!
I’m sorry, but “Country” food in California means frozen Brown n’ Serve sausage, Pillsbury biscuits in a roll, and psuedo-bacon strips!
Chesapeake - Yes, it does need to be refrigerated after being cut.
country ham may also be purchased,at least in the south, presliced,and sealed in plastic. it will indeed keep for extended periods of time,if kept cool. just cooked some i stowed away a year ago. looked and tasted just fine.
thank you Clawdia, I can’t count on refrigeration, but the sealed bags sound manageable.
OKbirdwatcher – at 12:38
My thoughts exactly.
tell me I’m not the only one having ham biscuits and gravy tonight for supper! LOL
Strider – at 12:47 --- I found the location of Edwards of Virginia storefront in Williamsburg:
I’m not sure what time they open on Monday morning. I do have a bit of an interest there—my DW works in the evenings part-time at the store. And believe it or not, she can’t stand Country ham…too much salt for her taste!
BB: Thanks! I’ll probably hit the store on the way back since they have evening hours as I am loathe to hit the Hampton Roads area traffic at rush hour, this gives me a reasonable stop to while away my time. I’m asking around at my Univ to see if anyone else wants some ham (no preppers there, but most people there like Va Ham.)
Maybe I’ll take a sign of the Fluwiki Swan and wave it around. If someone recognizes it I can probably assume that it’s your DW, and will say hello. ;)
When you get (finally) settled in to your new home, give a yell and I can bring my toxic mold sniffing Labrador down to recheck your house (my second job after the U). He can sniff it out down to (according to Auburn Univ) ~ 10 ppb from behind walls, in hidden ceilings etc. Never hurts to have a double check.
Oh no! The mold on the country ham will throw him off!!
He’s trained to ONLY hit TOXIC mold, but the ham itself will get him every time! :)
Actually he was bred for extremely high food drive, back at least 7 generations for it. That is why he searches so diligently for mold, he knows that when he finds it (twice, from two different directions) he will get a “cookie”. Same method drug and explosive dogs are trained to. His brother works as a bomb dog in NYC, and one of his sisters (I THINK it’s a sister) works for the DEA. Great breeding, but the extremely high food drive DRIVES us nuts. I’ve found him three times in the last two days stuck in a Hav-a-Heart live trap out in the back 40 that we have out to trap some wild dogs, eating the food for the trap.
BTW, something for every one to consider if TSHTF. There will be LOTS of ex-pets running around VERY hungry and with no fear of man. The ones that I am trying to trap out took a mule down two weeks ago (pack of lab x pit). Fido can turn feral very quick when hungry.
Thanks again for all the advice. You folks are the best!
Kenpofemme, you might try Summer Sausage for variety. It can be stored unrefridgerated until opened, I believe. A few crackers, slices of cheese, and the sausage makes a very nice meal for lunch.
It sounds like these thing’s make spam taste good!
I had considered storing country ham for SIP purposes and decided against it. The only hams that can be stored at room temps are Country Hams. These are the saltiest of hams and will leave one thirsting for excess water all day. Not a good thing when your water is rationed.
If you are dead set on getting a country ham I recommend burgers smokehouse. I have purchased their products and highly recommend them. They can be located at: http://www.smokehouse.com/
smokehouse products may be good . . . it’s obvious they’re good and expensive! I don’t even see anything about country ham except country ham shanks and one other thing - not a whole ham, unless I’m just too sleepy to see it. We paid about $25 for a 15 pound ham. I expect that’ll be a bit higher this year, just like everything else.
There is a website for Edwards Virginia Ham http://tinyurl.com/bqncb
A couple of tips:
Happy Country Ham.
Remember buying a few whole country hams maybe 15 years ago and we just enclosed it in large heavy duty aluminum foil with water instead of trying to find a pan large enough. They come with instructions, we soaked it about 24 hours changing it occasionally. They were from Smithfield, but are an acquired taste for those who have not experienced them before. Somewhat similar to an Italian proscuitto, more to add flavor to beans, pea soup and so on than to eat as is. I liked it.
Burgers smokehouse is somewhat expensive but the prices include shipping. They have a variety of uncooked hams. The whole coutry hams are located here
http://tinyurl.com/qj7x3 and http://tinyurl.com/q88uf
Ive been very pleased with their products
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