In the recent past, we were looking for the “best” ham for our Easter dinner.

As part of research for THE NIBBLE, we tasted six different hams and came up with the winner: Kurobuta ham from Snake River Farms.

If you’ve been pondering a ham for Easter dinner (or any other time of the year), or want to send a memorable Easter gift (or Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas or any occasion), Kurobuta (pronounced koo-row-BOO-tuh) is the ham for you.

Succulent, deeply flavorful and beautifully textured, it’s become the Easter standard at our house, and a mainstay of buffet dinners during the year.
 
 
THE WORLD’S BEST HAM?

Kurobuta ham has been called the world’s best ham by chefs and food writers.

You can always raise an eyebrow when reference is is made to “the best” of anything. Regarding food: Who has tasted everything in the category to determine “the best?”

Even at THE NIBBLE, when we have tasted 100 hot chocolate mixes, extra virgin olive oils, strawberry jams, etc., we know there are products out there that we haven’t known about.

That being said, everything we’ve research and read has come up with no better ham.

Made from pure-bred Berkshire pork, it’s also known as the Kobe beef of ham.

That’s because of the fine intramuscular marbling that makes the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.

How good is this ham? Tender, with a perfect smoke and impeccable seasoning. Subtle notes of clove and other spices caress the tongue.

With other hams, even premium ones, the only thing that caresses the tongue is salt.
 
 
KUROBUTA PRODUCTS

That Berkshire pig produces more than ham. Here’s the the “menu” at Snake River Farms:

Kurobuta Hams

 
Kurobuta Bacon

 
Kurobuta Chops

 
Kurobuta Ribs

 
Other Kurobuta Cuts

 
 
PURCHASE ONLINE

Head to SnakeRiverFarms.com or phone 877.736.0193.

[1] Ham doesn’t get any better than this Kurobuta (photo courtesy Snake River Farms).

[2] Thick slices of ham are succulent and tender (photo courtesy The Chocolate Lab | SF).

[3] There are other Kurobuta cuts, including this rack of pork (here’s the recipe from Kita Roberts | Girl Carnivore).

[4] Boneless loin of pork (photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma).

 
 
WHAT MAKES A GREAT HAM?

It all starts with the quality of the pork. All Kurobuta hams are 100% Berkshire pork, a heritage breed. Kurobuta (the brand name for Berkshire pork), which means “black hog” in Japanese, is considered the pork equivalent of Kobe beef.

Other important factors are the ingredients used to cure the ham. Kurobuta’s cure is a recipe that has been in the family for a long time.

Kurobuta hams are “city hams” (the different types of ham), so they’re fully cooked. The smoking process is important. You want to add flavor, but not overpower the pork.

Like all meat products there are different quality levels for ham. Some of the lower-priced hams inject water into the muscle to add weight and to distribute the salt and seasonings. This is a shortcut that makes ham cheaper, but not necessarily more delicious.

Why is some ham so salty?

Some of the classic Virginia hams are extremely salty. These “country-style” hams are intended to be that way. They’re generally sliced thin, like prosciutto, and served with an acidic condiment like mustard.

[1] Something new in ice cubes: the Titanic hits the iceberg (photo courtesy The Caveman’s Guide).

We have a quirky sense of humor. When we saw this quirky—some might say macabre or tasteless—ice cube mold, we had to have it.

The mold makes cubes in the shape of the H.M.S. Titanic and the iceberg it unfortunately encountered.

We like to keep surprising our guests, and these did it. We’re not so sure they’ll have the same impact the second time around, but there are always other guests.

The shapes will be most noticeable in clear drinks: gin and tonic, Sprite, and the like.

You can also use them for:

We found them in The Caveman’s Guide which sells them on Amazon.

March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, is National Corned Beef & Cabbage Day.

Corned beef and cabbage is a St. Patrick’s Day standard. But wait: The dish isn’t from Ireland, but from New York City’s Lower East Side.
 
 
WHAT IS CORNED BEEF?

Although the exact beginnings of corned beef are lost to history, it most likely was created when people began preserving meat through salt-curing—an ancient practice.
 
Is There Corn? No.

Corning refers to curing or pickling the meat in a seasoned brine. The word refers to the “corns” or grains of rock salt (today, kosher salt is used) that are mixed with water to make the brine. (Curing meat and fish with salt was an ancient practice in numerous cultures.)

Typically, brisket is used to make corned beef. Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of the cow (photo #2)

The dish has many regional variations and seasonings. Smoking a corned beef and adding extra spices produces pastrami.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE

Historically, cattle in Ireland were not used for meat but for dairy products. Pork, affordable, was the predominant meat.

It wasn’t until England’s 16th century conquering of Ireland that the cow became a meat animal—but its availability was limited to the Irish population because of the cost.

Then came the massive migration of Irish, Jewish, and other populations from Europe to the U.S.

Corned beef was a staple in middle-European Jewish cuisine. Irish immigrants learned about corned beef from their Jewish neighbors on New York’s Lower East Side.

They adopted it as a cheaper alternative to imported Irish bacon. (Irish bacon is a lean, smoked pork loin similar to Canadian bacon. Here are the different types of bacon.)

In the U.S., pork was much more expensive than the American staple meat, beef. Brisket, which required several hours of cooking to tenderize, was an affordable cut.

Bacon and cabbage is a popular Irish dish, so the marriage was made:

Irish Americans substituted corned beef for the bacon, and Corned Beef & Cabbage was born (photo #3).
 
 
MORE CORNED BEEF RECIPES

[1] Corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and Irish soda bread (photo © Chef Eric LeVine).

[2] A brisket, transformed with into corned beef (photo © Omaha Steaks).

[3] One idea for leftovers: corned beef and cabbage tacos. See the other recipes below (photo © Tortilla Factory).

[4] Make a Reuben sandwich with leftovers. Since cole slaw is grated cabbage, dice the leftover cabbage and mix with mayo, shredded carrots, diced onions, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, and a pinch of sugar (photo © An Affair From The Heart).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] This bright green dip has layers of flavo5.

[2] A packet of dip mix provides ranch dressing flavor to the dip (photos #1 and #2 courtesy Hidden Valley).

[3] Everything’s better with bacon (photo courtesy Edwards Virginia Smokehouse).

We recently tasted this dip at a friend’s house, and liked it enough to ask for the recipe.

Turns out, it’s a Hidden Valley recipe, sent in by a customer. It includes everything from ranch dip to guacamole to chicken, bacon and hot sauce.

It may not be Irish in spirit, but it’s bright green in color (photo #1).

You can make the dip the day before, and let it chill until you’re ready to make the pita chips.

You can also use store-bought chips; but the fresh-from-the-oven chips are so much more of a treat.

For green beer to accompany the snack:

 
 
RECIPE: “GREEN WITH ENVY” CHICKEN & RANCH GUACAMOLE DIP

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pita chips. Heat the oven to 350°F. Separate each pita bread round horizontally, to yield 2 thin rounds. Stack the rounds, cut them in half, and then cut each half into fourths to form triangular wedges. Spread the wedges smooth side down on a large baking sheet.

2. MAKE the dip. Whisk together 1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dips Mix, 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Brush the mixture on the pita pieces and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the chips so the smooth side is up, and bake 5 minutes longer or until brown and crispy.

There have been edible utensils before, and edible dishes too (think of the tortilla salad bowl or the rice noodle cups in Thai restaurants).

But the category may be on the verge of a breakthrough:

The Best In Show Winner at this year’s International Restaurant Show was Planeteer, for their edible utensils in different flavors.

An estimated 40 billion plastic utensils are used worldwide annually. Planeteer and other companies that are edging their way into the edible category are ostensibly doing it to help save the planet from plastic spoons and forks—quickly used and tossed at fast-food restaurants, food carts, etc.

While people get into the business for sustainability reasons—and we’re very pro-sustainability—we like edible flatware for food fun and flavor.

Search online and you’ll see edible cups, bowls, plates and more. (The easiest way is to search Google Images.)

They are made by small companies that don’t have economies of scale, although some are more affordable than others. Bocado Edible Spoons are $69 for 100 pieces—69¢ per spoon, which isn’t egregious for a special occasion.

Perhaps Planeteer’s win, in front of the restaurant industry, will help spur economies, so more creative cooks and hosts can use edible tableware.
 
 
PLANETEER’S EDIBLE SPOONS

The company is launching three types of spoons for different culinary needs. All have a choice of flavors to complement the food.
 
Tablespoons

 
Soup Spoons

 
Dessert Spoons

[1] Use these Asian-style soup spoons to serve amuses-bouche (photo courtesy Bocado).

[2] How about a mint spoon with strawberry sorbet (photo courtesy Bakeys on Kickstarter)?

Here’s a recipe for fork, spoon and knife cookies.

They’re cookies rather than utensils, but are very fun to serve with ice cream, mousse, panna cotta, etc.

________________

*Amuse-bouche (pronounced ah-MEEZ boosh) is French for “amusing the mouth.” It’s an hors d’oeuvre-size portion plated on a tiny dish, sent as a gift from the chef after the order has been placed but before the food arrives. It is brought after the wine is poured. It is just one bite: A larger portion would constitute an appetizer. Amuses-bouches tend to be complex in both flavors and garniture, and enable the chef to show creativity. They are now very popular for parties and events, to offer from a tray with cocktails.