Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
hambone without having first to eat the ham? There are only two of
us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a long time.

I suspect that there may be no solution here. Nobody sells hambones
on ebay.

On Jan 28, 1:51�pm, wrote:

> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to
> lay hands on the occasional hambone without
> having first to eat the ham? �There are only two of
> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a �
> long time.

Most supermarkets I shop sell ham hocks - usable but
not great quality.

I often buy nice, meaty shanks at German delicatessens.
They run about $4 to $6. I have them run through the saw
once or twice.

> wrote in message
...
> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
> hambone without having first to eat the ham? There are only two of
> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a long time.
>
> I suspect that there may be no solution here. Nobody sells hambones
> on ebay.

Ham freezes well. Buy a whole ham, roast it then portion it and freeze it.
I like using ham bits for what many use a ham bone for.

Frozen sliced ham is nice for unexpected guests for sandwiches, and for
making last-minute appetizers with filo and spinach, or mini ham biscuits.

wrote:
>
> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
> hambone without having first to eat the ham? *There are only two of
> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a *long time.

You could change your ratio of ham to other types of
meat eaten. Back when refrigeration was not available
people had to eat preserved meat most of the year and
that is why ham was popular.

Or you could try using beef or pork or lamb bones that
aren't preserved for your recipes or even more work do
some sort of preservation on them before using.

> I suspect that there may be no solution here.

No soluation worth the effort, maybe.

> Nobody sells hambones on ebay.

Try asking the meat cutters at your local groceries. Put in
an order for ham bones and offer to pre-pay. Any boneless
hams they sell had to get that way somewhere and maybe
they do the boning.

> wrote:

> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
> hambone without having first to eat the ham?

See <http://ballancecountryhams.com/>. They sell ham bones for $2.00
each.

See also <http://www.chowhound.com/topics/456388> and
<http://community.cookinglight.com/archive/index.php?t-98419.html>.

Victor

On Jan 28, 4:51�pm, wrote:
> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
> hambone without having first to eat the ham? �There are only two of
> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a �long time.
>
> I suspect that there may be no solution here.

Assuming you're going to use the ham bone to flavor soups/beans/
greens, etc. simply buy a half ham and have the butcher quarter the
entire thing to freeze and use later... no law says you have to use
just the bone... the ham meat flavors the same and gives better eats.
Or simply buy smoked ham hocks as needed.

"margaret suran" > wrote in message
news:479e53fb$0$30696

> wrote:
>> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
>> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
>> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
>> hambone without having first to eat the ham? There are only two of
>> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a long time.

> You have to find a butcher or gourmet food store that sells ready to eat
> ham that is sliced off the bone. Here, in New York City, there are many
> such stores and a bone as you are looking for costs a couple of dollars.
> Actually, they are not really offered for sale, you have to ask whether
> they have one or will save one for you. Usually there is enough ham left
> on it, to get quite a bit for several meals, such as soup, ham and pasta,
> ham and eggs and such.

Nostalgia alert: A millyun years ago in Greenwich Village, I used to beg
leftover hambones from the neighborhood bar at the end of the week. Made a
lot of pea soup for us starving whatevers.

Felice

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:51:52 -0800 (PST),
> wrote:
>
> > I suspect that there may be no solution here. �Nobody sells hambones
> > on ebay.
>
> That because all the boneless hams were boned before being cured
> and smoked).
>
> -sw

That's not true. Hams are boned after they're cured and smoked.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:12:34 -0800 (PST), Sheldon wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>> That because all the boneless hams were boned before being cured
>>> and smoked).
>>
>> That's not true. Hams are boned after they're cured and smoked.
>
> Maybe *you* bone them after they're cooked (pervert), but this is
> not how the major ham manufacturers do it. It is boned, formed
> and cased before curing and cooking.
>
> Think about it, dumbass: If you took the bone out after
> processing it would have a big ****ing hole in the center and
> would open up when you cooked it - Perfect for "boning",
> Sheldon-style.
>
> Idiot.
>

I agree with this post.

"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote in
6.121:

> dropped this news:73008ba1-d695-456e-9f48-
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
>> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
>> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
>> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
>> hambone without having first to eat the ham? There are only two of
>> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a long time.
>>
>> I suspect that there may be no solution here. Nobody sells hambones
>> on ebay.
>
> Your local butcher can hook you up, maybe even your local supermarket
> butcher dept. can help you out.
>
> You might be able to find some decent shanks at the supermarket and if
> all else fails you can use hocks although they are different than what
> you are talking about.
>
> What are you going to make with the ham bones?
>
> Michael
>
>
>

Perhaps entertaining more often would provide you with more ham bones. I
buy about 3 to 4 hams a year. For a variety of reasons...family feasts,
celibatory dinners, dinner parties that sort of thing. I also put my
freezer to good use and thatway aren't stuck with a great deal of
leftovers ham that needs to be eaten soon.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:08:30 -0800 (PST), KevinS >
wrote:

>On Jan 28, 1:51?pm, wrote:
>
>> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to
>> lay hands on the occasional hambone without
>> having first to eat the ham? ?There are only two of
>> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a ?
>> long time.
>
>Most supermarkets I shop sell ham hocks - usable but
>not great quality.
>

i used to use ham hocks all the time for bean soup, but there is a lot
of mess trimming the meat from the bone after cooking a while. gets
some nice fat into the soup, though.

now i'm lazy and use country ham chips that come in a roughly
eight-ounce package. you still need to trim a little bit before they
go into the pot, but it's less troublesome.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:12:19 GMT, blake murphy >
wrote:


>now i'm lazy and use country ham chips that come in a roughly
>eight-ounce package. you still need to trim a little bit before they
>go into the pot, but it's less troublesome.
>
>your pal,
>blake

I brought back something similar from VA when I came back here. One is
a package of biscuit slices and the other is a package of center
slices. I haven't used them yet...but they keep for a good length of
time...

Haven't decided how to use them. Do you use anything like this, and
if so..how?

Christine

hahabogus > wrote:

> celibatory dinners

I like this portmanteau word!

Victor

Sqwertz wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > Sqwertz wrote:
>
> >> That because all the boneless hams were boned before being cured
> >> and smoked).
>
> > That's not true. �Hams are boned after they're cured and smoked.
>
> Maybe *you* bone them after they're cooked (pervert), but this is
> not how the major ham manufacturers do it. �It is boned, formed
> and cased before curing and cooking.

You haven't a clue, you just make things up as you go along getting
high on drugs. Hams are cured and smoked intact on the bone. Even
those made into formed hams are cured and smoked on the bone and then
boned and compressed afterwards, albeit it's very doubtful that those
are made from ham, at least not 100pct ham... without the bone no one
can say for sure it's ham. And it's more difficult/time consuming to
remove the bone from fresh ham, more waste too. Those so-called hams
made with mechanically picked meat even though they may not be ham
were still cured and smoked on the bone, then mechanically picked...
why would they need to pick it otherwise. Look at the hams at any
stupidmarket, they are all on the bone, even spiral cut, even ham
steaks... I've never seen a boned ham sold at any market, fresh or
cured, you always need to ask the buther to bone it or bone it
yourself at home. It's just not practical to cure and smoke a pile
of chunks and shreds... and raw pork won't mold with gelatin, and even
if it did, under pressure it would be too dense to properly cure and
smoke and certainly not all gelatinized. And the cured and smoked
pork products, are not ham, all those are scraps of pork, even Spam
ain't ham. If it's ham it's cured and smoked on the bone. There do
exist some specialty hams that are cured off the bone and then pressed
to complete the curing and drying process but those are not smoked...
prosciutto is one, but even then there are different types and it's
obvious it's whole ham as averse to compressed chunks. I don't
consider prosciutto ham in the typical sense so much as it's a
condiment. Prosciutto is savored more for it's texture than taste,
it really hasn't much taste, it's more about all that silky fat.
People don't build a prosciutto and swiss on rye. And prosciutto is
definitely not in the same price range as typical ham, it epitomizes
speciallty ham, it's not eaten like typical ham, it's consumed more
like caviar.

prosciutto [proh-SHOO-toh]
The Italian word for "ham," prosciutto is a term broadly used to
describe a ham that has been seasoned, salt-cured (but not smoked) and
air-dried. The meat is pressed, which produces a firm, dense texture.
Italy's PARMA HAM is the true prosciutto, although others are also now
made in the United States. Italian prosciuttos are designated
prosciutto cotto, which is cooked, and prosciutto crudo, which is raw
(though, because of its curing, ready to eat). This type of Italian
ham is also labeled according to its city or region of origin, for
example prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto di San Daniele. Prosciutto
is available in gourmet and Italian markets and some supermarkets.
It's usually sold in transparently thin slices. Prosciutto is best
eaten as is and is a classic first course when served with melon or
figs. It can also be added at the last minute to cooked foods such as
pastas or vegetables. Prolonged cooking will toughen it.

� Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on TH

On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:15:18 -0500, margaret suran
> wrote:

>Here, in New York City, there are many such stores and a bone as you are looking for costs a couple of
>dollars. Actually, they are not really offered for sale, you have to
>ask whether they have one or will save one for you.

Your post makes me think fondly of Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
asking for the "end of a tongue for a nickel."

I believe Honeybaked Ham and Heavenly Ham type shops sell their bones,
as well.

Tara

On Jan 31, 8:44*pm, Tara > wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:15:18 -0500, margaret suran
>
> > wrote:
> >Here, in New York City, there are many such stores and a bone as you are looking for costs a couple of
> >dollars. *Actually, they are not really offered for sale, you have to
> >ask whether they have one or will save one for you. *
>
> Your post makes me think fondly of Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
> asking for the "end of a tongue for a nickel."
>
> I believe Honeybaked Ham and Heavenly Ham type shops sell their bones,
> as well. *
>
> Tara

Heavenly Ham and HoneyBaked both sell bones when they are available.
Which frankly is not often. I know I own a meaningful number of these
franchises and have for 20 years. Boneless hams in our case are
deboned prior to the smoking and curing process . Based on my
knowledge this is true of most boneless hams. They are then netted
and cured.

"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> "Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote in
> 6.121:
>
>> dropped this news:73008ba1-d695-456e-9f48-
>> : in rec.food.cooking
>>
>>> Unlike the posters searching for ideas of how to use a hambone, I have
>>> plenty of ideas, but not very many hambones, like maybe one a year.
>>> Does anybody have a suggestion of how to lay hands on the occasional
>>> hambone without having first to eat the ham? There are only two of
>>> us, and a ham big enough to have a bone lasts a long time.
>>>
>>> I suspect that there may be no solution here. Nobody sells hambones
>>> on ebay.
>>
>> Your local butcher can hook you up, maybe even your local supermarket
>> butcher dept. can help you out.
>>
>> You might be able to find some decent shanks at the supermarket and if
>> all else fails you can use hocks although they are different than what
>> you are talking about.
>>
>> What are you going to make with the ham bones?
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>>
>
> Perhaps entertaining more often would provide you with more ham bones. I
> buy about 3 to 4 hams a year. For a variety of reasons...family feasts,
> celibatory dinners, dinner parties that sort of thing. I also put my
> freezer to good use and thatway aren't stuck with a great deal of
> leftovers ham that needs to be eaten soon.
>
> --
>
> The house of the burning beet-Alan
>
> It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
> Elbonian Folklore
>


This is exactly what I do Alan. I have hambones from the hams that I serve
year-round. I have two in my freezer that I bought at Publix the other day.
When they hit $.99/# I buy them.



I also have a local butcher that sells bones and ham trim. I'm lucky!

helen