March/April 2005

So Many Hams, So Little Time

Understanding the plethora of pork cuts is first step in having a swine-o-mite spring supper

by Patrick Evans-Hylton

In the days before electricity, when the nation was still largely rural, many folks lived on a farm, or weren’t too far removed from the agrarian way of life. Each autumn, when the first cold spell hit, part of that way of life dictated a hog killing.

Hog killings were big community events—everyone took part in the slaughter and rendering of the porcine livestock. Many folks would gather at one farm in particular for the killing, and bring potluck suppers and sing songs while completing the gruesome task at hand.

The first cold snap was perfect because it kept the flies away, and, as winter approached, the pork cuts could hang, salted and peppered, in smokehouses. There, with the cooler weather, they aged without going bad, and took on the aromatics of the hardwood.

By spring, the aging was complete, and the finished ham made it to the Easter dinner table.

Not many folks participate in hog killings today, or even have their own smokehouse, but many do still enjoy a whole, cooked ham—traditionally country-cured or sugar-glazed—on dinner tables come this time of year.