Boy, did we screw up this year. We bought a Smithfield ham for our Christmas dinner a traditional, salt-cured country ham. I followed the instructions for soaking it overnight prior to cooking, but still, it tastes like we're eating a ham-scented salt lick. There's tons of the stuff sitting in the kitchen now. We'll have enough to cook beans with for a year, at least, but we'd like to enjoy at least some of it now. Anybody have any idea how we might work on the meat to reduce the sodium level?
It's the ham that ruined Christmas! Next year, we'll go back to the honey-glazed ham store with our tails between our legs.
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Well pork is not necessarily environmentally unfriendly. Virtually all our meat today is, but that is just the way we raise it.
For a good exposition of factory raised meat (including pork) vs. how it can be raised in another context, check out Michael Pollan's "The omnivore's dilemma"
Ditch the ham next year. Start a new tradition by ordering a Greenberg Turkey from Tyler. You'll never go back to ham.
I was never much on ham before trying a ham from Ham I Am. We have had the pepper crusted ham for years and it gets great comments. It is not complete without their Hogwash sauce. The ham price compares to honey baked, or it used to, I have not had honey baked in years.
Today's Good Eats apparently anticipated your situation. The Ham I Am episode, Country Ham. Recipe here: www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_15539,00.html
Ditto what Franklin Jennings said. It takes longer than eight hours! And you have to change the water out completely every once in a while. Maybe not as often as every six hours, and you could probably get away with a day and a half or so of soaking, but still. Salt-cured Smithfield Ham is the ONLY ham. That namby-pamby honey cured stuff is for the birds. Ham should NOT be SWEET. It is a travesty.
But then I lived for a number of years next county over from Smithfield, VA. General store down the street where Mom used to send us for bread and whatnot (with a jar full of small change, how embarrassing!) would sell you a sandwich made with Smithfield Ham, sliced thin, with a hunk of cheese fresh from a no-kidding cheesewheel on a wooden block. I have never tasted its equal.
Better luck next year. ;)
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