(Courtesy of Fra' Mani)

These Bay Area Butcher Shops Are Serving up Artisan Ham for the Holiday

15 November 2017

Renée Alexander

A holiday meal isn't complete without a ham.

In my Southern family, no holiday is complete without pork. We start each new year with a traditional "good luck" meal of pork chops, black-eyed peas, and greens. On Easter, we skip the lamb in favor of a Smithfield Spiral Ham, glazed with brown sugar and crowned with pineapple rings. Our Fourth of July barbecue is pit-cooked pulled pork, served with crunchy red cole slaw and hush puppies. But the best swine of all is saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas, when my mother's baby brother slow bakes a fresh ham.

Compared to the cured and pre-cooked hams we all know and love, Uncle Mike's Magic Ham tastes like a different animal entirely. The meat is so tender it falls off the bone in buttery flakes that melt in your mouth. The flavor is pure pork, unadulterated by smoke or brine.

In an attempt to recreate the heavenly ham of my youth for Bay Area friends, I discovered that raw, fresh hams are harder to come by than the ubiquitous cured and cooked grocery store varieties. Fortunately, high-quality, fresh ham can be had—for a price. In addition, it's easy to find locally made, fully cooked artisan hams that will cure you of any craving for mass-produced "commodity" versions.

Compared to beef, lamb and fish, pork is some of the least expensive protein available. Traditional grocery stores sell commodity ham for as little as $1.50 per pound. On the other hand, if you're concerned about the living conditions of the animals, or the way the meat is processed, you can expect to pay $8.00 or more per pound. You can also expect to be glad you did, once you taste the difference. The locally available artisan hams listed here are worth every extra penny.

Sweet Apple Uncured Ham

Berkeley-based Fra' Mani offers three types of uncured, fully-cooked hams that are prepared for the deli case but so delicious you'll want to give them equal billing with the turkey on your Thanksgiving stage. All three hams are made from humanely raised pork procured from family farms such as Niman Ranch and Heritage Acres. The meat is brine-cured in salt, sugar and water; tumbled gently to distribute the brine; then hand-formed, netted, and hung in a special smokehouse to finish, slowly.
The Smoked Uncured Ham is a two- to three-pound, football-shaped ham made from the quadricep muscle. Fra' Mani founder and curemaster Paul Bertolli (former chef of Chez Panisse) says, "It's a working muscle, so it's very red, and leaner than the top round, bottom round, and eye of round that we use to make our smoked apple ham and our rosemary ham." Averaging five pounds a piece, they will serve 12 people, with enough leftovers for a few ham sandwiches. To serve the rosemary ham, Bertolli suggests preparing a baste by softening some mirepoix (chopped carrot, onion and celery) in a pan with a sweet riesling, honey water, or orange juice and brown sugar. Baste the ham frequently in a slow oven (300 degrees). When the meat reaches 140 to 150 degrees, "slice the ham into the mirepoix with all that juice and let it sit." Compared to a commodity ham, he says, "you'll get more pork flavor, more color, and a more interesting texture."
Where to buy it:
Cal-Mart: 3585 California St. (Presidio Heights), 415-751-3516, calmartsuper.com
Berkeley Bowl: 2020 Oregon St (Berkeley), 510-843-6929, berkeleybowl.com
Berkeley Bowl West: 920 Heinz Ave. (Berkeley), 510-898-9555, berkeleybowl.com
Magnani's Poultry: 1576 Hopkins St. (Berkeley), 510-528-6370, magnanis.com
Price: $13.99 –$16.99 per pound from the deli case. Call ahead to make sure an unopened ham is available.
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Belcampo's boneless smoked ham with maple bourbon glaze

This holiday season, Belcampo Meat Company will be offering organic, pasture-raised smoked ham from their own animal-welfare approved farm and USDA-inspected butchery. This allows them to control every step of the ham's journey from piglet to plate. "From day one on Belcampo Farms, our hogs are fed organic, non-GMO grain and have access to abundant and delicious forage," says Anya Fernald, Belcampo co-founder and CEO. "Our ham contains no artificial ingredients or added colors and is minimally processed."
Belcampo's smoked holiday hams are boneless and weigh two-and-a-half to three pounds. "My favorite ham preparation is roasted and glazed," she says.
Where to buy it:
Belcampo Meat Co: 1998 Polk St. (Nob Hill), 415-660-5573, belcampo.com
Marin Country Mart: 2405 Larkspur Landing, Bldg. 4 (Larkspur), 415-448-5810
Town & Country Village: 855 El Camino Real, #161 (Palo Alto), 650-561-3492
Price: $17.99 per pound
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Pork leg for cooking demo

Marin Sun Farms' uncured smoked ham isn't brined or seasoned because, "we want you to taste the excellent flavor of the pork coming through, and leave room if the cook wants to add any particular seasoning," says Alessa Palmer, livestock supply manager for Marin Sun Farms. Their boneless hams weigh six to eight pounds apiece and come from pasture-raised Duroc pigs, an older breed of domestic pig known for its gentle demeanor and excellent flavor. "We work with a single family farmer who cares greatly for his animals, raising non-confined pork with zero antibiotics or hormones. The animals are handled in a calm way even through harvest. We have our own animal-welfare–approved abattoir [slaughterhouse] which keeps the meat tender, sweet, and naturally great. The extra cost of an 'artisan ham' goes to support a local family farmer, your local butchers, and the welfare of the animal."
Where to buy it:
Oakland Butcher Shop: Rockridge Market Hall, 5655 College Ave. (Oakland), 510-601-8997, rockridgemarkethall.com
Point Reyes Butcher Shop: 10905 Shoreline Hwy. 1 (Point Reyes Station), 415-663-1800, marinsunfarms.com
Price:$9.99 per pound
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Uncle Mike's Magic Ham can only be made from fresh ham, and Fatted Calf is one of the best places to find high-quality versions. Their whole hams come from heritage-breed pigs that are pasture-raised and certified humane. According to Fatted Calf proprietress Toponia Miller, "since they have plenty of room to roam and live more natural lives, their muscles are more developed and more flavorful."
Weighing in at a whopping 18 to 24 pounds, these fresh hams can handle a huge family feast. Miller says, "Ham can refer to a variety of cuts and preparations, so it is important to be sure you know what to ask for when ordering from your butcher. If you are looking for a fresh ham, be sure to specify the weight, whether you want it skin-on or skinless, and bone-in or boneless. If you are getting just part of the ham, you may want to be specific about which end or muscle you would like."
A properly cooked, skin-on ham will produce irresistibly addictive slabs of crisp, chewy pig skin attached to a tender layer of fat that dissolves on contact with your tongue. It will also produce copious amounts of fat, which can be used to make gravy by the gallon.
"Although skin-on hams can have a beautiful, thick layer of fat on the outside, the muscles that comprise the ham tend to be very lean. Brining and slow cooking or smoking help to keep the ham tender and juicy." She says her favorite preparation comes from Pino Luongo's Simply Tuscan cookbook—whole fresh ham roasted with chestnut honey and champagne.
To make Uncle Mike's Magic Ham, start with a bone-in, skin-off, whole fresh ham. Rub it generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, and let that sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to a few days. The night before the feast, place the ham in a roasting pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, place the ham inside, and forget about it. Cook for 1 hour per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 to 90 minutes. Serve it DIY-style on a pan with edges, alongside a frighteningly large knife.
Where to buy it:
Fatted Calf San Francisco: 320 Fell St. (Hayes Valley), 415-400-5614, fattedcalf.com
Fatted Calf Napa: The Oxbow Public Market, 644 C First St., 707-256-3684, oxbowpublicmarket.com
Price:$8.00 per pound
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