On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 01:11:49 GMT, (A.T.
Hagan) wrote:

>The FEDERAL government reference you folks want is he
>
>http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/ham.htm
>"COUNTRY HAM - uncooked, cured, dried, smoked-or-unsmoked meat
>products made from a single piece of meat from the hind leg of a hog
>or from a single piece of meat from a pork shoulder. Smithfield and
>country hams are not fully cooked but are dry cured to be safe stored
>at room temperature. They should be cooked before eating according to
>manufacturer's instructions. A ham labeled "Smithfield Ham" must be
>processed in the city of Smithfield, Virginia."
>
>I came across this trying to find a low-sodium Smithfield ham since it
>boggled my mind that one could produce a dry-cured ham in such a way.

Actually, the phrase is "Genuine Smithfield Ham". As evidenced from
their website, they obviously make wet-cured ham labeled "Smithfield
Premium Ham", contrary to what this says above.

-sw