# Ham for ham haters?



## semimoonman (Oct 31, 2012)

Hello all, I could use some advice. My wife and I just bought a whole pig. We love pork, all of it--except for ham. She "hates it with the undying passion of a thousand suns." I don't care for it--it reminds me of funerals and sad sandwiches. 

When we ordered the pig, we asked the processor not to cure the hams and to grind one of them into sausage. Well, when I got the packages back from the processor, oh boy, there's still so much ham--30 to 40 pounds of it.

What do I do with all this fresh ham? Does anyone have recipes for fresh ham that doesn't end up with it tasting at all like something that should be covered in cloves and pineapple?

Can I just braise or slow cook it the way that I would a shoulder for tacos or pulled pork? Or will it turn sad and dry the way that an industrially raised pork loin does when you try to braise it? (The pig was a heritage Tamworth and quite large--196# hanging weight--if that matters.)

I found this and am trying it this weekend:
http://www.formerchef.com/2011/05/23/slow-cooked-cuban-pork/

Does anyone have other ham for haters recipes?

Thanks.


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## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

So you have leg of pork, not a cured ham, right? Skin on? Roast it. Skin off? Pulled pork, or roast it but what good is roast pork without cracklings?

I hate cured ham too - won't eat it. But leg of pork is pork - it won't taste anything like ham unless you cure it.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

You can roast these hams like any other roasts. We did this when we processed a pig I got in trade for some work I did. Or you can cut thin as pork steak and grill them. 

You are getting some pretty fine ground pork sausage!

I wait for the ham to go on sale and then buy as much as I can. Eat some and then cut up chunks and freeze for split pea soup. Sounds like that option is too late for you.


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## semimoonman (Oct 31, 2012)

The hams pieces we have are cut into three to five pound roasts, mostly cross sections of the leg that are two to three inches thick.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

I adore cured ham. I take a ham, put it in a roasting type pan with a few cups of water to steam it, cover the whole shebang in tinfoil(snug, no air holes) and bake it until it falls apart. If you put it fat slab up, it will baste itself while it steams and I could stand over the oven, burning my fingers and gobbling it up until I feel ill.

And have. I love it. No pineapple, no chewy slabs of greasy meat. Tender delicate salty fatty ham....


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## unregistered358895 (Jul 15, 2013)

My brother in law smokes his on a Traeger and OH MY GOODNESS they are the most delicious thing we've ever eaten.


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## dmelzo (Oct 5, 2013)

My friend gave me a ham spread for crackers recipe that is so good. Cut your ham in small pieces cut up some green onion and mix them in softened cream cheese. Super easy and so good. I know it won't use up much of your ham but it a gotta try. I'm not a big cream cheese fan but I like this... good luck

Sent from my LG-C800 using Homesteading Today mobile app


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

This won't help you know, but maybe in the future.

When we don't want/need any ham, we have it ground into the sausage. It's very good.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Lots of things to be done with the hind leg of a hog. slice it into steaks, grind it up and make deviled ham, cook it like you would any other roast.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Wolfy-hound said:


> I adore cured ham. I take a ham, put it in a roasting type pan with a few cups of water to steam it, cover the whole shebang in tinfoil(snug, no air holes) and bake it until it falls apart. If you put it fat slab up, it will baste itself while it steams and I could stand over the oven, burning my fingers and gobbling it up until I feel ill.
> 
> And have. I love it. No pineapple, no chewy slabs of greasy meat. Tender delicate salty fatty ham....


If we do not hear from you for a while, we will know where you are. Eating ham! :happy2:


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## semimoonman (Oct 31, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I slow cooked one "steak" into taco meat--marinated it in lime juice, orange juice, garlic, oregano, and chile peppers; browned it; and stuck it in the slow cooker all day. That worked out alright. 
It had less texture that when I do that with a shoulder, but it was still quite tasty. 

I'm thinking about trying to confit some of it--lightly cure it with some bay and juniper, then slow cook it under lard, and eat it (a little bit at a time with a huge salad...and some savory cherry jam) just like a duck leg confit.

I did ask for one of the legs to be ground...but there's so much ham I wonder if that actually happened. We do have a meat grinder, so I could do that if necessary. 

Also after the pulled taco meat success, some of it will be turned into a less spicy pulled pork, repacked and frozen, and be given as Christmas gifts to my sister-in-laws with too many toddlers.


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