Hamming it Up

Who doesn't enjoy a delightful bite of salty, smokey, savory ham or pork belly? These 2 cuts of meat are from the hind leg or as the name suggests, the hog's belly. These luscious fatty cuts of primal meat are just meant to be brined and smoked, causing the fat to render down naturally flavoring and tenderizing the meat. An alternative to smoking is aging the cuts for a long period of time. As the meat ages in a controlled environment, which is both cool and dry, the tissue breaks down. The result, a velvety texture and a luscious mild salty flavor created by the region's climate. There are many variations of foods using these cuts of pork worldwide. I will focus on 3 of the best at hamming it up: Italy, Germany, and the good ol' USA.

Bacon is king when it comes to pork products from the belly. This fatty, salty slab of meat achieves its flavor profile by brining it in a solution and then cold smoking it for a few hours. Bacon fat has become a coveted commodity in the kitchen, rendered down fat makes a great replacement for cooking oils. You can't beat cooking with pre-flavored oil. Bacon fat dressing over fresh spinach is a perfect example. Not only a popular breakfast staple in the U.S., but bacon is also served as a compliment with eggs in Australia, Canada, The U.K., Europe, and even Japan. The list of dishes with bacon as an ingredient in the U.S. is endless: burgers, salads, crumbled on a baked potato, wrapping a meatloaf, and my personal favorite, a crispy, fresh BLT sandwich.

Country ham is relished in the southeastern region of the U.S. The process for converting this large hunk of pork is very similar to that of prosciutto. The lack of refrigeration is the reason for its original creation. The whole ham is salt-cured for 1-3 months, then smoked with hickory or red oak. Then the wait, the hams age for a few months to 3 years, depending on the fat content. As the pork ages white mold develops on the exterior, make sure this is scrubbed off before preparation. The ham can be baked, roasted over an open flame, or fried. Try a big slice with red-eye gravy made from the drippings, a southern delicacy. It is also popular to slice it very thin and layer the slices on homemade buttermilk biscuits or yeast rolls.

Pancetta is another popular cut of meat from the belly. The finest in the world comes from Italy. The belly is cured with salt and then dashed with pepper and rolled into a cylinder. This is very popular in northern Italy where it is very trendy to slice it thin and eat it with a chunk Parmesan cheese chased down with Lambrusco wine. In southern Italy, it is traditionally purchased flat and used for making soups. The flavor profile has much more depth than traditional bacon. Sliced thin and layered on top of a pizza with fresh arugula, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, has become one of my favorite pizzas. My favorite Italian meal by far is pasta carbonara. Render diced pancetta, add cooked pasta to a mixture of eggs, pepper, and Parmesan. Combine all and Mangia!

Westphalian ham is considered to be a delicacy. This German pork superstar is made from acorn-eating pigs dwelling in the local forests of Westphalia. The diet along with the beechwood and juniper fueled smoke give this ham its distinct flavor and aroma. This ham even has some history associated with it. Thomas Jefferson, during his travels throughout the region, documented the production methods used to produce it. They can be purchased bone-in or out. Either way, be prepared to shell out some serious cash, typical of anything that goes through a long aging process. Use them just as you would Italian prosciutto. Sliced thin and served with other Italian food products for an antipasto platter, or on a sliced Kaiser roll with cheese and German mustard.

Prosciutto is Italian for ham. In Italy, they refer to it as Parma hence prosciutto di Parma. Many regions throughout Italy have their own versions of this prized cut of meat each with varying degrees of protected status. The best prosciutto comes from the region Emiglia-Romagna. Prosciutto doesn't identify the cut of meat but the process used to create it so it may be pork, wild boar, or lamb. It is prepared just like the other products, salted, cured, and aged. Traditional dishes include it paired with fruits and vegetables like asparagus and cantaloupe. Veal or chicken saltimbocca displays a clever way to use it in a hot dish. Layer a thin slice on your meat and top with a sage leaf and roll it ham slice out. Saute in white wine and top with the jus.

Preserving ham, using the very methods mentioned in this post, goes back to 160 b.c. An article was found in which Cato the Elder mentions the salting of these cuts to preserve them. Pork belly has become so popular worldwide, especially throughout Asia, that it is an icon of futures and commodities trading on Wall Street. Originating in 1961 to help control the cost of volatile hog prices coming out of Chicago. Pork belly has ascended from scrap meat to a full-blown food star. Chefs everywhere are knocking out some amazing creations featuring this fatty cut. If healthy dining is your thing, then look elsewhere, outside of the loin most cuts of pork are very fatty and we all know in the culinary world that fat means one thing...flavor!