Now you're really hitting home. I grew up in Newport News, and one of my father's law clients would give him an entire Smithfield ham each Christmas. Our mild winters allowed us to keep it in our screened porch all winter as we slowly ate the thing. Smithfield was salty and dry . . . and delicious. I've never had anything close to it outside of Tidewater, VA.
I was sad to read in the Post six years ago that you can't get genuine Smithfield ham anymore (this is a "gift article" for one and all): https://wapo.st/4fX6Cu3
How did you make it? Was it always cooked or ever eaten "raw"? It's a real shame the state or locality didn't manage to entice some producers to keep doing this. What a neat thing to have a European-style geographically-defined charcuterie product in the Virginia countryside.
We'd slice it, but crudely, about half a cm thick. We wouldn't cook it or even wash or heat it. We'd put the slices inside biscuits -- that was the best. (I wonder if Queen Victoria's apocryphal annual Smithfield ham lasted all winter!)
Glad you enjoyed the drive on the Southside, next trip try the ferry from Jamestown (near Williamsburg to Surry. Edwards was a longtime staple for Virginia Hams. The fire completely devastated the company and they've outsourced their production. Unfortunately the family underinsured their facilities.
That's a shame. I think I'm going to do a full article on all this, I love these stories about history and culture that aren't really "big" stories. Never even heard of any of this stuff and I'm just two and a half hours away! (Have yet to try the country ham I did buy - will report back!)
When you mentioned green ham, I immediately began to wonder whether this is related to “eggs and green ham.” Perhaps a uniquely colored fungal crust that develops in the course of six months? People have swallowed far weirder things.
You can actually eat any country ham like you would prosciutto or serrano it just hasn’t been done that way here traditionally. However Dave Chang started serving it that way at Momofuku in the early 2000s and it’s great. Hopefully you can find some Surryano, it’s a really delicious product
Fam, please please PLEASE LMK if you track down that Surryano, I’m dying to try it.
My (Italian, obv) dad often says, “Our people’s claim to fame is we came up with more things to do with a pig than anyone else on the planet”.
Judging by your name, I assume you’re also part of *nostro popolo* and you understand this truth in a bone-deep level.
Yes, absolutely! Thinking that salami and prosciutto are kind of the sum of "cured meat" is like thinking a $5 California red is the sum of wine!
Now you're really hitting home. I grew up in Newport News, and one of my father's law clients would give him an entire Smithfield ham each Christmas. Our mild winters allowed us to keep it in our screened porch all winter as we slowly ate the thing. Smithfield was salty and dry . . . and delicious. I've never had anything close to it outside of Tidewater, VA.
I was sad to read in the Post six years ago that you can't get genuine Smithfield ham anymore (this is a "gift article" for one and all): https://wapo.st/4fX6Cu3
How did you make it? Was it always cooked or ever eaten "raw"? It's a real shame the state or locality didn't manage to entice some producers to keep doing this. What a neat thing to have a European-style geographically-defined charcuterie product in the Virginia countryside.
We'd slice it, but crudely, about half a cm thick. We wouldn't cook it or even wash or heat it. We'd put the slices inside biscuits -- that was the best. (I wonder if Queen Victoria's apocryphal annual Smithfield ham lasted all winter!)
Glad you enjoyed the drive on the Southside, next trip try the ferry from Jamestown (near Williamsburg to Surry. Edwards was a longtime staple for Virginia Hams. The fire completely devastated the company and they've outsourced their production. Unfortunately the family underinsured their facilities.
https://www.smithfieldtimes.com/2022/03/30/the-edwards-virginia-smokehouse/
The other major producer, Smithfield, sold out to an international conglomeration, about 10 years ago.
That's a shame. I think I'm going to do a full article on all this, I love these stories about history and culture that aren't really "big" stories. Never even heard of any of this stuff and I'm just two and a half hours away! (Have yet to try the country ham I did buy - will report back!)
When you mentioned green ham, I immediately began to wonder whether this is related to “eggs and green ham.” Perhaps a uniquely colored fungal crust that develops in the course of six months? People have swallowed far weirder things.
You can actually eat any country ham like you would prosciutto or serrano it just hasn’t been done that way here traditionally. However Dave Chang started serving it that way at Momofuku in the early 2000s and it’s great. Hopefully you can find some Surryano, it’s a really delicious product