Country or Virginia Ham
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Won’t be long until “hog killing time” my great-granddad used to say. I was too young to learn how he processed a hog, but I know he had two cures. One was a sugar cure. The other he called a “Virginia Ham Cure.” I wish I knew what he was using and I hope some of you know.
The ham tasted salty, and was usually fried into thin slices in a little fat. My great-grandmother then made “red eye gravy,” but I couldn’t eat it, because it was a “sin to give coffee to children.” I remember those country hams, and I remember how red the meat was, not like today’s hams. Anyway, if anyone knows how to make a “Virginia Ham,” I would love to have that knowledge.
Thanks in advance, for any advice or help you can give me.
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johnsbrewhouse Team Blue Regular Contributors Traeger Power User Sous Vide Canning Washington Gardening Veteranreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by
Warrenlc57 Here’s a place to go to see how to make a Virginia Cured Ham. They are a lot of work, but the reward is worth the wait. https://gallatin.ca.uky.edu/files/how_to_make_a_country_ham.pdf
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johnsbrewhouse THANK YOU SO MUCH.
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by
Warrenlc57 Country, or “Virginia cured ham” has been a staple in our family as long as I can remember. I have some in the fridge as I type this. In the Great State of Tennessee, most folks will simply call it Country ham, since there is a smoked Virginia ham, and Country ham is made in many other states. As a kid, I can remember my Uncle in TN butchering his own hogs and making his own Country hams. Its definitely some work. Ill check with my cousin to see if he has any of the family recipes/secrets on curing one. To me, the best breakfast sandwich made is a fresh biscuit, country ham, and a slice of fresh garden tomatoe.
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GWG8541 Semper Fi! Thank you so much for responding. I, too, remember going into my great-grandparents garden for tomatoes for these breakfast sandwiches (since I wasn’t allowed to have red-eye gravy). I might be wrong about this, but I think he hung those hams in a smoke house for a very, very long time. I would cherish a recipe from your family. I served between 1975-1977.
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by
Warrenlc57 Semper Fi Devildog! Its been a tough week. I was a.little after you 82-86 with 2/7. You are definitely right about the smokehouse hang time. It takes some time to get that ham dry.
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to johnsbrewhouse on last edited by
johnsbrewhouse good article, thanks for posting
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Grimpuppy Team Blue Military Veterans Power User Regular Contributors Kansasreplied to GWG8541 on last edited by
GWG8541 said in Country or Virginia Ham:
Warrenlc57 Semper Fi Devildog! Its been a tough week. I was a.little after you 82-86 with 2/7. You are definitely right about the smokehouse hang time. It takes some time to get that ham dry.
We got our fire team! Semper Fi brother.
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mrobisr Team Blue Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Military Veterans Power User Regular Contributorsreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by
Warrenlc57 what we call country ham is the really dark salty, and shelf stable ham that is cured and aged for months, but definitions seem to vary depending on location.
Here’s a couple resources
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/lit_rev/cure_smoke_meats.html
home_meat_curing_guide.pdf
https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2526 -
Grimpuppy I’m actually a very old “sister.” Company A in boot camp at Parris Island was supposed to be the first woman’s company to snap in, but the weapons didn’t arrive. That is how old I am. LOL. I would tell you what I did, but I don’t know if it has been declassified. Probably, because that technology is obsolete. LOL
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by GWG8541
Warrenlc57 you may be surprised. We used some pretty old gear when I was in. Just slap another coat of paint on it and send it back to the fleet. I had 3 MOS’ in a very short time. 2542, 0351, and 8541.
By the way, that is too cool about your sister. Its amazing that WMs are now being trained at San Diego as well. -
Bob Stehlik Team Blue Traeger Canning Veteran Power User Regular Contributors Military Veterans Coloradoreplied to GWG8541 on last edited by Bob Stehlik
GWG8541 Grimpuppy Warrenlc57 I guess that makes me the “Old Salt”. (66-70).
Mos: 5942,5949
Semper Fi Marines! -
GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Bob Stehlik on last edited by
Bob Stehlik old salt and smart one.
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GWG8541 2542, Camp Pendleton
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by
Warrenlc57 good deal. Did you attend school at 29 Palms?
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LOL, not my sister, but ME. I went to the stumps too, having the same MOS as you. I love the USMC. Two of my sons followed in their mama’s footsteps. One was Navy and the other a weatherman in the USAF. Changing the subject, but it is so nice to see so many men who still have these meat preserving skills and who can provide. It is so much fun just reading the posts. I love you guys, and I’m learning so much!
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Bob Stehlik Team Blue Traeger Canning Veteran Power User Regular Contributors Military Veterans Coloradoreplied to GWG8541 on last edited by Bob Stehlik
GWG8541 I helped moved C&E Battalion from MCRD SD to 29 Palms and taught for 2 months in August of ‘67. Spent 6 weeks living in tents at Dead Man Lake training reservists in September/October of ‘69.
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WOW. The best dining facility I ever ate at while in the CORPS was a GP medium. You are older than I am. We called it 29 Stumps back then. MCCES is where I was trained. Do you remember them training with heavy artillery on that base? My friends in school (all men, I was the only woman) went swimming in the “pools” which were cesspools, and got some kind of infection. LOL I told them they were not for swimming in! The reason I enlisted is because men, like you, were being treated so horribly. I had the opinion that this country belonged to all of us, so I served too, but of course, never had boots on the ground. Women were not permitted.
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Bob Stehlik Unfortunately, when I was in, we did not consider ‘reservists’ to be real marines. LOL, of course, I was called a BAM (broad-assed marine). Times have changed a lot. Before I went to school, everyone told me that it does not freeze in the deserts of California. At muster, it was freezing cold, but by noon the polish melted off our boots and oxfords.
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans Ohioreplied to Warrenlc57 on last edited by GWG8541
Warrenlc57 It did get a little warm there. I was there for Comm School and after the MOS change, a MCRES exercise prior to deployment. I got to hear the arty going down range and even overhead more that once. When your young and dumb its a cool experience.
