The Beginning of Deliciousness!

One of the great things about these hams is that since they are dry-cured, you can buy one and keep it for a while before cooking it. As for me, I just order mine on the internet. A couple of caveats when buying: Try not to be like me and buy the BIGGEST DARN HAM you can find. Remember, you are going to have to soak, cook, and deal with this thing – It’s MUCH easier when it is on the smaller side. When ordering via the Internet, you probably won’t have a choice – But you can always call them and request a smaller ham – They usually range from 10-14 Lbs. Secondly, if the high salt content turns you off, try a ‘Williamsburg’ ham – These are cured for shorter periods of time and thus have a milder salt taste.

Read more on Smithfield Ham for Dummies (Part 2)…

The Final Product

Country Ham, and the undisputed King of this delicacy, Smithfield Ham, has been around since the first settlers at Jamestown. It was the early 90′s (That’s 1990′s, I’m not THAT old!) when I first cooked one of these. Leslie and I had moved to Capital Hill in Washington, DC, and would spend most Saturday mornings at Eastern Market, a neighborhood Farmer’s Market with all sorts of vendors. We went for Breakfast at the “Market Lunch,” sometimes standing in line for over an hour in order to eat Eggs Benedict, egg sandwiches on homemade rolls, and for me, Scrapple.

Read more on Smithfield Ham for Dummies (Part 1)…

The start of a beautiful relationship!

It’s my Easter tradition – buying and cooking a genuine Smithfield, Virginia Country Ham. These can be super-salty, as the hams are dry salt-cured, then smoked with hickory and aged up to one year. This is not the kind of ham you cut in a thick chunk, throw on a plate, and serve with some scalloped potatoes. Do you love real ham biscuits? The kind with the slices of super-thin yumminess inside? This recipe is where this ham shines.

Read more on The Easter Pig Hops Into Tommy’s Kitchen!…