The Country Ham Book [Paperback]

Jeanne Voltz (Author), Elaine J. Harvell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 1999

Good country ham is a delicacy that deserves to be in gourmet company. Dry cured with salt and other natural ingredients and aged to a rich intensity, true country ham boasts a flavor and texture that puts the more common wet-cured ham, which is soaked in brine or injected with a salt solution, to shame.

This book celebrates country ham's colorful culinary past and its continued close ties with life across the South. Jeanne Voltz and Elaine Harvell discuss the lore and history of country ham; walk the reader through buying, preparing, and serving a country ham; and present some 70 recipes for country ham and its accompaniments. The book also features a glossary and a list of sources for ordering country hams.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] rare cookbook where the opening chapters are must-reads, covering the history, the making and the handling of hams.

Charlotte Observer

This book is sure to become a keepsake for all generations of country ham lovers.Our State

[T]here•s now a practical paean to this precious portion of pork.

BookPage

A definitive book perfect for a country ham lover.

Taste-Full

It's about time someone lavished this kind of loving attention on one of America's great heirloom foods.

Jim Auchmutey, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

From the Inside Flap

One dry cured country ham will enhance family and party menus throughout the winter. This book is a guide for buying, cooking, and serving this American delicacy. Includes 70 recipes plus sources for purchasing the real thing.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (October 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807848271
• ISBN-13: 978-0807848272
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Needed To Know about Country Ham, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Country Ham Book (Hardcover)

I was practically weaned on country ham but until I bought a copy of Jeanne Voltz's book on country ham, I never appreciated the nuances that distinguish one country ham from another,the differences in the curing, the smoking (not to mention the type of wood used for the smoking), the aging and storing. Voltz explains all of this in detail, provides mail order sources for country hams, then dishes up a fabulous variety of country ham recipes. This is definitely the definitive book on the subject of country hams.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not a "how-to" book, December 25, 2009

By 

kingk (MT USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Country Ham Book (Hardcover)

I was misled in believe this book actually showed a person how to make (not cook) a ham, nope. Lots of recipes for ham as ingriedient and places to aquire country hams. Good book for what it is, but really was hoping to be able cure, smoke and produce a country ham.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Cookbook, not a Craftbook, December 7, 2009

By 

Jeff Scott (Owasso, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Country Ham Book (Paperback)

First, let me preface this review by saying I haven't read the book in it's entirety. I have however read through the sections up to the recipes. This is probably a good book to understand how to cook and carve a country ham, but if you're looking for a good source on how to MAKE a country ham yourself, pass this one by.
With only one review (at the time I bought it), there wasn't a lot to base my decision on, and I figured it would probably be okay, if just for the recipes alone. In that regard, I'm not disappointed with the book as a whole. The authors display a good depth of knowledge of the genesis and evolution of the country ham, in an albeit abbreviated format. This is probably due to the fact that I much prefer a detailed text on a subject, rather than a summary overview.
I'm getting ready to undertake my first effort at a home cured country ham, and I'm looking for some good sources of information to help me out. Not really into testing how nasty botulism can be.
So... not a bad book... but not a source of information on how to actually make your own country hams.