Turkey is the iconic holiday meal star. I love roasting turkey or chickens, heck, anything really. But what about Ham for the holidays? How about the perfect hickory-smoked ham from Tennessee? At least someone thinks it's a good idea (see photo).
You know artisanal producers are near and dear to my heart. No one is happier than me with the rising interest in Culatello and heritage breeds, such as Kurobuta pork. Even Spain's treasured Iberico ham products will be available soon here in the US.
With a snap of fall in the air, I decided it was time to investigate the hickory smoked slice of heaven that has Gourmet Magazine's pantheon of chefs and authors swooning. After reading the October '06 Field Notes ("His Ham Stands Alone") article on Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Ham, I had to try it.
The ham arrives
The box arrived and the perfume of hickory smoke wafted through the kitchen. We stood looking at this marvel of old, ancient really, food-preservation techniques, delivered to our door through the miracle of modern delivery services.
I was practically drooling at the scent. Speaking of drooling, this baby (it weighed more in the toddler-range actually) was the real deal, mold and all. This is not your mother's canned, water-added, supermarket ham. No, one whiff of the perfume is all it took to explain why so many people are in love wtih Benton's smoked hams. These slow-cured beauties are aged from 9-10 months up to a year. The small cinder block room with a wood burning stove is pictured in the article, I don't think the ax was a photographer's prop, either.
Carving
The vegetarians and faint of heart might want to skip down over this next part. We decided against taking this to our butcher, I just had to try it. Three hours later, my kitchen island looked like a civil war surgeon's tent. I had the cleaver out, the Global Chef's knife, the serrated Henkels, even the grapefruit knife, which was handy for carving out little pockets of the tender ham nearest bones or curving into the fat.. I recalled a book I'd read about how Da Vinci used to exhume bodies to learn about anatomy...For the record, Benton's also sells hams cut and packaged.
Using the Ham
I packaged the ham steaks (large and medium), and separately packed and labeled the smaller pieces for soups, then started the stock for tomorrow's ham and bean soup. I used some of the smaller pieces immediately in my corn chowder which was already underway on the stove.
As instructed by Mr. Benton himself, I gently cooked the first ham slices in a pan, "along with ~1/3 cup of either cola or coffee (already made) with a spoonful of brown sugar." Since Allan indicated his preference was for cola, that's what I used. The sugars carmelized and balanced the natural saltiness of the ham. Heaven.
I do love just about any ham, honestly, but this is a wonderful artisan made work of art. Can't wait for the gratin of potatoes flecked with ham, the soup, and more. Buttermilk biscuits of course...
Mr. Benton, like many artisans reviving traditional products and ways, was not always in this business. He was once a high-school guidance counselor. I don't know what his journey from that career to this one was, but I'm sure glad he took it. When people follow what they love, it shows.
- Check out Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Ham. They also produce superb hickory smoked bacon and delicious prosciutto.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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