In article >,
"Kent" > wrote:

> "Dan Abel" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > "Kent" > wrote:
> >
> >> "Dan Abel" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >
> >> > We buy uncooked hams. They are cheaper and taste better. In the US at

> >> Do you mean uncured fresh ham? The cured uncooked ham I'm aware of in the
> >> U.S. are the
> >> dry cured Virginia hams and Smithfield Hams[a form of Virginia ham].
> >> They're
> >> a lot more than $1.29/lb.
> >
> >
> > They are cured, but I suspect wet rather than dry.
> >
> >
> I don't know anywhere in California where you can buy a wet cured fresh ham.

We must be having a terminology problem. For instance, I don't know
what "fresh" means. These are just regular old hams. They are cured
and smoked. They have to be cooked. They don't come in a can. They
don't require any prep (no soaking or scrubbing).

You buy them at any local supermarket in the US. You get cooking
instructions off of the label or any standard cook book.


> Is the ham a brand name? How do they cure it? Does it have nitrates, to give
> it the "ham" flavor and appearance we're all used to? To what temp. to you
> cook it? Do you braise it, or roast it? If it's a locally cured product,
> they have to inject the femoral artery shortly after the pig is slaughtered,
> and/or spray inject the rest of the leg. I can't imagine a butcher shop, or
> even a small wholesale house doing this. Please tell.


A lot of questions, and I have few answers.

I needed something at the local supermarket, so I hoofed it down there
(Safeway). I peeked in the meat section. They had all of three hams
there, two shank halves and one butt half. They had a lot of fully
cooked hams also, plus some in cans. The butt was US$2.49 a pound,
which translated to over US$20. I guess I'll wait for Easter. It's too
dang hot anyway. I won't bother telling you the brand, since the fine
print said "Safeway", so it's a store brand.

I grabbed the first cookbook I could find. It's the Joy of Cooking,
copyright 1977. The first cooking instructions read:

1. Ham labeled "Cook Before Eating"

preheat oven to 325.

Place ham on a rack, uncovered

[cooking instructions snipped, 18-35 minutes a pound, depending on
weight and configuration, a butt 5 to 7 pounds, 20 minutes a pound]

in all cases, cook until 160 internal

[end of rough quote from JoC]

If you've only eaten fully cooked hams and haven't tried one of these, I
strongly recommend trying one. They are easy, just toss in the oven. I
recommend taking off the plastic first, though. They are apparently
cheaper, although I'm not sure. Between the bone, the skin, the fat (a
lot) and the water, I don't know how much meat you actually get. To me,
it tastes a lot better, and it's worth it.