European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse One of Virginia s treasured resources by Bill Lohmann United press International t he Aroma of the smokehouse Wall through the an of Smith yield. A whore hams arc part business and pan religion but mostly n revered tradition. Cured by a centuries old process that loaves the same Down Home Salty flavor enjoyed by the colonists the Smithfield Ham is one of Virginia s treasured resources so pried. In act. That its authenticity is protected by Law. It s been cured the same Way. Ever since the Indian says Charles Hera Gray 68. Assistant to the chairman of the Board at Smithfield foods inc. Where he s worked for almost a half Century. You can t change it. We be tried everything to Speed it up but it takes Hal much Lime to cure the the time involved is at least six months the meat packers often like to age the hams longer to give in an even Richer taste As designated by the Virginia general Assembly which passed legislation that says genuine Smithfield hams can be produced Only within the corporate limits of Smithfield. Smithfield is a town of 4.100 in the lowlands of Virginia. 100 Miles Southeast of Richmond and 30 Miles East of Norfolk. Bacon sausage and hams mean millions of dollars to Smithfield each year and the Smithfield Ham a wrapped one is pictured on the town s giant White water Tower stands out As its Pride. The thanksgiving and Christmas holidays Are the Busy seasons Lor the Smithfield packing houses. The Smithfield Ham carries equal Billing with the thanksgiving Turkey in Many households across America and in some other parts of the world for Many looks particularly southerners in Smithfield Ham and biscuits Aren t on the Christmas dinner table you might As Well take Down the tree and leave the presents unwrapped. It s been that Way Lor As Long As Many folks can remember. Back in the raid 1700s, a Smithfield resident named Malory Todd began Salt curing and smoking hams and Bacon that was the Only process before refrigeration from the hogs Hal ran wild in the forests near the town. By later in the Century. Todd was operating a thriving business and curing More than 10.000 hams a year. The Smithfield Ham was a gourmet Tood and one of the new world s first exports. Today Only the numbers Are bigger. Four packing houses in Smithfield Smithfield packing co. Gwaltney of Smithfield . Joyner and co. And Amber Brand turn out More than 600,000 Smithfield hams a year most of those at Christmas time. It s a gourmet Type item for people looking for a kind of specially food. We sell As Many As we can cute said Gray whose firm cures 200,000 Smithfield hams each year. There is no great secret in the making of a Smithfield Ham Only patience. And that s Why still Competition in the yield is sparse. Lean Long Cut hams part of the loin to left on the Ham Are put Down in Salt or 30 to 45 Days alter that the hams Are rinsed and Hung to dry in the wooden rafters of the smokehouse. When they Are Good and dry. The hams Are smoked for at least a week with the aromatic lires of Hickory and Oak Wood burned below the wooden slatted floors in 55-gallon Drums. There the hams stay thousands of them hanging Side by Side in the rafters to age. While other country style hams need Only a matter of weeks to age Lully a Smithfield Ham requires six months at least. Even after the six month period we really Don t think they be aged enough so very few of our hams Are sold until they be been aged nine to 12 said Gray a lifelong Smithfield resident who worked in the cutting room As a youth. That makes a great difference in the flavor of the because a Smithfield is cured it does not need refrigeration and can hand indefinitely in an airy environment such As a garage and still be Good Horn is tested for tasting Vij and goodness Belore it s bagged and shipped. The Les my process like the rest of the curing and aging process a old time but effective. Gray demonstrates jabbing an ice pick into a him in the Bone then pulling it Oul and Savouring the Aroma smell that Sweet Small he asks offering ,1 visitor a while of Iho ice pick. That s a Good one " a Smith held Ham has its Price an uncooked 12 Pound Smithfield Ham can run about $40 in to old fans and new converts of Smithfield hams the Rich taste is unmatched. Smith yield foods Lills orders Lor Smithfield Ham across the nation one fall Day. Gray received Christmas orders from Austria and new zealand even after Pitog Smithfield Ham All his Lile and being around them Day alter Day on the Job Gray has not grown tired of the unique taste. he said with a smile. You can t get tired of something that Good " the Aroma of smoke Houpei Watt through Smithfield deep in the Underbelly of Virginia where curing hat it part Burin Etc and part religion. Picture of a wrapped Ham decorate the town s water Tower. Erma Bombeck a bout 20 years ago. My husband and i were invited to an open House Lor about 200 open houses go. There was nothing really significant about it. We did t meet anyone we later married and no one fell in the punch bowl. However we did discover something on that Day that we would remember the rest of our lives. Hots d oeuvres do not hush. We would have to think of some other Way to get rid of them. The problem with these Little before dinner snacks is that there is no Way in the world of knowing what you re eating until after it is in your Mouth. Then it is too late. They do not break Down by chewing. Sometimes swallowing does it. Sometimes not. It May be imagination but these Little babies have been getting More creative year after year. was a time when i could recognize the Basic Tood category now heaven Only knows what is heaped on those Hittle crackers and dry triangles of Toast. In the beginning a hostess would set Oul a dish of nuts to stave Oil hunger. Then one Day. Someone found a cute Cracker and arranged it on a plate. The next hostess decided a Cracker looked naked and put a slice of cheese on in. From that came the dips. I made a Promise Early in my life to never eat any thing that was Navy Blue Khaki Green or excited the dog when it hit the floor. When the first hostess dumped a package of dry onion soup into a Mound of sour Cream i knew it was a threat to every Rule i had made. I m a social outcast at dips. Some people instinctively know the stress Factor involved in How much a Chip will hold before it Breaks apart. I never knew that. When it Breaks my hand is thrust into the bowl and All night i have a White residue of garlic and sour Cream under my fingernails. What really frosts me is that a hostess will never saturday december 14, 1985 reveal what she is serving on her hours d oeuvres what s this Little Brown thing on top i ask. What do you think it is she chirps. I then get 20 questions to come up with the answer is it living or dead is it american is it in politics or the arts would i to Likely to find in in my House is it bigger than a Breadbox is in considered to be a gourmet treat in this country but bait everywhere else does it run under a Rock whenever there Are bathers nearby did it look this bad when it was Young will i throw up when you Tell me what it is As a woman whose casseroles Wear name tags. I be never objected to a Little mystery in cooking but things have gotten out of hand. I have a whole Holiday season of hours d oeuvres ahead of me. A whole month of strange Little lumps of unidentifiable things being snatched from freezers and popped into the microwave to Challenge the mind. Let us Pray someone starts building a better hots d oeuvre. Of a better toilet. The stars and stripes Page 17
