A little less than a year ago we butchered two hogs. You may remember the picture of the hams in their salt and sugar cure, and my description of how they lived in our bedroom for weeks and weeks, the bedroom being plenty cold for curing hams. Well, they’ve been living under our kitchen table since then, wrapped in pillowcases and surrounded by wood ashes, and yesterday, in
The ham in its pillowcase, dusty with ashes
preparation for New Year Day, I unwrapped one, scrubbed it,
The ham, unwrapped, but a little ashey and a little moldy
and have had it soaking overnight.
In a little while, or maybe this evening, I’ll put it on the woodstove to simmer for a few hours. Then tomorrow I’ll skin it, leaving a half inch of fat to cover the whole thing, smear the outside with a messy paste of brown sugar and mustard and bake it in the woodstove oven until the outside is caramelized and brown.
The ham, scrubbed
I also soaked blackeyed peas
Blackeyed peas soaking
overnight and they’re now cooking on the woodstove, and in a little while I’ll chop a couple of bunches of collards and start cooking them with some smoked pork.
If you’re reading this and you’re close by, I hope you’ll stop by and have a bite.
The rest of you: I wish you were here!