how to cook smithfield country ham

4 years ago. Avoid overcooking, as this will cause ham to become tough. I searched online for them and found several suppliers. Wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, forming a vessel with the bottom layer. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Aged 3-6 months, your Smithfield country ham requires no refrigeration prior to cooking. A) Drain the water and oil from the pan and cut what's left of the skin off, LEAVE AS MUCH OF THE FAT ON AS YOU CAN (fat adds flavor). Did you make this project? 8) A glaze (brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and whole cloves - OR- what ever glaze you want). If you soak your ham, be sure to change water before cooking. Smithfield Country Ham, Whole-Cooked With Bone-In, VA Country Ham and Honey/Brown Sugar Spiral Combo. DON'T USE SOAP!!!! This year, the ham was a bit too salty. My lovely wife had us try her method (of slow roasting meat) and it worked like a champ! Add 4 to 5 cups of water within the foil and place in oven with a tray or pan underneath for support. When fully cooked, remove ham from pan and, while still warm, remove skin and trim fat to 1/4” thickness. Bring water to slow SIMMER (not boil) and maintain for 20-25 … In 3 hours, re-heat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. After skin removal and fat trimming; rub 1 cup of glaze (or brown sugar) over ham; score fat in diamond pattern; and stud with whole cloves. I soaked it in a [new] kitchen trash can (10 gal) for 25hrs and I did one water change. Lost your password? The longer you soak and the more times you change the water, the less salty it will be. The instructions from the ham companies are the above and every time I tried the 500F one, it seemed like the ham was under cooked and nasty. Yes, that's how I cut the hock off if my ham is too large for the roasting pot. I soak my hams for 24 hours and change the water about twice (I like a salty ham). Animals also go nuts for the skin/fat scraps (and then drink gallons of water). Once oven temperature reaches 300 degrees, bake … WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT - "Spiral cut", "Honey Baked", etc. I don't foresee myself ever cooking a whole ham, but these instructions are excellent! Carefully join the edges of the aluminum foil making sure the edges are closed. Cooking the Ham Once the soaking process is complete, it is time to cook the country ham. You'll have to figure out the best way to carve it. Cut off corner of packet and apply glaze evenly over ham surface. WHERE TO GET THE HAM - I moved away from Virginia and now finding the ham is near impossible so I have started just ordering ones online. Remove all packaging from the ham and place it in a roasting pan or baking dish on its side. If you soak your ham, be sure to change water before cooking. Remove by washing with hot water and stiff brush. Cover the frying pan. Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes while glaze melts into … Just take the butcher knife and cut a cross cut pattern into the fat down to the first layer of meat. This creates more surface area of fat and allows more to melt/soak into the meat to give it flavor (it also helps hold the glaze). Salt cured hams are packed in salt/brine and left "out in the open" for 6 months or more. DO NOT OPEN OVEN. Both SUCK. WHICH HAM - The ham may be called many things but what you are looking for is a "Country Ham". If you don't, you're gonna hate life when trying to eat it. Share it with us! When preparing an uncooked country ham, it must be washed and soaked before cooking, since these hams are dry salt cured. Place refrigerated glaze packet under warm tap water 1 minute or until glaze is softened. Soooooo, what's your recipe? After washing & soaking, place ham in large pan and fully submerge in cold water. Previously, I cut all the meat off and stored what we didn't immediately eat in the freezer and ate it over the next few months. The length of soaking time is important and should be influenced by your taste for salt. ( My uncle sent a Virginia ham back to his family in California once and they saw the mold and threw away a $60 perfectly good ham. How to Cook Genuine Smithfield and Country Hams (Uncooked) Oven-Cooking. D) Seal the top with ANOTHER layer of foil (as shown) and place the roasting pot's lid on. Change your soaking water often (we recommend every 4 … Mold on skin of an aged ham is natural and harmless. Please review our Returns, Refunds, and Shipping Policy here. DON'T TOUCH THE ALUMINUM FOIL or BONE with the thermometer, it can give a false reading. Can be soaked in hot water overnight to remove salt. After soaking the ham, it's time for the EASIEST cooking, you have ever done. my next day off I will try this your way. Longer soaking results in less saltiness. Granddad put them in the cuts to hold them and that works great. We appreciate your understanding!***. 217 East Little Creek Road Parboil until water is gone. PLEASE NOTE: These hams have been dry cured with SALT and must be sliced paper thin to enjoy the full country flavor. The instructions from the ham companies are the above and every time I tried the 500F one, it seemed like the ham was under cooked and nasty. Smithfield is the big name but, in Virginia, there's plenty of others. It may be called "Salt-Cured Ham", "Smithfield Ham", "Bone-In Smoked Ham", whatever. CAUTION: Ham will be hot. PROTIP: Bath tubs are GREAT places to do this. Instructions for cooking country hams are usually two ways: Bake at 500F for 15 minutes, let sit for 2hours, bake at 500F for 15 minutes and let sit for 6 hours.-or-Boil the ham on the stove. on Step 3. 21 hours ago After 15 minutes, turn off oven. Just let it slow cook, we usually go to bed and let it cook over night. Boiled ham is just nasty. Place the ham in the oven and heat for roughly 12 to 15 minutes per pound. 21 hours ago PROTIP: We have animals, shower stalls are GREAT for keeping animal tongues out of the water. This year I ordered from Feridies and was very happy with them, (http://www.feridies.com/product/Unooked-Country-Virginia-Ham). Place the slices in a single layer in a preheated ungreased frying pan; the fat on the ham will melt into the grease for cooking the ham. Pour 5 cups of water over ham, place lid firmly on pan and place in pre-heated oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Glaze ham, if desired. A lot of people will scrub the ham to get the mold off (to make it look pretty). You are trying to keep the moisture in so the tighter the seal, the better. Skin side up, joint side down. We are now out of said plum butter and I have been informed I have to make more. Mold on skin of an aged ham is natural and harmless. However, my wife liked it on her ice cream so no biggie. Instructions for cooking country hams are usually two ways: Bake at 500F for 15 minutes, let sit for 2hours, bake at 500F for 15 minutes and let sit for 6 hours. Wow! Sounds great. B) Go away for 8hours-ish. The rest, I take to my local butcher and have him slice it into sandwich meat. Place in skillet with 1/3 cup water. ***Salt cured Virginia Country Ham is just that, salty! Cooking For the impatient: Seal the soaked ham completely in foil and bake at 225F for 8 hours. Cooking After washing & soaking, place ham in large pan and fully submerge in cold water. I'll never use another method. Finally, take ham out of pan, remove skin and trim fat to 1/4” thickness. Tip It wasn't enough.If you are new to this, I would suggest, at least 3 water changes (so it soaks in 4 batches of fresh water). Always a good time! Storage container WITH LIDS work too. I put two layers of foil on it to seal it better. I don't bother because, it won't hurt you and it all goes away in the soak and cooking. 9) A brush to spread the glaze (I use a cheap paint brush). Country Hams should be soaked 12-24 hours. Frying tends to intensify the flavor of aged ham. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. These instructions will probably work for those but, I haven't tried. I used a cast iron dutch to cook it up and left it in a bit to long so the plum butter was more like plum mud. Remove ham from oven. Norfolk, VA 23505. The ham is now cooked. (DO NOT OPEN.) Some people use buckets (as shown in the picture). Store by hanging in cool, dry place. After washing & soaking ham, place ham in pan with tight-fitting lid. Step 3 Let the ham cook for approximately five minutes, and flip over. Cut UNCOOKED ham into slices no more than 1/8” thick, wash and trim off skin. Put only enough vinegar to make it a really thick soup. Leave there until the top of the ham (the glazed fat) turns brown, usually 10-15 minutes depending on temperature. C) Glaze the ham. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, take the ham, still wet and completely wrap it in aluminum foil. ham) or until meat thermometer shows internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit . We eat for months on one ham. Smithfield Country Ham for gourmets who enjoy adding their signature to this famous delicacy.