Fatback And Country Ham
These two meats are truly a delicacy in the south. They have a lot in common seeing as how they are both heavily salted (A method of preservation), both are pork products, they are prepared the same way, and both have been a staple of Southern Tables due to their being so inexpensive and readily available. Fatback, in particular, became very popular on Southern tables during the great depression as it was often the only cut of meat that could be afforded by hungry families.
Either cut of meat can be found used as seasoning in a pot of beans, which is then torn or cut into small pieces and added back to the pot to eat along with the beans once they are fully cooked.
Fatback is a traditional dish served for New Year’s Eve in the South where we have our celebratory meal of Fatback, Greens, and Black Eyed peas, a meal believed to bring luck and wealth in the new year. Greens and black eyed peas (or field peas) received their cherished status when Northern Troops marched through our lands and took charge of all other crops and livestock as provisions for their troops, leaving greens and peas behind because they were believed to be fit only for the animals.
Most Southern or “Soul Food” restaurants in the south boast these meats on the menu. I always order Country Ham whenever we go to one of our beloved Cracker Barrel restaurants. They serve it with biscuits and fries or choices of country vegetables.
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Gratefully,
Christy
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Oct 26 2008. Filed under Main Course, Southern Classics.
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I like to get the country ham when I get to a Cracker Barrel. I’ve never made it at home though.
Oh my gosh!!!! Here is so.cal we never get to see big ol’ pices of ham with fat on it!!!! I can smell it through my computer screen!!!!!!HMMMMM! you’ve made me hungry!!!
The country ham looks delicious ! It’s my favorite. This is my first time to leave a comment but I have really been enjoying your site. I made the peach preserves a few weeks ago and they were indeed the best ever!!!
Kimberly I don’t make it at home often, either, for some reason. I tend to think of it more often in the winter time and I just HAVE to have it for breakfast on Christmas morning with homemade biscuits! Its still a lot more fun to just be able to order it and have a nice Cracker Barrel employee place it in front of you!
Snozzberries ~GRINS~ Thank you so much!!! You are so sweet!! Now you’ve mentioned cali so I am wanting an orange, of course….
Renae Renae, hey!! I’m so glad you did leave a comment, and equally glad you like the preserves! Are they not just the easiest and best thing on earth? Country ham is a personal favorite of mine, too!
Thank you all so very much for reading Southern Plate, you are all so good to me!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Ain’t nothin better than a plate of fried up country ham!
mmm…country ham and biscuits makes a good breakfast. (fry up some taters with that too! LOL)
Girl, I think we were sisters seperated at birth.. I feel like I could go right in the kitchen and cook and gab with you.. Keep up the wonderful work of spreadin the word!
hugs
Jo in Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Fatback looks a bit like bacon, only better! I just had dinner and am very full, but you’re making me hungry for some good protein-y and fatty breakfast foods – fatback, cheesy eggs, and grits? Yum!
Fatback (or hogjaw as we call it) is sooo good. We usually only have it on New Year’s Day. I love the taste even better than bacon….extra salty. Makes me ready for New Year’s.
Laura-Athens
thanks so much for the fudge frosting for the yellow cake recipe. it was an old recipe that my grandma use to make and i did not remember how to make it. everyone loved it. maggie – plant city , fl
I’ve never had it outside of a pot of greens, I’ll have to try it!
Oh so this is what fatback is? The name is a little deceiving, but it really looks like larger/thicker bacon with more rind on it. I’m not a huge eater of pork, actually I don’t ever eat pork meat, but I do make the exception for some crispy bacon. I don’t think we can buy ham like this here? Or if we can I’ve never seen it.
Do you eat the fat or fry it for flavor and then cut it off before eating?
Swedie
Bill You, my dear friend, know what you’re taking about!!!
Kingsqueen I got taters coming right up, just for you!!!
Jo And I’d just squeeze you right on in and have you flipping the sausage while I pour the coffee!! Hehe!!! Thank you!
Stephanie Hehe, protein and fat, does it get any better? Fatback does taste a lot like bacon, only saltier!
Laura Yeah, my mother calls it hog jaw a lot, too! I’m trying to go easy on some of these folks who aren’t as familiar with southern cuisine, so I was trying to use the gentler name….but hey, at least I didn’t go into the whole thing about frying eggs and brains…..~smiles sweetly~
Rache OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoh I LOVE GREENS!!! You have to cook them now since you got me thinking’ bout them! Lol
Su It might be called “Virginia ham”. Any ham that is salt cured is pretty much the same thing. It isn’t refrigerated or anything and is usually sold hanging up in a cotton bag. Fatback is bacon’s older sister!
I usually cook it with the fat on but we don’t eat it, we just cut it off once we have it on our plate
Thank you all so much for reading and commenting and….putting up with me!! LOL!
I do love y’all to bits and pieces!
Christy J
Fatback!!!!!!!!!!!
OK this is something else I have never had!
Christy your site is getting so big! I am so happy for you girl! WTG!
I am still your biggest fan!
Great! but you forgot the red eye gravy!! My DH makes the best red eye gravy east of the Mississippi, and I can’t imagine our serving country ham without it.
[...] Fatback is very tough and extremely salty, it looks just like a thick slice of bacon but is more difficult to chew. As one of the cheapest cuts of meat, it rose rapidly in popularity during the depression era of the South. Eating this is said to ensure good health in the coming year and I must say, it is delicious. [...]
Hey Christy,
Awwww Man Christy, I need to know how to cook the fatback!
Maybe I’ll skip it until next year. For some reason I thought I remember my grandma boiling it a little before frying it like she would do the country ham?!
Wait nevermind, I read the tutorial again. This is for either I see. So I don’t need to boil some of the salt off?
And one more thing….
Happy New Year!!!
Well Now! I just feel embarassed and ashamed… My family considers me to be a really good cook and it’s where I am most comfortable. My kitchen is where people can come together and enjoy moments that can never be duplicated or taken away. Whether you are family or not. But most of all I feel like what comes from the kitchen is my “product” This time my “product” was NOT GOOD at ALL!!
Well, I was going to show my friend what fat back tasted like and to my surprise…It tasted aweful!! Yes, I know…something went terribly wrong.I didn’t WASH IT OFF FIRST!! I fried it up with all the EXTRA salt on the outside to preserve it. You couldn’t taste anything really, except for salt. It actually burned a little.(lol)
I make a plate that we simply call “white meat”. It’s cured salt pork, boiled to get most of the salt out of it, then rolled in corn meal and fried until golden brown. The meat spatters ALOT, but it’s so worth it. Of course, you KNOW your heart doctor would have a conniption fit if they knew we were eating it!
In east Tennessee,we cal it streak meat
[...] mean, he didn’t even know what fat back was, for Pete’s [...]
[...] serves downhome favorites like chicken pie, beef stew, potatoes and gravy, meatloaf and, of course, fatback. Hot and greasy cheeseburger. Just like I like [...]
In Carolina we also called it streak meat or fat back, which went into everything! I so miss my Granny making country ham, red eye gravy and biscuits. Country ham biscuits were a favorite food to have in the car on road trips. Swig down a Cheer Wine with a country ham biscuit. In New Mexico I haven’t found salt cured ham/country ham/Virginia or Smithfield ham in any grocery stores yet.
Carla, I just read your post. You can order Smithfield and Virginia ham from Amazon.com if you really want some. I just went to amazon and they do have it.
I also remember my grandma calling it streak meat and she too made great biscuits with country ham and red eye gravy. We used to do our own ham a long time ago. I also know what CheerWine is LOL. Good Luck, Kay in NC 1.7.12
My My………….my noze kin smells dat goood old streaked fat back over dis
tv screen. Much aboliged, I hoongra
That ham is cooked perfect and I have seen it cooked a lot of ways, mostly crispy. UGH….I love to eat the fat first.
I love your web site. Im all bout some southern cooking to. Every New Years day I have the BIG feast of BLACK EYED PEAS, HOG JOWL, COLLARD GEEENS and corn bread. Love the stuff. I could eat greens all the time too. LOVE THEM! There are people here in N.C. that call some hams “City Ham”. I had never heard of that til I moved in this area. Its crazy to me. Its just regular ham. I guess to each his own.