Thread: Easter 2017

It's been years since I had a tongue sandwich. I've looked and here in Walla Walla they sell for about $25 each! I'd love to not only have one that's been smoked but also cured before hand. However $25 would put a lot of fuel in my Harley!!

Sliced thin, piled high on a hoagy bun, with lots of sloppy sauce.............guess what's for dinner Roy?

Originally Posted by Benz

Sliced thin, piled high on a hoagy bun, with lots of sloppy sauce.............guess what's for dinner Roy?

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id take the fuel any day over tongue Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

id take the fuel any day over tongue Tc

Would you eat "Green Eggs and Ham", said Sam I am?

Ok, I started this thread about Easter Supper here's the link to the start:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/plate...ml#post1728992

So I put the dry cured ham in a large ice chest at around noon on Wednesday, it's now about 4:30 on Friday so the ham had not only soaked/but was soaking under running cold water for about 48+ hours. Well I hope my math is right

I had scrubbed the ham very well with a stiff nylon brush just a bit ago with the recommended warm water. I then started running cold water once again to lower the outside temps. (Just being anal)

Once I was happy for the the outside temp I drained the ham, used a clean bath towel to pick it up with and took it to my table to cut up (as I've said a whole leg is way too much for my little family).

I figure that since this is an Old Time Style Ham that I should use Old Time Tools! My dad's oldest sister's husband 'Uncle Walt' loved F Dick tools. I used his 6" boning knife to remove the lower leg at the joint then I cut though the meat with one of my knives between the knee and hip then used my Uncles meat saw to cut through the bone then I used my knife to finish the cut.

Here's some of the tools.



Notice the W's



So here's the whole leg broken down. The Shank End will be for Easter (and is tightly wrapped and under refrigeration), the Butt Half is very well wrapped and in the freezer for later use.

The actual Shank is also very well wrapped and in the freezer. However I haven't decided what to do with the shank--seems a waste to just boil it for beans. Maybe baked for a small supper with a guest; then use the remnants to use for beans



Thanks for Looking!

NOTE: I didn't use Uncle Walt's carbon steel prime rib knife shown in the first pics as I'd touched up the edge and it will easily cut arm hairs and I didn't want to bugger the edge up cutting between the sawed bone.

I'm saving that knife for cutting the paper thin cuts for Easter Dinner.

The heck with that cut you a couple 3/4" ham steaks for a real breakfast one morning. fried in one of your cast iron pans, with a couple over easy eggs,, now that's the way a country boy does it! but your ok for the thin slices for Easter,, my self I believe I,m having bologna sandwhiches (or as we call them out here "Roughneck Round Steak) for Easter dinner with maybe some pickles and a coke Tc

forgot some Red Eye gravy to go along with that ham steak

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

The heck with that cut you a couple 3/4" ham steaks for a real breakfast one morning. fried in one of your cast iron pans, with a couple over easy eggs,, now that's the way a country boy does it! but your ok for the thin slices for Easter,, my self I believe I,m having bologna sandwiches (or as we call them out here "Roughneck Round Steak) for Easter dinner with maybe some pickles and a coke Tc

forgot some Red Eye gravy to go along with that ham steak

Tc, you've got a great idea there! :

I have a special guest coming later this month and I think I'll use the shank for ham steaks for a meal while she's here.

I'm thinking this for the menu:

Fried Dry Cured Ham
Red Eye Gravy for the ham
Eggs cooked to order
Hash Browns
Biscuits made with homemade buttermilk

Juice & Coffee

OH! If I'm not mistaken you had Roughneck Round Steak for Thanksgiving. It's Easter, go for the gusto and grab some deli Ham for the Sandwich

Here's an update on the Smithfield Dry Cured Ham.

Following not only the manufacturer's recommendation but rolodave's counsel I simmered the ham instead of baking it. I was able to get the heat just right to where the water was barely moving. I had a digital probe in the ham and when it read 160degs I pulled the ham out and wrapped it in foil and a heavy towel. The heat continued to rise and peaked at 167degs. I then removed the fat and fully wrapped the ham in foil and placed it in a 150deg oven on baking pan. I chopped the fat up and then rendered it till I had enough oil to make a roux later.

Following my theme of 'It's an Old Time Ham, use Old Time Tools, when I carved the ham (very thin slices) the slices were put into my Great Grandmothers serving dish.



As expected the meat was drier and saltier than a water injected cured ham but the flavor was wonderful! It's very intense.

It was a huge hit! Everyone had seconds and thirds on the ham.

Would I spend the money on another one. Yes! However it will be awhile as I still have the butt end tightly wrapped and in the freezer along with the lower leg.

Sorry no additional pics as it really was a special day, not only was it Easter it was my son's 24th birthday so it was family time.

The last time Easter fell on his birthday was 22 years ago. According to a chart we found online Easter and his birthday will fall on the same day in 2028 and then the next time will be 2147/I don't think he'll be celebrating that one.

I hope that Everyone had as nice an Easter as my family and I did!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Ray, thanks for the memories! :

To be honest the reason that I spent the amount of money that I did to get the Smithfield was because of my long departed father. He was born and raised on his grandfather's homestead. He used to talk about the dry cured hams and bacons that he had growing up. He swore that the hams weren't any good until they got to be about a year old.

While he never took time to learn the art, he sure missed those hams.

On the other hand, my mother (who was raised in town) didn't care for them, saying that they were black on the outside and covered with salt. I believe that my granny didn't soak them very long.

Which brings me to where I am in this point in time. I'm a day and a half into soaking the Smithfield in running water and I'm planning on another day and a half to not only remove excess salt but to help reconstitute the meat.

I'm well aware that any mold isn't harmful/thanks dad

I'll be posting pics here in a couple of days. To be using the entire leg for my little family would be a waste so I'll be cutting it into 1/3d's and then freezing what I won't be baking.

I find it funny that the recommended method is to cook the 'ham' in water. I guess back in Virginia they have 35 gallon metal drums to do that in as that's all that comes to mind that would be large enough to hold the entire leg.

Again, thanks for the memories! :

Now that you mention it, my grandma sure did have some big old pots lying around. One of them was an old iron pot that got shifted around the backyard. We called it the her witch's cauldron, and the thing was massive. I don't think it had actually been cooked with since the great depression, but made a good conversation piece.

The aluminum and steel pots got used far more often. But I'm pretty sure all our hams are baked at low temperature in a deep pan filled with about an inch of water or so. I'm not %100 sure though, for large family dinners we menfolk were/are typically shoo'd away from the kitchen.