Smithfield ham or country ham is a variety of cured ham from the United States, associated with the Southern United States and Smithfield, Virginia in particular. It is typically very salty in taste. For other meanings of ham or Ham, see Ham (disambiguation). ... Southern United States. ... Smithfield is a town located in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. ...

Country hams are salt- and saltpeter-cured for about a month, then hardwood (usually hickory and red oak) smoked, then aged for several months to a year. The smoking process turns the meat a much redder color than other hams. They are usually sold in stores unrefrigerated as whole bone-in hams packaged in rough cotton bags, with identifying markings printed on the bags. Country ham is also sold in ready-to-cook pre-soaked, pre-sliced packages, usually vacuum-packed plastic sheets. A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) In chemistry, a salt is any ionic compound composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Saltpeter is variously: potassium nitrate (niter); or sodium nitrate (soda niter) ... Beech is a typical temperate zone hardwood The term hardwood designates wood from angiosperm trees. ... Species See text Hickory is a tree of the genera Carya and Annamocarya. ... Binomial name Quercus rubra L. The Northern red oak, Quercus rubra (Quercus borealis in some older references), is an oak in the red oak group (Quercus section Lobatae). ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Smoking Smoking is the process of preserving, cooking, or flavoring food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials, most often wood. ...

Whole country hams must be scrubbed and soaked for many hours prior to consumption in order to remove the salt cure and mold, otherwise they will be much too salty to eat. Even when soaked properly, they are still quite salty. They are usually cooked by slicing and pan-frying, though they can also be baked whole.

Country ham is often served as an entree as a whole slice, often with the femur cross-section left in. It is also commonly served sliced and then cut into pieces to be used in sandwiches made of buttermilk (or similar) biscuits, sometimes with butter or red-eye gravy. The bone is obviously not left in for this preparation. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A biscuit is a type of food. ... In the Cuisine of the Southern United States, Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham and water or black coffee. ...

A 1926 Statute of Virginia (passed by the Virginia General Assembly) regulates the usage of the term "Smithfield Ham" by stating: 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 320 km 690 km 7. ... The Virginia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Virginia. ...

"Genuine Smithfield hams [are those] cut from the carcasses of peanut-fed hogs, raised in the peanut-belt of the State of Virginia or the State of North Carolina, and which are cured, treated, smoked, and processed in the town of Smithfield, in the State of Virginia."

The peanut feed stipulation was removed in 1966. Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the pea family Fabaceae native to South America. ... HOG or hog can mean:- A pig, originally a castrated male pig. ... Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the pea family Fabaceae native to South America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 320 km 690 km 7. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 805 km 240 km 9. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Red-eye gravy is closely associated with country ham, and is made by adding water or coffee to country ham pan drippings and cooking it down for a short time. In the Cuisine of the Southern United States, Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham and water or black coffee. ...

Country ham can be compared to prosciutto, but prosciutto is not smoked, and is generally moister than a country ham. It is also usually sliced much thinner instead of the thicker traditional country ham "steaks". Even country ham sliced to be used in a biscuit sandwich is cut thicker than prosciutto traditionally is. Prosciutto Prosciutto, or Parma ham, is a dry-cured ham original from central and northern Italy. ... A biscuit is a small baked bread or cake. ...

Some cookbooks on Chinese cooking produced in the West suggest that Smithfield ham can substitute for Chinese ham products, being similar in flavor. A cookbook contains information on cooking, and a list of recipes. ... Chinese cuisine is widely seen as representing one of the richest and most diverse culinary heritages in the world. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...