Country Ham In Kentucky Recipes

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Unwrap ham and scrub off any surface mold (if you hung in a sack for 6 months you'd have mold too). Carefully remove hock with hand saw. (If this idea makes you eye your first aid kit, ask your butcher to do it. But make sure you keep the hock, it's the best friend collard greens ever had.)
• Place ham in cooler and cover with clean water. (As long as it's not too dirty you can use what southerners call the "hose pipe"). Stash the cooler in the bushes. If it's summer, throw in some ice. If it's freezing out, keep the cooler inside. Change the water twice a day for two days turning the ham each time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place ham in a large disposable turkey-roasting pan and add enough Dr. Pepper to come about halfway up the side of the ham. Add pickle juice if you've got it and tent completely with heavy-duty foil. Cook for 1/2 hour then reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and cook another 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the ham over, insert an oven safe thermometer (probe-style is best) and cook another 1 1/2 hours, or until the deepest part of the ham hits 140 degrees F (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound total).
• Let rest 1/2 hour then slice paper-thin. Serve with biscuits or soft yeast rolls.
• Cooks note: Even after soaking, country ham is quite salty, so thin slicing is mandatory. If you're a bacon fan, however, cut a thicker (1/4-inch) slice and fry it up for breakfast.

KENTUCKY RED BEANS AND RICE TOPPED WITH CRISPY COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• For the beans: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the onions, pepper and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the pecans and saute until they are dark brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the Cajun/Creole seasoning, garlic powder, ground thyme, white pepper and bay leaves. Stir to coat. Add the beans and 8 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium heat until the beans are just about to be al dente, 75 to 90 minutes. Uncover, stir in the hot sauce and liquid smoke and cook until the sauce thickens, the beans are tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 20 minutes more.
• For the rice: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the rice, Roasted Garlic, liquid smoke and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Saute over medium heat until all the rice is coated with butter. Add 1 1/2 cups warm water and bring to a boil, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until tender and the water is absorbed, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
• Lay out the country ham slices on a baking sheet and bake until crispy, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your ham. Set aside until cool enough to crumble for garnish.
• Remove the bay leaves from the bean pot. Season the beans with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over the rice. Garnish with the crumbled country ham.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the top off of the garlic head, exposing the cloves but leaving the head intact. Set the head on a large piece of foil, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap up the foil to make a pouch and bake until the garlic soft and roasted, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool before using.