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Nueske's ham - worth the cost?

Nueske's ham - worth the cost?
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  • Post #31 - April 19th, 2019, 1:51 pm
    Post #31 - April 19th, 2019, 1:51 pm Post #31 - April 19th, 2019, 1:51 pm
    Thanks for the input, everyone. I ran out of time to be able to source a Nueske's, so I got a ham from Paulina Meat Market. If I'm ever near Wittenberg, WI, I know to have a cooler!
    -Mary
  • Post #32 - April 19th, 2019, 11:12 pm
    Post #32 - April 19th, 2019, 11:12 pm Post #32 - April 19th, 2019, 11:12 pm
    I just happened to see this as an Active Topic. While I have not tried one, my Sunset Foods in Libertyville sells Nueske's Hams. If someone has a craving it might be worth a phone call to the nearest Sunset Foods to see if they still have some this close to Easter.
  • Post #33 - April 22nd, 2019, 8:50 am
    Post #33 - April 22nd, 2019, 8:50 am Post #33 - April 22nd, 2019, 8:50 am
    The GP wrote:Thanks for the input, everyone. I ran out of time to be able to source a Nueske's, so I got a ham from Paulina Meat Market. If I'm ever near Wittenberg, WI, I know to have a cooler!

    And if you don't make it quite that far north, know that the Mars Cheese Castle has a bunch of Nueske's products -- including the wonderful smoked liver sausage.
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #34 - December 26th, 2021, 7:12 pm
    Post #34 - December 26th, 2021, 7:12 pm Post #34 - December 26th, 2021, 7:12 pm
    We had just 5 this year for Christmas dinner. The 3# Boneless Nueske’s ham was perfect with just the right amount of leftovers. Not overly smoky, just right. Followed their reheating instructions and it came out of the oven warm and moist. I made my mom’s old-fashioned raisin sauce to accompany it along with scalloped potatoes and carrots/broccoli. Great meal. The ham was definitely worth the price to us.
  • Post #35 - April 5th, 2022, 1:20 pm
    Post #35 - April 5th, 2022, 1:20 pm Post #35 - April 5th, 2022, 1:20 pm
    I would like to make a ham for Easter dinner, but would like to get the kind that I had in Paris at Le Petit Vendome on their jambon et beurre baguette. Does anyone know where to get a European style ham in the Chicago area? I know it's a strange question, but I don't like the honey baked or the spiral sliced hams. Photo for reference: https://foursquare.com/v/le-petit-vend%C3%B4me/4b4db23ff964a520dad526e3?openPhotoId=5062ab53e4b0fc3b117a04e3
  • Post #36 - April 5th, 2022, 1:26 pm
    Post #36 - April 5th, 2022, 1:26 pm Post #36 - April 5th, 2022, 1:26 pm

    I'd smack the shit out of a polar bear for a bite of that sandwich.
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #37 - April 5th, 2022, 1:28 pm
    Post #37 - April 5th, 2022, 1:28 pm Post #37 - April 5th, 2022, 1:28 pm
    G Wiv wrote:

    I'd smack the shit out of a polar bear for a bite of that sandwich.

    That wasn't my sandwich, but the last time I was there over New Year's I would have to say that I would have fought you off to defend my right to eat it. Seriously one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.
  • Post #38 - April 5th, 2022, 1:52 pm
    Post #38 - April 5th, 2022, 1:52 pm Post #38 - April 5th, 2022, 1:52 pm
    Diane wrote:I would like to make a ham for Easter dinner, but would like to get the kind that I had in Paris at Le Petit Vendome on their jambon et beurre baguette. Does anyone know where to get a European style ham in the Chicago area? I know it's a strange question, but I don't like the honey baked or the spiral sliced hams. Photo for reference: https://foursquare.com/v/le-petit-vend%C3%B4me/4b4db23ff964a520dad526e3?openPhotoId=5062ab53e4b0fc3b117a04e3


    I don't believe you had a 'City' ham but what is called 'Country' Ham is the USA.
    The jambon was salt cured, not cooked with heat but simple dry aged then simply sliced and served on your sandwich.
    USA Country hams are usually salt cured and then smoked and are not usually served without cooking for Listeria reasons. But more and more USA producers are making their hams extra aged for not cooking at your discretion and not smoking.
    So if you are looking for a cooked ham for Easter you can purchase a Country Ham and follow the procedure which usually involves cleaning and soaking in water before cooking to reduce the salt content.
    But the cooked result will not be the jambon you had in France.
    The best you can do in the USA is to purchase a Spanish Jamon, either Serrano or Pata Negra, slice and serve.
    Best City ham is still Nueske.
    -Richard
  • Post #39 - April 5th, 2022, 2:00 pm
    Post #39 - April 5th, 2022, 2:00 pm Post #39 - April 5th, 2022, 2:00 pm
    budrichard wrote:
    Diane wrote:I would like to make a ham for Easter dinner, but would like to get the kind that I had in Paris at Le Petit Vendome on their jambon et beurre baguette. Does anyone know where to get a European style ham in the Chicago area? I know it's a strange question, but I don't like the honey baked or the spiral sliced hams. Photo for reference: https://foursquare.com/v/le-petit-vend%C3%B4me/4b4db23ff964a520dad526e3?openPhotoId=5062ab53e4b0fc3b117a04e3


    I don't believe you had a 'City' ham but what is called 'Country' Ham is the USA.
    The jambon was salt cured, not cooked with heat but simple dry aged then simply sliced and served on your sandwich.
    USA Country hams are usually salt cured and then smoked and are not usually served without cooking for Listeria reasons. But more and more USA producers are making their hams extra aged for not cooking at your discretion and not smoking.
    So if you are looking for a cooked ham for Easter you can purchase a Country Ham and follow the procedure which usually involves cleaning and soaking in water before cooking to reduce the salt content.
    But the cooked result will not be the jambon you had in France.
    The best you can do in the USA is to purchase a Spanish Jamon, either Serrano or Pata Negra, slice and serve.
    Best City ham is still Nueske.
    -Richard

    Thanks for your help! I'll look for one!
  • Post #40 - April 5th, 2022, 2:02 pm
    Post #40 - April 5th, 2022, 2:02 pm Post #40 - April 5th, 2022, 2:02 pm
    I can't be 100% certain from the picture, but generally the ham and beurre sandwiches in Paris are very much "city" hams, made from marinated, then molded/pressed cooked hams known as "Paris hams" versus the raw cured hams of southern France (Bayonne, for example). There are US producers, like Three Little Pigs, that claim to make Paris ham, but I have not tried them. I'd suspect prosciutto cotto might be an alternative.
  • Post #41 - April 6th, 2022, 1:34 am
    Post #41 - April 6th, 2022, 1:34 am Post #41 - April 6th, 2022, 1:34 am
    tazerowe wrote:I can't be 100% certain from the picture, but generally the ham and beurre sandwiches in Paris are very much "city" hams, made from marinated, then molded/pressed cooked hams known as "Paris hams" versus the raw cured hams of southern France (Bayonne, for example). There are US producers, like Three Little Pigs, that claim to make Paris ham, but I have not tried them. I'd suspect prosciutto cotto might be an alternative.


    If you look at the supplied pictures of the sandwich and shop and compare to the pictures on the 3pigs.com, the hams hanging outside the shop are clearly dry jambon types and look like the sliced 'jambon sec' rather than the 'sliced jambon de Paris' on the 3pigs.com and the pictures show dry aged jambon to my eyes.
  • Post #42 - April 6th, 2022, 6:08 am
    Post #42 - April 6th, 2022, 6:08 am Post #42 - April 6th, 2022, 6:08 am
    Indeed that sandwich looks great and brings back memories. Spent much time in the French Alps and had that exact sandwich for breakfast every day. With the bread a few hours old and the ham no need for condiments or cheese. Forget the rest of the breakfast layout, that was my go to. As you can see for obvious reasons.
  • Post #43 - April 6th, 2022, 9:12 am
    Post #43 - April 6th, 2022, 9:12 am Post #43 - April 6th, 2022, 9:12 am
    Not sure where you'd find a country ham around Chicago. In the mid South, they are in many grocery stores, sometimes in cloth bags not refrigerated. Seems like Cracker Barrel sold them at one time??

    The usual cooking method for an Easter ham includes soaking, simmering for a long time, then baking with a glaze, sometimes involving CocaCola or Seven Up. One BBQ place in Louisville finished hams by cooking in their smoker for an extended time. And I recall some "new South" chefs treating them like prosciutto, but the usual stuff is pretty salty.

    Neuske's: Very good, but a lot of places in WI make hams as good. Not as many as in the old days, though, before regulations on meat processing tightened up. We recently had a "double smoked" ham from Doc's in Cross Plains, WI that was superb.

    A story from our honeymoon tour of WI bed & breakfasts and cheese factories many years ago: We drove into Thorp looking for a cheese factory and saw what appeared to be a fire downtown: Smoke pouring out of a building. No fire engines or police to stop us, so naturally we drove towards it. Turned out to be Nolechek's Meats making ham, summer sausage and bacon. Excellent sausage.
  • Post #44 - April 6th, 2022, 10:39 am
    Post #44 - April 6th, 2022, 10:39 am Post #44 - April 6th, 2022, 10:39 am
    Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham. I have been told that Hoefers Meat in Northfield cures their own. I'm going to try that for Easter and I'll report back!
  • Post #45 - April 6th, 2022, 3:22 pm
    Post #45 - April 6th, 2022, 3:22 pm Post #45 - April 6th, 2022, 3:22 pm
    budrichard wrote:
    tazerowe wrote:I can't be 100% certain from the picture, but generally the ham and beurre sandwiches in Paris are very much "city" hams, made from marinated, then molded/pressed cooked hams known as "Paris hams" versus the raw cured hams of southern France (Bayonne, for example). There are US producers, like Three Little Pigs, that claim to make Paris ham, but I have not tried them. I'd suspect prosciutto cotto might be an alternative.


    If you look at the supplied pictures of the sandwich and shop and compare to the pictures on the 3pigs.com, the hams hanging outside the shop are clearly dry jambon types and look like the sliced 'jambon sec' rather than the 'sliced jambon de Paris' on the 3pigs.com and the pictures show dry aged jambon to my eyes.


    Good catch! I only looked at the first picture of the sandwich.
  • Post #46 - April 6th, 2022, 4:09 pm
    Post #46 - April 6th, 2022, 4:09 pm Post #46 - April 6th, 2022, 4:09 pm
    Diane wrote:Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham.

    Fresh hams (pernil) are readily available in Latino supermarkets. They're just a pork roast. If really ambitious, you could cure your own but probably not in time for this Easter. There's always next year.

    Hofherr's website shows a number of in-house smoked items. I couldn't find a traditional ham. It's possible they don't sell it online because the size varies a lot.
  • Post #47 - April 6th, 2022, 4:20 pm
    Post #47 - April 6th, 2022, 4:20 pm Post #47 - April 6th, 2022, 4:20 pm
    tjr wrote:
    Diane wrote:Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham.

    Fresh hams (pernil) are readily available in Latino supermarkets. They're just a pork roast. If really ambitious, you could cure your own but probably not in time for this Easter. There's always next year.

    Hofherr's website shows a number of in-house smoked items. I couldn't find a traditional ham. It's possible they don't sell it online because the size varies a lot.

    They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.
  • Post #48 - April 6th, 2022, 4:26 pm
    Post #48 - April 6th, 2022, 4:26 pm Post #48 - April 6th, 2022, 4:26 pm
    Diane wrote:
    tjr wrote:
    Diane wrote:Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham.

    Fresh hams (pernil) are readily available in Latino supermarkets. They're just a pork roast. If really ambitious, you could cure your own but probably not in time for this Easter. There's always next year.

    Hofherr's website shows a number of in-house smoked items. I couldn't find a traditional ham. It's possible they don't sell it online because the size varies a lot.

    They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.

    So, no green eggs either? :D

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #49 - April 6th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    Post #49 - April 6th, 2022, 5:02 pm Post #49 - April 6th, 2022, 5:02 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    Diane wrote:
    tjr wrote:
    Diane wrote:Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham.

    Fresh hams (pernil) are readily available in Latino supermarkets. They're just a pork roast. If really ambitious, you could cure your own but probably not in time for this Easter. There's always next year.

    Hofherr's website shows a number of in-house smoked items. I couldn't find a traditional ham. It's possible they don't sell it online because the size varies a lot.

    They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.

    So, no green eggs either? :D

    =R=


    I was so waiting for that :D :D :D
  • Post #50 - April 6th, 2022, 6:18 pm
    Post #50 - April 6th, 2022, 6:18 pm Post #50 - April 6th, 2022, 6:18 pm
    Diane wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    Diane wrote:
    tjr wrote:
    Diane wrote:Maybe what I'm looking for is more of a "green ham" or fresh ham.

    Fresh hams (pernil) are readily available in Latino supermarkets. They're just a pork roast. If really ambitious, you could cure your own but probably not in time for this Easter. There's always next year.

    Hofherr's website shows a number of in-house smoked items. I couldn't find a traditional ham. It's possible they don't sell it online because the size varies a lot.

    They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.

    So, no green eggs either? :D

    =R=


    I was so waiting for that :D :D :D

    Hehe - couldn't stop myself! :D

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #51 - April 6th, 2022, 6:59 pm
    Post #51 - April 6th, 2022, 6:59 pm Post #51 - April 6th, 2022, 6:59 pm
    Diane wrote:They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.

    So is the Hofherr green ham a cured and smoked product? Or uncured and smoked? Or just raw pork?

    This Southern cookery post says a green ham is raw pork: https://jesseyancy.com/how-to-cook-a-green-ham/ . And I found others about smoking a green ham to make bbq.
  • Post #52 - April 7th, 2022, 2:01 pm
    Post #52 - April 7th, 2022, 2:01 pm Post #52 - April 7th, 2022, 2:01 pm
    tjr wrote:
    Diane wrote:They don't feature that "green ham" on the website because of the size and the seasonality. I learned that today after talking with them.

    So is the Hofherr green ham a cured and smoked product? Or uncured and smoked? Or just raw pork?

    This Southern cookery post says a green ham is raw pork: https://jesseyancy.com/how-to-cook-a-green-ham/ . And I found others about smoking a green ham to make bbq.

    I think it’s uncured and smoked…but I’ll have to let you know after Easter!
  • Post #53 - April 21st, 2022, 7:47 am
    Post #53 - April 21st, 2022, 7:47 am Post #53 - April 21st, 2022, 7:47 am
    Diane, thanks for the tip on Le Petit Vendome. This thread was on my mind when I was looking for a quick bite near the main tourist drag in Paris last week and Le Petit Vendome hit the spot!

    It's very conveniently located and serves excellent jambon beurre sandwiches. I noticed that their ham shelf has both country hams and city hams and they in fact offer both styles on their sandwiches. The classic is a city ham with butter and nothing else. I agree that it left nothing to be desired. I suspect any good, local, unsmoked city ham will scratch this itch since the ham had what I would consider a classic ham profile. If you're willing to do mail order, I highly recommend the unsmoked hams from Kites Hams (another LTH recommendation that hit for me). The trick is to find an excellent baguette to go with it. I would recommend the baguette from Floriole, though it has a nutty whole wheat flavor, it is an excellent baguette. The baguette from La Fournette is solid, but not as flavorful as the baguette being served at Le Petit Vendome in my opinion. I've only had the baguette from Hewn in Evanston a couple times, but I think that one is the closest I've had to the sour and chewy baguette being used a Le Petit Vendome.

    Le Petit Vendome also offers a country ham sandwich (jambon de pays) with olive oil and chevre. I don't have a slam dunk country ham recommendation, but once again any good, unsmoked rendition should do well here as well. To me, the country ham on the sandwich was more similar to a classic American style country ham than a richer jamon iberico or prosciutto.
  • Post #54 - April 22nd, 2022, 6:46 am
    Post #54 - April 22nd, 2022, 6:46 am Post #54 - April 22nd, 2022, 6:46 am
    Diane wrote:but I’ll have to let you know after Easter!

    So how did it turn out?

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