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Photos of a recent batch of cottage hams

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FM Former Member
Good eye for the tongue. Smoked tongue is common around here and is really good. I had a steer butchered recently, and I brined the tongue with the hams and smoked them all at once.

Cottage hams are common around here too. they are made from the pork butt. I smoked the hams at 180 until the internal temp was 160. Approximately 6 hrs. Cool
FM Former Member
I found this article on the net

BY CHUCK MARTIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Stehlins and other butchers carve cottage hams, weighing about 2 to 3 pounds, from the upper part of the Boston butt, which is from the pork shoulder. Before they are cured and smoked, cottage hams are about the size and shape of a large, rectangular brick.

The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture labels the cuts �smoked pork shoulder butts,� but in Cincinnati many butchers and customers have always called them �cottage hams.�

No one � including the Stehlins � know where the �cottage� term comes from � except that the name is indigenous and limited to the Cincinnati area, and has been used for at least a century.

�I'm sure they sell shoulder butts in other parts of the country,� says Werneth Avril, retired owner of Avril's Meats, downtown. �But if you ask for a cottage ham anywhere else, they'll say "huh?�'

The name �cottage cheese,� used to describe moist, soft, white cheese, entered the language by the middle of the 19th century, says John Mariani in his Dictionary of American Food and Drink (Hearst; $19.95). But he doesn't explain why �cottage� was used, and he doesn't mention �cottage ham.�

A reasonable theory on the term's origins might be that a Cincinnati butcher dubbed them �cottage hams� a long time ago because they are small, like a �cottage� home � the right size for cooking in a pot of beans.

At the very least, �cottage hams� sound more appetizing than �smoked shoulder butts.�
**********************************

I hope this helps
FM Former Member
Pictures'd be great - meat cutting seems kind of hard to describe in words.

When I was a kid, one of my mom's favorite entrees was "smoked pork butt" which must have been similar to cottage ham, except it was boneless and rammed into a 4" or so fibrous casing. She used to buy it at the A&P in LaCrosse, WI. We kids always sort of wondered since it wasn't from what we considered the butt of the pig.
FM Former Member
Joeb, ditto on the pics. That would be great. How "cured" are those hams of yours? Do they have more "shelf life" than 1) uncooked meat, and 2) regular smoked pork? With the long brine, is the meat preserved in some sense of the word? Those big old smoked hams from N.Carolina can sit on a shelf at room temp! But, that's not exactly what you're doing........right? Cool
FM Former Member
The hams are completely cured (to insure this I inject the hams with brine) not mummified like those the hams that you are referring to. The shelf life may be extended somewhat,(like smoked hocks etc) they do need to be refrigerated. They can be frozen for quite awhile (6 mos.or better).
These hams are best used for a boiled meal. Just place one in a crock pot with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Razzer
FM Former Member
About those tongues: I see my local Costco has a bunch of them. I'll have to buy one and try smokin' it now that somebody posted the how to's.

I like tongue sliced from the roll that a good deli counter has. Really good on rye. And if I can get 'hold of the neighborhood kids, I like to tease 'em and dare 'em to try some!

Smiler
FM Former Member
joeb:

The Stehlins are right down the street from us! They are the only butchers in town with a packing building right on the premises (animals go in, cuts come out!) This is where I got my first brisket that I'm doing tomorrow. They had none in the case so they went into the locker, came out with a BIG cut of meat and cut the full brisket for me right there. Great guys and great meat! I'll print your post to show them they are now 'world wide (web)'!

When I worked for a law firm in an OLD section of Cincinnati, there was a poultry shop that also cooked cottage hams all day on rotisseries in the window (rack was 6 -8 feet tall with 8-10 spindles). They sold a cottage ham sandwich for 3.00 that was 4 slices approx 1-.15 inches thick each, slapped on a plain white bun and covered with barbecue sauce. Those in the know always asked for a second bun and made 2 sandwiches, couldn't get one in your mouth! Bag o' chips and a Snapple lemonade, man that was some eatin' (and brought on food coma about 2:30 in the afternoon!) ;-)

mr_melvis

quote:
Originally posted by joeb:
[qb]I found this article on the net

BY CHUCK MARTIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Stehlins and other butchers carve cottage hams, weighing about 2 to 3 pounds, from the upper part of the Boston butt, which is from the pork shoulder. Before they are cured and smoked, cottage hams are about the size and shape of a large, rectangular brick.

The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture labels the cuts �smoked pork shoulder butts,� but in Cincinnati many butchers and customers have always called them �cottage hams.�

No one � including the Stehlins � know where the �cottage� term comes from � except that the name is indigenous and limited to the Cincinnati area, and has been used for at least a century.

�I'm sure they sell shoulder butts in other parts of the country,� says Werneth Avril, retired owner of Avril's Meats, downtown. �But if you ask for a cottage ham anywhere else, they'll say "huh?�'

The name �cottage cheese,� used to describe moist, soft, white cheese, entered the language by the middle of the 19th century, says John Mariani in his Dictionary of American Food and Drink (Hearst; $19.95). But he doesn't explain why �cottage� was used, and he doesn't mention �cottage ham.�

A reasonable theory on the term's origins might be that a Cincinnati butcher dubbed them �cottage hams� a long time ago because they are small, like a �cottage� home � the right size for cooking in a pot of beans.

At the very least, �cottage hams� sound more appetizing than �smoked shoulder butts.�
**********************************

I hope this helps[/qb]
FM Former Member
Like JoeB and tjr, I too have fond childhood memories of smoked butt dinners. Simmered in water with cabbage and potatoes, much like corned beef, can�t be beat.

I smoked a few butts last November for a dinner my wife and I were hosting. We simmered the smoked butts until tender, then cooked cabbage and potatoes in the same water, along with various smoked sausages.

I used Tender Quick and water for the brine. 1 cup of TQ for every 16 cups of water produces a brine that works well for me. After brining for 3 days, I smoked the butts at 180 degrees until they reached an internal temp of around 165 degrees. The butts were wrapped and refrigerated until the day of the dinner when they were simmered in a large pot of water until they were fork tender and falling apart.

BTY - I never realized they used a specific portion of the butt for this application. I simply cut the butt into two pieces so it would be more manageable and provide more surface area for that smoke flavor we all love.

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