Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
Virginia or Country Hams?
I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
please let me know.

Thanks,
George

George Cebulka > wrote in message
...
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that
> sells whole Virginia or Country Hams?

http://www.newsomscountryham.com/countryham.html

On Oct 8, 2:52*pm, George Cebulka > wrote:
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> * *Virginia or Country Hams?
> * * *I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> George

I got a Smithfield by mailorder. It was pricey, too, but then I think
they all are. It came in a nice basket with a linen tea towel. It
was really, really good.

N.

On Wed 08 Oct 2008 12:52:30p, George Cebulka told us...

> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> George
>

They are *all* rather pricey, even if you go into a store to buy one. Wish
I knew of a reasonably priced source.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Wednesday, 10(X)/08(VIII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
4wks 5dys 10hrs 18mins
*******************************************
Damned if you are. really screwed if
you arent.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 12:52:30p, George Cebulka told us...
>
>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>> please let me know.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> George
>>
>
> They are *all* rather pricey, even if you go into a store to buy one. Wish
> I knew of a reasonably priced source.
>

I wish I had a store near where they sold them.... If you laid eyes on
even an expensive one in a store I envy you.... Hmm...May I need to
head south for the winter....

George Cebulka wrote:
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> George
I suppose I should qualify a bit. I am looking for an "uncooked" ham...

On Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:52:30 -0400, George Cebulka >
wrote:

>Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>please let me know.
>
>Thanks,
>George

If a Kentucky country ham will do, try
http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/ .

Whole, uncooked country hams - 12-13 lbs. - $38.00 plus shipping.

- Mark

George Cebulka > wrote:

> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.

http://www.smithfieldhams.com/

I believe all the hams they sell are from the Smithfield companies,
but they do have quite a variety. The going rate for whole
Smithfield hams here in TX is $2.69-$2.99/lb. You can buy them
several places retail.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> I believe all the hams they sell are from the Smithfield companies,
> but they do have quite a variety. The going rate for whole
> Smithfield hams here in TX is $2.69-$2.99/lb. You can buy them
> several places retail.

Asian supermarkets frequently carry them because
they resemble Jinhua ham.

On Wed 08 Oct 2008 01:59:09p, George Cebulka told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 12:52:30p, George Cebulka told us...
>>
>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
>>> whole
>>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>> please let me know.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> George
>>>
>>
>> They are *all* rather pricey, even if you go into a store to buy one.
>> Wish I knew of a reasonably priced source.
>>
>
> I wish I had a store near where they sold them.... If you laid eyes on
> even an expensive one in a store I envy you.... Hmm...May I need to
> head south for the winter....
>

About once a year my family in Mississippi will buy and ship me a country
ham that they have selected in local stores. The price of the ham and
shipping is about the same as if I ordered over the Internet.

I have ordered from several different places and never really been
disappointed in the ham I got. The last place I ordered from was he

http://www.newsomscountryham.com/agkencounham.html

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Wednesday, 10(X)/08(VIII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
4wks 5dys 5hrs 20mins
*******************************************
We are on an irreversable trend
towards more feedom and democracy --

George Cebulka wrote:
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> � �Virginia or Country Hams?
> � � �I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.

What's the big deal about cured ham, it's just a big ole hog's
buttocks with lotsa salt... a plain old fresh ham before it's all
fercockted up with chemicals is a thousand times better than any kinda
cured/preserved ham... you just gotta have salty pork git yerself a
baloney sammiche, or tube steak onna bun, it'll still be salty pork
but at least it won't cost ya a whole day's pay for taste in ass salty
pork. A roast fresh ham is the King of meat.

George Cebulka wrote:
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
> whole Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.

I just opened the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit and
what do I see but top picks for American hams. The list:

Edwards Hickory-smoked Virginia aged ham virginiatraditions.com
Finchville Farms country ham finchvillefarms.com
Meacham original country ham meachamhams.com
Colonial Hill Newsom's aged Kentucky country ham newsomcountryham.com

Thought I'd pass it along.

nancy

"George Cebulka" > wrote in message
...
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs, please
> let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> George
>
>
It's tough, generally, especially if you live in a rural area. I assume you
mean a dry cured uncooked Virginia ham. I buy them at our local Ranch 99
market. Buying them from mailorder thieves is far too expensive.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 01:59:09p, George Cebulka told us...
>
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 12:52:30p, George Cebulka told us...
>>>
>>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
>>>> whole
>>>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>>>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>>> please let me know.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> George
>>>>
>>> They are *all* rather pricey, even if you go into a store to buy one.
>>> Wish I knew of a reasonably priced source.
>>>
>> I wish I had a store near where they sold them.... If you laid eyes on
>> even an expensive one in a store I envy you.... Hmm...May I need to
>> head south for the winter....
>>
>
> About once a year my family in Mississippi will buy and ship me a country
> ham that they have selected in local stores. The price of the ham and
> shipping is about the same as if I ordered over the Internet.
>
> I have ordered from several different places and never really been
> disappointed in the ham I got. The last place I ordered from was he
>
> http://www.newsomscountryham.com/agkencounham.html
>

Remember to be very, very nice to your family...
I ordered an uncooked, country ham from these
folkshttp://www.smokehouse.com/
It came out pretty good. But, it was pricey, although, if you stop to
consider that their price includes shipping, maybe they are not too bad...

Mark A.Meggs wrote:
> On Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:52:30 -0400, George Cebulka >
> wrote:
>
>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>> please let me know.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> George
>
> If a Kentucky country ham will do, try
> http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/ .
>
> Whole, uncooked country hams - 12-13 lbs. - $38.00 plus shipping.
>
> - Mark

So what is the difference between a Virginia and a country ham?

Nancy Young wrote:
> George Cebulka wrote:
>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
>> whole Virginia or Country Hams?
>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>> please let me know.
>
> I just opened the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit and what do I see
> but top picks for American hams. The list:
>
> Edwards Hickory-smoked Virginia aged ham virginiatraditions.com
> Finchville Farms country ham finchvillefarms.com
> Meacham original country ham meachamhams.com
> Colonial Hill Newsom's aged Kentucky country ham newsomcountryham.com
>
> Thought I'd pass it along.
>
> nancy

Cool! Thanks for the list.

Sheldon wrote:
> George Cebulka wrote:
>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>> � �Virginia or Country Hams?
>> � � �I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>> please let me know.
>
> What's the big deal about cured ham, it's just a big ole hog's
> buttocks with lotsa salt... a plain old fresh ham before it's all
> fercockted up with chemicals is a thousand times better than any kinda
> cured/preserved ham... you just gotta have salty pork git yerself a
> baloney sammiche, or tube steak onna bun, it'll still be salty pork
> but at least it won't cost ya a whole day's pay for taste in ass salty
> pork. A roast fresh ham is the King of meat.

Sheldon,
AH screw it, I'm not even going to bother

George Cebulka wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
>> George Cebulka wrote:
>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
>>> whole Virginia or Country Hams?

>> I just opened the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit and what do I see
>> but top picks for American hams. The list:
>>
>> Edwards Hickory-smoked Virginia aged ham virginiatraditions.com
>> Finchville Farms country ham finchvillefarms.com
>> Meacham original country ham meachamhams.com
>> Colonial Hill Newsom's aged Kentucky country ham
>> newsomcountryham.com

> Cool! Thanks for the list.

You're welcome. I noticed Ranger (?) also recommended that
last source, what are the odds. Anyway, the list had 5 items, I
left one off because it's not what you were looking for. Coming
in at 3rd on that list was:

Benton's domestic prosciutto bentonshams.com

nancy

On Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:12:22 -0400, George Cebulka >
wrote:

>Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> On Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:52:30 -0400, George Cebulka >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>> please let me know.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> George
>>
>> If a Kentucky country ham will do, try
>> http://www.fatherscountryhams.com/ .
>>
>> Whole, uncooked country hams - 12-13 lbs. - $38.00 plus shipping.
>>
>> - Mark
>
>So what is the difference between a Virginia and a country ham?

I'm not really into country hams - too salty for my taste - but...

As far as I know, a Virginia ham is simply one that comes from
Virginia.

I think of country ham as a ham that's been preserved in a salt or
salt/sugar mixture - possibly with a little nitrite added - until
enough water has been removed and enough cure has penetrated that
bacteria, yeasts, etc can't spoil the ham. After curing, it may be
smoked.

- Mark

George Cebulka wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > George Cebulka wrote:
> >> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> >> Virginia or Country Hams?
> >> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> >> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> >> please let me know.
>
> > What's the big deal about cured ham, it's just a big ole hog's
> > buttocks with lotsa salt... a plain old fresh ham before it's all
> > fercockted up with chemicals is a thousand times better than any kinda
> > cured/preserved ham... you just gotta have salty pork git yerself a
> > baloney sammiche, or tube steak onna bun, it'll still be salty pork
> > but at least it won't cost ya a whole day's pay for taste in ass salty
> > pork. �A roast fresh ham is the King of meat.
>
> Sheldon,
> � � AH screw it, I'm not even going to bother

You just did, and made an utter fool of yourself.

I'll bet of every thousand subscribers to RFC only three have ever
tasted fresh ham and only one has ever cooked fresh ham, and none are
you, Deli Ham Boy... because you are obviously afflicted with TIAD.

I don't care how much you pay for some fercocktah ethnic cured ham,
none are in the same league with fresh ham... the most expensive cured
ham you can find is analogous to to how Ball Park tube steak is to
USDA Prime porterhouse.

Why folks want to spend so much money on any cured/preserved ham is
something beyond sane comprehension. I'm positive yoose think gourmet
is a baloney on white with yallow musturd, a bag of potato chips, and
a grape Nehi

I bet the only thing 90 pct of yoose needed to cook dinner tonihgt is
a can opener.

My cats on their worst night eat better than you on your best night.

I shit better chow than you eat.

On Thu 09 Oct 2008 02:11:20p, George Cebulka told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 01:59:09p, George Cebulka told us...
>>
>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>> On Wed 08 Oct 2008 12:52:30p, George Cebulka told us...
>>>>
>>>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells
>>>>> whole
>>>>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>>>>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It
was
>>>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>>>> please let me know.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> George
>>>>>
>>>> They are *all* rather pricey, even if you go into a store to buy one.
>>>> Wish I knew of a reasonably priced source.
>>>>
>>> I wish I had a store near where they sold them.... If you laid eyes on
>>> even an expensive one in a store I envy you.... Hmm...May I need to
>>> head south for the winter....
>>>
>>
>> About once a year my family in Mississippi will buy and ship me a
country
>> ham that they have selected in local stores. The price of the ham and
>> shipping is about the same as if I ordered over the Internet.
>>
>> I have ordered from several different places and never really been
>> disappointed in the ham I got. The last place I ordered from was he
>>
>> http://www.newsomscountryham.com/agkencounham.html
>>
>
> Remember to be very, very nice to your family...

I don't have to be *that* nice, George. I pay them for the ham and
shipping, so just a little nice will do. :-)

> I ordered an uncooked, country ham from these
> folkshttp://www.smokehouse.com/
> It came out pretty good. But, it was pricey, although, if you stop to
> consider that their price includes shipping, maybe they are not too
bad...

Probably not. All decent country hams are expensive no matter where they
come from.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Thursday, 10(X)/09(IX)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
4wks 4dys 7hrs 10mins
*******************************************
We don't know who discovered water,
but we're pretty sure it wasn't a fish.

On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:39:49 -0700, "lgblob" > wrote:

>
>"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
>> George Cebulka > wrote:
>>
>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>> please let me know.
>>
>> http://www.smithfieldhams.com/
>>
>> I believe all the hams they sell are from the Smithfield companies,
>> but they do have quite a variety. The going rate for whole
>> Smithfield hams here in TX is $2.69-$2.99/lb. You can buy them
>> several places retail.
>>
>> -sw
>>
>>
>Not true at all, the Smithfield brand has nothing to do with Smithfield Ham,
>as it's legally defined.
>Smithfield Ham is from Smithfield County, and until very recently adhered to
>the following method of dry cure, defined in Virginia code.
>http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp...00+cod+3.1-867.
>Even though the legal definition was repealed recently all true "Smithfield
>Hams" are cured in this fashion. The Smithfield is somewhat of a disgrace.
>
>lg,
>
>
>
There is not Smithfield County. The county is Isle of Wight. My son
lives in Smithfield, Virginia and we lived across the river in
Hampton, VA for 30+ years.

There is a difference between a Smithfield ham and Smithfield brand
ham. I'll ask my DIL to get the local definition of a Smithfield ham.
Maybe she can ask some at Gwaltney.

Mark A.Meggs wrote:
> On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:19:21 -0700 (PDT), Sheldon >
> wrote:
>
> >Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>
> >> As far as I know, a Virginia ham is simply one that
> >> comes from Virginia.
>
> >Not so. �This is the real Virgina ham:
>
> >http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...WITH-MARMALADE...
>
> Pay attention to the topic - we're talking UNCOOKED country ham.

Nope. "Virginia Ham" is a *recipe* (has nothing to do with Virginia)
exactly like "London Broil" is a *recipe* (has nothing to do with
London), can be prepared with any cured ham but most often made with
city ham, can even be made with canned Spam, and I do. Virginia ham
is essentially a whole clove studded glazed ham baked... any kind of
cured ham works, even country ham:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/rec...Ham74843.shtml

Actually there is no such thing as a Virgina ham curing process, what
you're descibing is the generic "Country" ham, a dry cured ham that
can be made anywhere, and in fact is made all over the planet in it's
many versions, smoked and not.

A "Smithfield Ham" is a dry cured ham that can be made anywhere that
can accomodate the necessary certain particular infrastructure needed
to carry out the process; the best definition I've seen is in Rytec
Kutas book on pg. 387. Most of what folks buy as Smithfield Ham is
not, most are knock-offs... I'd venture to say that ALL hams sold by
the "Smithfield" *company* are knock-offs... the Smithfield *brand*
hasn't a whit to do with Smithfield Ham.

The *true* "Smithfield Ham" is very likely no longer produced except
by a few private individuals for their own consumption. When folks
spend big bucks for mail order they are getting generic Country ham,
NOT Smithfield Ham... if it happens to be a Smithfield *brand* product
so what... people buy balsamic vinegar but it's not Balsamico
Traditionale... people buy Boar's Head prosciutto but it's not
Prosciutto di Parma... people buy bagels outside NYC but they're not
bagels... people buy Nathan's hot dogs outside of Nathan's Coney
Island but they're not Nathan's hot dogs... I can go on and on... a
generic Country ham is no more a Smithfield than McDee's mystery meat
hocky pucks are hamburgers.

The Rytec Kutas description is much more complete, he gives detailed
directions for making your own.

Smithfield ham
Considered by many to be the premier COUNTRY-CURED HAM, the Smithfield
is said to have been so loved by Queen Victoria that she had six sent
to her household every week. Although these special hams *were once
produced* from hogs raised on a privileged diet of acorns, hickory
nuts and peanuts, *today's* Smithfield hams come from grain-fed hogs.

� Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

On Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:15:46 -0400, George Cebulka wrote:

> Sheldon wrote:
>> George Cebulka wrote:
>>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>>> � �Virginia or Country Hams?
>>> � � �I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
>>> please let me know.
>>
>> What's the big deal about cured ham, it's just a big ole hog's
>> buttocks with lotsa salt... a plain old fresh ham before it's all
>> fercockted up with chemicals is a thousand times better than any kinda
>> cured/preserved ham... you just gotta have salty pork git yerself a
>> baloney sammiche, or tube steak onna bun, it'll still be salty pork
>> but at least it won't cost ya a whole day's pay for taste in ass salty
>> pork. A roast fresh ham is the King of meat.
>
> Sheldon,
> AH screw it, I'm not even going to bother

always take your pork advice from an apostate jew.

your pal,
blake

Sheldon wrote:
> Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> As far as I know, a Virginia ham is simply one that
>> comes from Virginia.
>
> Not so. This is the real Virgina ham:
>
> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...H-GLAZE-107483

I checked you link and correct me if I'm wrong, was it was link to a
recipe for a glazed ham... It really didn't say anything about the type
of ham (city, country, virginia, whatever) other than it called for a
smoked ham.

Sheldon wrote:
> Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:19:21 -0700 (PDT), Sheldon >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>>>> As far as I know, a Virginia ham is simply one that
>>>> comes from Virginia.
>>> Not so. �This is the real Virgina ham:
>>> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...WITH-MARMALADE...
>> Pay attention to the topic - we're talking UNCOOKED country ham.
>
> Nope. "Virginia Ham" is a *recipe* (has nothing to do with Virginia)
> exactly like "London Broil" is a *recipe* (has nothing to do with
> London), can be prepared with any cured ham but most often made with
> city ham, can even be made with canned Spam, and I do. Virginia ham
> is essentially a whole clove studded glazed ham baked... any kind of
> cured ham works, even country ham:
> http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/rec...Ham74843.shtml
>
> Actually there is no such thing as a Virgina ham curing process, what
> you're descibing is the generic "Country" ham, a dry cured ham that
> can be made anywhere, and in fact is made all over the planet in it's
> many versions, smoked and not.
>
> A "Smithfield Ham" is a dry cured ham that can be made anywhere that
> can accomodate the necessary certain particular infrastructure needed
> to carry out the process; the best definition I've seen is in Rytec
> Kutas book on pg. 387. Most of what folks buy as Smithfield Ham is
> not, most are knock-offs... I'd venture to say that ALL hams sold by
> the "Smithfield" *company* are knock-offs... the Smithfield *brand*
> hasn't a whit to do with Smithfield Ham.
>
> The *true* "Smithfield Ham" is very likely no longer produced except
> by a few private individuals for their own consumption. When folks
> spend big bucks for mail order they are getting generic Country ham,
> NOT Smithfield Ham... if it happens to be a Smithfield *brand* product
> so what... people buy balsamic vinegar but it's not Balsamico
> Traditionale... people buy Boar's Head prosciutto but it's not
> Prosciutto di Parma... people buy bagels outside NYC but they're not
> bagels... people buy Nathan's hot dogs outside of Nathan's Coney
> Island but they're not Nathan's hot dogs... I can go on and on... a
> generic Country ham is no more a Smithfield than McDee's mystery meat
> hocky pucks are hamburgers.
>
> The Rytec Kutas description is much more complete, he gives detailed
> directions for making your own.
>
> Smithfield ham
> Considered by many to be the premier COUNTRY-CURED HAM, the Smithfield
> is said to have been so loved by Queen Victoria that she had six sent
> to her household every week. Although these special hams *were once
> produced* from hogs raised on a privileged diet of acorns, hickory
> nuts and peanuts, *today's* Smithfield hams come from grain-fed hogs.
>
> � Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
> LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458...58-223.html#L1
http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/co.../types-ham.php
http://www.sonic.net/~alden/MeatcureHams.html

On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:27:50 -0700 (PDT), Sheldon >
wrote:

>Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>> On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 17:19:21 -0700 (PDT), Sheldon >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >Mark A.Meggs wrote:
>>
>> >> As far as I know, a Virginia ham is simply one that
>> >> comes from Virginia.
>>
>> >Not so. ?This is the real Virgina ham:
>>
>> >http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...WITH-MARMALADE...
>>
>> Pay attention to the topic - we're talking UNCOOKED country ham.
>
>Nope. "Virginia Ham" is a *recipe* (has nothing to do with Virginia)

<snip>

I have no doubt that there are recipes for cooking ham that are called
Virginia ham.

However, Wikipedia, Britannica online, yourdictionary.com, and the
Virginia Tech extension service all consider "Virginia ham" to be
synonymous with dry cured, possibly smoked, uncooked hams.

Top 10 google hits for "Virginia ham" are all for dry-cured country
ham, not cooked ham of any kind.

- Mark

anon wrote:
> "George Cebulka" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
>> Virginia or Country Hams?
>> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
>> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs, please
>> let me know.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> George
>>
>>
> It's tough, generally, especially if you live in a rural area. I assume you
> mean a dry cured uncooked Virginia ham. I buy them at our local Ranch 99
> market. Buying them from mailorder thieves is far too expensive.
>
>
>

Yup. You got it in one. I'm in SW, PA. The hams that you see around here
are either of the City or very massed produced variety. Since you are
close to a Ranch 99, please do me a favor and ask them what their
expansion plans are WRT move way East, really, really soon....

George Cebulka wrote:
> Can anybody recommend a mail order or web order company that sells whole
> Virginia or Country Hams?
> I bought a country ham last year from Burgers Smokehouse...It was
> really good, but it was rather pricey. So if anybody has any recs,
> please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> George

Thanks to everyone for the links and info.

The Cook wrote:
> There is a difference between a Smithfield ham and Smithfield brand
> ham. I'll ask my DIL to get the local definition of a Smithfield ham.
> Maybe she can ask some at Gwaltney.

Which, by the way, is owned by Smithfield (the brand - not the county,
city, or isle ;-)

-sw

Sheldon > wrote:

> The *true* "Smithfield Ham" is very likely no longer produced except
> by a few private individuals for their own consumption.

There are plenty of name brand Smithfield hams that are made the
same way they were 180-200 years ago. They're just safer nowdays.

So what *are* you babbling about?

Ahh, never mind.

-sw

On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:52:36 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>Sheldon > wrote:
>
>> The *true* "Smithfield Ham" is very likely no longer produced except
>> by a few private individuals for their own consumption.
>
>There are plenty of name brand Smithfield hams that are made the
>same way they were 180-200 years ago. They're just safer nowdays.
>

Techniques and cure may be the same, but the hams aren't. 200 years
ago the pigs would have been eating chesnuts and acorns, not corn.
I've read that acorn feed hams from hogs that forage is superior to
those that come from hogs in a lot eating corn.

>So what *are* you babbling about?
>
>Ahh, never mind.
>
>-sw

- Mark

"Mark A.Meggs" > wrote:

> On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:52:36 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>Sheldon > wrote:
>>
>>> The *true* "Smithfield Ham" is very likely no longer produced except
>>> by a few private individuals for their own consumption.
>>
>>There are plenty of name brand Smithfield hams that are made the
>>same way they were 180-200 years ago. They're just safer nowdays.
>
> Techniques and cure may be the same, but the hams aren't. 200 years
> ago the pigs would have been eating chesnuts and acorns, not corn.
> I've read that acorn feed hams from hogs that forage is superior to
> those that come from hogs in a lot eating corn.

I believe is was mostly chestnuts that was the method for finishing
hogs in VA (and the eastern US). Year round they ate mostly slop
and whatever.

This (both acorns and chestnuts) was done all over the world and
wasn't a characteristic of Smithfield as much as it's cure/method.
It would be nice, though, go back in time and get some of the real
pork where the flavor hasn't been bred out of them in the name of
convenience.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> This (both acorns and chestnuts) was done all over the world and
> wasn't a characteristic of Smithfield as much as it's cure/method.
> It would be nice, though, go back in time and get some of the real
> pork where the flavor hasn't been bred out of them in the name of
> convenience.

Ah, yes. The good old days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> I believe all the hams they sell are from the Smithfield companies,
>> but they do have quite a variety. The going rate for whole
>> Smithfield hams here in TX is $2.69-$2.99/lb. You can buy them
>> several places retail.
>
> Asian supermarkets frequently carry them because
> they resemble Jinhua ham.

And yunnan and xuanwei hams. Pretty much all chinese hams are dry
cured. They cure other parts of the pig in various ways, but they won't
be confused with "ham".

-sw