Now is the time to make some decisions about cooking
Christmas dinner. I have never done a Christmas ham but decided this was the
year to be a little more traditional. The goose last year was not a big hit. It
was expensive and did not have a lot of meat for leftovers. But I gave it a
shot and don’t have to revisit the goose any time soon.
All over the world, cured port is a celebrated feast food.
It is a simple pleasure but can be complicated in its own way. Most people grow
up eating the sweet, juicy, pink hams with a caramelized crust. Think Honey
Baked! Then there are the salty, complex, country hams which taste so
different. I grew up with the salty country hams. My father was really good at
curing hams and they were wonderful and I miss them.
Smithfield is where American ham began and where its
evolution has played out for the past four centuries. Jamestown, site of the
earliest English colony in North America, is just a few miles upriver; the
settlers who brought pigs to the New World started confining hogs on a nearby
island, called Hog Island, to raise them for ham, and in 1779, a sea captain
named Mallory Todd started to ship hams from Smithfield to the British West
Indies. The Virginia trade eventually spread to England, where Queen Victoria
placed a standing order for 6 a week.
Smithfield had all the right conditions for ham making. It
had the hogs; a flavorful, fatty razorback variety. It had cheap feed, peanuts,
which grew in abundance and gave the hogs a uniquely nutty flavor. It had
access to the sea (for salt) and to the James River, which allowed for easy
transport. And it had the perfect climate; hot during the day and cool at
night, with the four seasons necessary for hams to undergo a proper cutting.
In the 1930s and 1940s, ham production, and ham itself,
started to change. With the advent of refrigeration, temperature-controlled
aging rooms could replicate the changing of the seasons, so country hams could
be produced year-round. More important, refrigeration allowed for the production
of lightly cured “city” hams, which were injected with brine to speed up the
curing process and shipped in refrigerated railcars. Americans fell in love
with the sweet flavor of city hams, and producers churned them out in great
numbers. So over time, Smithfield became the pork capital of the country. Now
this company is called Smithfield Foods and processes some 20 million hams a
year, and only 45,000 are the dry-cured, hickory-smoked Genuine Smithfield
hams. Edwards Virginia Tradition hams in
Surry, Virginia is another source as is Trigg County hams in Cadiz, Kentucky
and Benton’s hams in Madisonville, Tennessee.
A few tips in buying your ham: Check the label. Products
labeled simply “ham” are of the highest quality grade and the costliest. Those
labeled “ham in natural juices” can be a good value; they contain extra water
and remain juicy when baked. Avoid products labeled “ham and water product”;
they contain as much water as can be pumped into the ham and have a diluted
bland flavor. A whole bone-in ham delivers the best flavor, texture, and value.
A semi-boneless ham has a portion of the bone removed for easier carving and
cooks much faster than a bone-in ham. Many semi-boneless hams come pre-sliced
or “spiral cut,” which makes for easier slicing.
I went to Whole Foods and got a small ham to use for my
Christmas meal. I was somewhat late to order from Smithfield Foods. I am going
to add a glaze to the ham and then also use the ham for Christmas morning
biscuits. The biscuit recipe comes from the Old Chickahominy House in
Williamsburg, Virginia. They sell about 600 biscuits every day and roll the
dough thin and cut in rectangles so the country ham can shine through.
Taken from ‘Saveur’ Magazine, December 2009.
Apricot-Ginger Glazed Ham
1 7-12lb. half semiboneless ham
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
½ cup apricot preserves or jam
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Heat oven to 350ᴼF. Wrap ham in foil; transfer to a roasting
pan. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the ham reads
145ᴼ, about 12-20 minutes per pound.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high
heat. Add ginger; cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add preserves, sugar, and
vinegar; cook, stirring, until mixture becomes a syrupy glaze, about 10
minutes.
Unwrap ham and brush with some glaze; raise oven to 500ᴼ.
Bake, brushing occasionally with remaining glaze, until browned, about 20
minutes more. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Country Ham Biscuits
Makes 12 biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
4 tbsp. lard or butter
1 cup buttermilk
4 oz. thinly sliced cooked country ham
Heat oven to 425ᴼF. Sift flour into a large bowl; mix in
lard or butter until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Using a
wooden spoon, stir in buttermilk to form a dough. Transfer dough to a floured
work surface; knead briefly until smooth. Roll dough into a ¼ “-thick
rectangle. Cut dough into twelve 4”x3” rectangles, transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly. To serve, slice
biscuit and stuff with ham.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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