Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Country Ham

Thanks... I'll check out "Turner hams from Fulks Run, VA followed by Kites from over in Madison County".

Lots of country ham made and consumed around here. It is typically a breakfast staple, and often put on a biscuit. I’ve eaten it all my life and love it. This past summer I heated some up on the grill and I really liked it that way. I’d bet a dollar that Carolinians eat more of it than the other regions of the country.

A ham biscuit is about the best thing ever. The winning ham at the state fair this year (from Broadbent's) sold for 4.8 million bucks.

https://www.wlky.com/article/grand-...-at-kentucky-state-fair-auction/37405195

I wish I could find a picture of the ham exhibit at the Missouri Stare Fair. 8’ tall shelves. Hams on 1’ centers all the way around the room. Hundreds of them.

$50/plate will get you a ticket to the Ham breakfast though.

https://www.mostatefair.com/governors-ham-breakfast/

Dang- - - - - -that better be some really good ham to be worth over 500 bucks a bite!

I tried one a few years ago, it was cured by coating it salt and hung in a shed for a year in Kentucky. You were supposed to soak it in a 5 gal bucket of clean water for a few hours, I soaked it in clean water twice. It was still too salty for me, but ok other than that. If I did it again I would soak it and change the water out 4-5 times. It was interesting.

If I remember correctly, didn't you get a place in pendleton County?

If you come over through the Dayton or bridgewater area you can grab some kites from the Dayton farmers market. The meat counter
has it already baked and sliced thin for sandwiches. Pretty sure the grocery store in bridgewater sells it that way too, I know they have whole kites hams.

I'd be curious to hear how you like it compared to other hams

Pretty sure you need to go to fulks run for a turner ham but it's worth it. Friday they have fried ham sandwiches made to order. Let me know when you are in the neighborhood and I'll meet you there and buy us lunch.

Jim. Go ahead and try it

Bentons is just a couple miles down the highway from me

They are a legit old school smokehouse. You walk out smelling like smoked meat. It’s not a big factory Bet the whole place ain’t 5000 sq ft. It’s a mom and pop shop. Still doing things the old fashioned way

Have shot guns with the owner twice. He is a very nice man.

There bacon is too salty and Smokey for me for eating plain. But cooking with it is amazing. Most people love it though. Lots of high end restaurants buy it apparently

There country ham is top notch.

It’s gonna be salty. That’s why you soak it and bring water to a boil. To reduce the saltiness. Then it’s amazing!!!

The curing process destroys trichinosis and all other harmful pathogens.

While it may be a bit salty, that can be fixed with an application of Duke's.

Check out Ricecountryhams.com , located in Tennessee, they cure the hams the old fashion way .

I should go up to our old smokehouse behind Mammy’s place here on the farm. The ham and salt boxes are still in there. Get some pics.

Probably a gazillion brown recluse spiders in there 🥴😕🙁

No ham boxes in my smokehouse. I just smoke.

I need to get a medium size Porky from the Mennonites and then get my father in law to walk me thru a hamming cure

If you like ham, you will love it. Benton is one of the best and none of them are cheap.

Thanks Tyrone. I was thinking that but have had folk swear you can still get it from country ham. Think they may not quite know what true cured ham is.

When I was growing up, dad would have some of the prettiest burgundy colored cured hams you could ask for & I didn't like it. Well, not the way my poor mom would cook it. She was deathly scared if trichinosis & fried those big pretty slices into a complete shoe sole.
It was when I got away from home & had some cooked medium rare that I realized how good it was.

F


Basically, if you like cured smoked bacon, odds you'll most likely like country cured ham, too, but would probably be best if you (and family) tried a little first before buying a whole ham. It is sold prepackaged under a good many different commercial brand names in various portion sizes and quantities, like 'ham steaks', 'biscuit' cuts, 'seasoning' cuts, etc. If you like it well enough to buy a whole one, unless you have access to commercial grade meat slicer / band saw, I'd strongly recommend buying it already sliced. Also, unless you're a salt freak I'd also strongly suggest you at least rinse off slices well before frying or adding to other dishes as seasoning. Frying it in a little Cola is pretty tasty as well, too. I generally buy it in prepackaged 'biscuit' cuts and eat it fried in a little cola or Dr. Pepper type soda then eat it on biscuits. Sometimes I sop the biscuit halves in the leftover pan drippings. DO NOT over cook...

Reading the Little House in the big woods book, I wondered how hams could hang from the rafters, and not spoil.

It really doesn't spoil unless it gets wet. It can get moldy, but you wash that off with vinegar. Other than that, it could get too dry for your taste, but it wouldn't be inedible, you'd just have to re-hydrate it as you cut pieces off.

I don't know how anybody could resist it long enough to prove this, but I imagine that like pemmican, ham would still be good 50 years later.

I would not take that bet, it's available at virtually any place that serves breakfast in NC. Almost everybody had a ham or two hanging in their basement or garage when I grew up, it is a staple, especially in the mountains.

Ed Rice (Sr.) is the guy I was talking about who won the Tennessee State Fair ham competition on a regular basis in the 1960's. His sons took over the business when he passed on, and they would all be in their 70's or older now.

Same here