Out of The Can: Hormel Black Label Canned Ham

Dat Ham

Canned hams have a terrible reputation, and if you've ever had a bite of a really cheap and nasty slice of canned ham, you'd feel that the reputation is actually too kind. I know because I've had some totally unpleasant canned hams.

And now, you're looking at that picture above or a Hormel Black Label canned ham and thinking to yourself, "What a nasty-looking chunk of pink meat." You might even be inspired to try vegetarianism, thanks to that photo.

Well, I have got news for you, my friend. Hormel's Black Label canned ham is surprisingly good - I might even say very good. I prepared it just as described on the label and although it still wasn't much to look at when it came out of the oven, it sliced beautifully. If you've ever had a really expensive deli ham - say, a Boar's Head or Krakus ham - you'll know what to expect from the Black Label. It was firm and delicious, and quite similar to a traditional cured pig laig.

Kudos, then, to Hormel. Finally, I get to review a canned meat that is worthy enough to be actually eaten rather than enter long-term storage in a bomb/zombie apocalypse shelter as a survival food of last resort. We had the ham with peas and scalloped potatoes and it was a great family meal.

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Off The Cuff Recipes: Chopped Ham and Ham Salad

I don't always have recipes for the stuff I prepare at home. When I was learning how to cook from my mother, there wasn't always a recipe to follow - she would put in "a little of this and some of that," and when suppertime rolled around, the meal was on the table.

Nowadays I still cook like that, though when I'm going to write a blog post about it I try to pay attention as I go along and write down notes with specific measurements and steps to make it easier for readers to recreate what I've done. But some "recipes" are so simple that I don't really need to do that.  Chopped ham is one of those recipes, so I'm using it as an inaugural post for what I hope will become a semi-regular feature called "Off The Cuff Recipes." I'll present the recipes exactly the way I do it so you can use the post as sort of a "rough draft" towards making your own, or as a springboard for discussion in the comments about how you go about making a similar dish.

Chopped ham is super easy. Just get some leftover ham - or even some "ham ends" from the deli - and run them through a food chopper. Chop as much as you want. Measure out the chopped ham and for every cup of ham you have, add a couple of tablespoons of sweet pickle relish. Toss them together well and refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend.

You can eat the chopped ham just the way it is, or add a little mayo to it and spread it on rye bread for sandwiches. It's pretty awesome.

Note:  Food choppers are different than meat grinders.  Read about the difference here.

Dan'l Boone Country Ham at Dollar Tree!

My fascination with Dollar Store Meat continues: I found 3-ounce packages of real, honest, genuine (and delicious) Country Ham (aka American Prosciutto) at Dollar Tree.  At a dollar a package, it works out to a little over $5 a pound, a fair price, and not bad if you consider how incredibly hard it is to find real Country Ham up here in New England.

The ham in the packages - Dan'l Boone Brand - are pre-sliced, and it is the real deal.  And I kind of like the small packs because I can pull out a slice to accent a cold cut grinder, or add some to a pot of greens, or use up the whole pack at breakfast time with delicious biscuits.  Like many other Dollar Tree items, this one probably won't be around long, so if you have a hankering for the taste of real Country Ham, hie thee to a Dollar Tree with a refrigerated food section and grab a packet or two. I promise it's good stuff.

Dan'l Boone Brand is one of the labels used by Goodnight Brothers of Boone, NC to sell their ham.  According to the information on their web page, Dan'l Boone is primarily packaged for grocery store chains and is distributed by Sysco.  They package their product under other labels for different distribution networks, and that includes a brand they call "Hardee's Country Ham" which is packaged exclusively for distribution to and by Hardee's fast food restaurants.

Also of interest:  Goodnight Brothers is on Facebook.  Check out their page's photo album for a close-up look at how country hams are prepped, cured, processed, and packed. It's fascinating.