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A fresh ham would be a complete bust for most as they want a SMOKED product, not a roasted fresh ham.
We actually prefer the cured products best. I haven't had a fresh but I suspect I would probably prefer that over the store fake tasting smoked ham that is commonly found. (I have had homemade smoked ham and that was delicious)
I am in the Carolinas and we get a locally sourced country ham. Love this for breakfast with eggs, biscuits and red eye gravy. Have to try the Virginia and see what's the difference.
I want to do a ham for Thanksgiving dinner and saw they have several kinds. I know I don't want the preseasoned/glazed one and prefer to do it myself.
Which cut do you recommend? And why? (better flavor, less bone etc?) I see shank, shoulder, half, butt etc. I would like more meat than fat if that makes a difference.
I would head over to your neighborhood premium/full service supermarket's Meat Department and see what they offer. Sometimes these places are a little pricey, but they offer quality meat and produce in exchange for those high prices.
I am in the Carolinas and we get a locally sourced country ham. Love this for breakfast with eggs, biscuits and red eye gravy. Have to try the Virginia and see what's the difference.
Which cut do you recommend? And why? (better flavor, less bone etc?) I see shank, shoulder, half, butt etc. I would like more meat than fat if that makes a difference.
The "butt half" is high on the haunches. It has more meat and less bone and costs more.
The shank half has more bone, is harder to carve, costs less, and you need it if you are going to make bean soup the week after. That is the half of the hindquarter that is closer to the foot. The flavor should be the same as the butt half.
Apparently, "butt" is also used for a shoulder ham in some areas of the country , but that looks really different. Shoulder ham is called a "picnic ham" in my area. It is smaller, has more bone, a lot more fat, is harder to carve, and has the best flavor, in my opinion. Picnic ham looks rather round-ish. Butt half will have a very clear, flat, slice of ham look at one end, as does the shank half,
A whole ham, which is both the butt half and the shank half, not cut apart, is a very large roast. Only buy of you are expect a huge guest list. Ham doesn't freeze well and can only be frozen for a few months. Try not to have 20 pounds of leftover ham.
If you don't want to carve around bone, you can buy a boneless ham or a Black Forest ham. My opinion is that the boneless ham is rarely as good as the whole ham with the bone still in it. Black Forest ham, it entiorely depends upon how much you paid for it. It can be excellent, but good Black Forest ham is not cheap.
If you want a good ham for the holidays, the secret is to stay away from the cheap brands that are offered on sale for a very low price. They will be chemical cured and taste like chemicals.
I buy the cheapo Cook's ham shank or butt and soak it in water at least overnight, preferably for three days. It still tastes like ham but it's much less salty and never dries out.
If you are looking for the beautiful Norman Rockwell ham for presentation, go with the better cuts.
Cover the top of the ham with foil and the big edge won't dry out or burn.
Is there a non chemical cure? I never thought about that.
Of course, if I really wanted to go high on the hog I would go to Oscar's Smokehouse and get me a real smoked ham. You can order online nowadays. The smoked kielbasa is to die for.
I roast in a low oven for at least four hours to get the fat to render. If there is a lot of fat I trim it.
My aunt always takes the bone for pea soup, I have one in the freezer for jer and plan to buy another ham Saturday, they are on sale.
I buy shoulder hams and trim all the visible fat off. (ham is fatty enough) Then I wash it well and put it into my slow cooker without any liquid or seasonings. It cooks in its own juice. I slow cook it for 6-8 hours and it comes out wonderfully tender and just about falls off the bone. How easy is that?
All the juice (about 1-2 inches) in the bottom can be used for soup the next day.
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