Centerpiece of festive dinner
Braised Virginia Ham with Molasses
FestiveDocumented🧂 🍄 🫙moyen1 h
A thick slice of Virginia ham, long-salted and smoked, simmered then glazed with molasses. Salty, deep, almost umami, with a dark, shiny crust. The splendor of happy days.
Centerpiece of festive dinner
A thick slice of Virginia ham, long-salted and smoked, simmered then glazed with molasses. Salty, deep, almost umami, with a dark, shiny crust. The splendor of happy days.
Ah, Virginia ham! There, reader, is the memory of a luxury that my youth in Richmond made known to me. It was salted for months, smoked until its flesh took on a dark mahogany hue — the color, I would say, of my finest inks. When by good fortune the table received a slice, it was gently simmered, then coated with molasses until it shone like a lacquered casket. Those were feast days, rare and precious, when for a moment one forgot the harshness of the world.
Ingredients
- •Slice of salted-smoked Virginia ham — one nice thick slice (main piece)
- •Cane molasses — a few spoonfuls (glaze)
- •Cider vinegar — a dash (acidity)
- •Water — for braising (cooking liquid)
How it was made : Virginia ham (Smithfield ham) was dry-salted, sometimes coated with pepper, then smoked over applewood or hickory and aged for months. Very salty, it kept without refrigeration — a precious advantage. It was cut into thin slices and often sweetened with a molasses or brown sugar glaze for festive meals.