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When I travel, I love to meet the locals and sample the food of the area I visit. I am particularly interested in artisan foods and enjoy meeting the producers and learning from them.
Lately I have been on a culinary quest to find a genuine country ham.
Country hams are not to be confused with city hams we find in local supermarkets. The only similarity between country ham and city ham is that they both come from the hind quarter of the pig. There the resemblance ends. A country ham is in a category all of its own — a piece of Americana that is still produced locally and rivals the Italian prosciutto.
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Ernie Greer of Franklin, Tenn., who owns a three-generation family business specializing in country hams, sausages and bacon. I particularly was interested in meeting him as I had been gifted with a delicious country ham from his establishment some weeks earlier. Ernie greeted me with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand and welcomed me into his rustic restaurant/smokehouse/shed.
As I toured his establishment, I learned his country hams are still produced the old way — there is no automated machinery involved. The fresh hams are cured with a hand-rub of salt and brown sugar. They are all natural — no nitrates or nitrites are used. After they are salt-cured, the hams are smoked with hickory. Ernie was adamant that hickory, a native hardwood, produced the best flavor. Then the hams are hung in a climate-controlled room for an individualized period of time. Each ham is cured to perfection for its precise weight, size and ability to absorb the proper flavor.
The end result is a beautiful country ham that boasts a rosy interior with a flavor all its own. A country ham is saltier than its city cousin and has a slightly drier texture because it has not been injected with solutions to create artificial tenderness.
Ernie revealed he was working with the University of Tennessee to develop an American prosciutto. Although not at liberty to reveal the total process, he explained that meticulous scientific methods were involved in perfecting the moisture content, curing time and temperature requirements to produce the correct texture for his new project.
As I left Greer’s Country Hams, I knew I had met a Tennessee gem. This down-home, unpretentious man, dressed in overalls and speaking with a soft Southern accent, had the persona of a simple farmer who merely cured hams as a way of life. However, beneath the humble exterior was a master craftsman who possessed the knowledge and passion to create artisan country hams, but who also had the foresight to be on the cutting edge of developing American prosciutto.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there, and with typical Southern hospitality, Ernie invited me back. And I’ve accepted his offer. On my Springtime Tennessee Tour in April, we will be visiting Greer’s and having a real Tennessee supper with Ernie.
