Cottage Ham w/ Green Beans & Potatoes
Remember that weird smoked pork shank I received as a gift last year?
I have had many emails from readers from Ohio, saying that this is called a "Cottage Ham" in their parts. Strange that I found it in New Jersey, but the butcher is from Ohio. That makes sense.
It's all coming together now.
A few of the commenters sent me their recipe for Cottage Ham w/ Green Beans and Potatoes.
Sounded simple enough, and since I had one more smoked ham shank in the freezer, this was an easy weeknight dinner.
There's nothing much to it, except maybe finding this alien thing called a Cottage Ham.
You throw it in a pot and cover it with water and simmer the pork shank for an hour.
Add a chopped up large onion and 2 cups of fresh green beans to the pot (you have to have like well done green beans......Hank!).
Simmer this with the lid on for 45 minutes then throw in some baby new red potatoes and simmer on the stove another 45 minutes. (The pork shank needed about 2 1/2 hours to cook).
Shred the meat (it will fall off the bone) and serve over the mushy smoky green beans with the boiled potatoes.
Don't throw away the cooking liquid, it makes for a delicious soup stock.
This was delicious and I see why I got all those emails about this type of ham.
It's fun learning about foods that are from different parts of the country.
Thanks to all my Ohio readers.
PS this made wonderful sandwiches the next day on buns w/ dill pickles and honey mustard!
Comments
My Mother cooked cottage ham frequently. All I remember was the pot simmering on the stove.
Don't remember a bone either.
It was fall-apart tender - and delicious. I think it had a netting enclosing it.
Mil
Hope you enjoy a lovely fall weekend.
Sam
A wholesome meal on a cold evening.
I wanted to add a few comments regarding how it's traditionally prepared in Cincinnati. The cottage hams themselves are readily available in any grocery store here and I have never noticed any being bone-in. In our family, when serving, the ham has always been removed from the pot, rested for a few minutes then sliced about a third of an inch thick. I have never seen or heard of anyone serving it "shredded" although, as it does tend to overcook at times, it can fall apart a bit.
Also, red potatoes are always used as well as fresh, never canned, green beans. My mother and grandmother always halved, quartered then halved again one large onion rather than chopping it so that there were large, distinct pieces of cooked onion.
Usually the meal consisted of simply those four ingredients - the cottage ham, the red potatoes, the fresh green beans and onion, though as often as not they would also toss in some minced garlic, usually dried. Almost always buttered bread accompanied the meal to sop up the delicious juices.
As others have noted this medley of smokey, wholesome, homespun flavors is perfect on crisp fall or chilly winters days. To me, this meal simply feels like home.