Country Ham Bites Recipes

Steps:

• Unwrap ham and scrub off any surface mold (if you hung in a sack for 6 months you'd have mold too). Carefully remove hock with hand saw. (If this idea makes you eye your first aid kit, ask your butcher to do it. But make sure you keep the hock, it's the best friend collard greens ever had.)
• Place ham in cooler and cover with clean water. (As long as it's not too dirty you can use what southerners call the "hose pipe"). Stash the cooler in the bushes. If it's summer, throw in some ice. If it's freezing out, keep the cooler inside. Change the water twice a day for two days turning the ham each time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place ham in a large disposable turkey-roasting pan and add enough Dr. Pepper to come about halfway up the side of the ham. Add pickle juice if you've got it and tent completely with heavy-duty foil. Cook for 1/2 hour then reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and cook another 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the ham over, insert an oven safe thermometer (probe-style is best) and cook another 1 1/2 hours, or until the deepest part of the ham hits 140 degrees F (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound total).
• Let rest 1/2 hour then slice paper-thin. Serve with biscuits or soft yeast rolls.
• Cooks note: Even after soaking, country ham is quite salty, so thin slicing is mandatory. If you're a bacon fan, however, cut a thicker (1/4-inch) slice and fry it up for breakfast.

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 8 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.) In a separate bowl, stir remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar into warm milk until dissolved.
• Add 2 1/2 cups flour and milk mixture to yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in upper and lower thirds. Line two 4-sided sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Gently press one fourth of ham and cheese into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope. Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, ham, and cheese and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).
• Bring water (6 cups) to a boil in a 4-to 5-quart saucepan. Reduce heat and stir in baking soda. Cook pretzel bites in batches in gently simmering water, turning once, until slightly puffed, about 20 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to sheet pans.
• Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes (cheese may ooze slightly).
• Meanwhile, stir together mustard, jalapeños, and honey.
• Brush warm pretzel bites with butter and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with jalapeño mustard for dipping.

Steps:

• Batter: Combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
• Breading: Pulse the crackers and potato chips in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl.
• Filling: Cut the canned meat into chunks and put it into a food processor with the pickle slices. Pulse until the mixture becomes chunky. Do not overmix.
• Roll pieces of the cream cheese into 1 1/2-ounce balls with floured hands to avoid sticking. Fatten each ball with the palm of your hand. Portion out the meat mixture to match the amount of cheese balls. Put a portion of the meat into the middle of a cheese ball and fold the cheese over the meat to enclose. Once you have a ball formed, dip it in the batter and then roll it in the cracker mixture. Repeat with the remaining cheese balls and meat.
• Heat about 1-inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Gently fry the bites, in batches, until golden brown. Remove them from the oil to a serving platter and enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the ham and saute until just starting to brown.
• Place the potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with vegetable oil. Cook over low heat until the oil just starts to bubble and the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Meanwhile, line a 9-inch pie pan with the prepared pie crust and pierce with a fork. Cover with parchment and fill with the dried beans. Blind bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool, then carefully remove and discard the paper and beans.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper. Layer the empty pie shell with the potatoes, ham, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the filling. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the green onions over the top. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the center just sets and the top is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
• In a bowl, whisk together the dry biscuit ingredients.
• Cut in the butter and shortening until mixture is crumbly.
• Mix in buttermilk and knead until it forms a dough.
• Cut dough into 5 cylinders, 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
• In another bowl, mix the mayo, honey, and Sriracha.
• Split the biscuits in half.
• Spread honey Sriracha mayo on one half.
• Lay 3 slices of country ham on the other half.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together. Add more milk if mixture is too dry.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.