When our country hams first went on sale back in 1954, it soon became evident that curing and selling country hams was to become a family tradition.
Truman Murphey, the founder of Clifty Farm, grew up down in the country around Paris, Tennessee. Truman remembered the day when every farmer cured his own hams.
Today, Truman’s grandson, Michael, is now overseeing the family business, replacing his father Dan, who passed away in 2016. Michael started working in the business as a teenager and is now president of Clifty Farm Country Meats. As a matter of fact, the whole Murphey family is deeply involved in carrying on the Clifty Farm family tradition.
About a month ago, I was given the opportunity to receive some Clifty Farm Country Meats Ham, and to come up with a recipe or two for the 2019 Blogger Recipe Contest.
I love cooking, and one of my favorite things to do is rise to a challenge, especially on those days where you are running low on food in the house, and still need to get a good meal on the table. I often turn to my freezer and pantry, use what I have on hand and quickly whip up a meal.
There have been times where the result wasn't as delicious as I thought it would be, but those thankfully have been few and far between, I've been lucky enough to come up with some pretty yummy meals, all on my own.
Clifty Farms sent me 2 Country Ham Biscuit Slices and 1 Country Ham Seasoning Meat Package.
At first glance, I figured that the Ham was merely the usual ham we buy in the store, and if you've tasted one ham you've tasted them all.
Boy was I wrong!
The Clifty Farm Ham is delicious, with a capital D.
I thought about what I wanted to make, and it wasn't easy, I think Ham is one of those meats that is used very often and there are literally thousands of recipes available. So, with that in mind, I decided to focus on the kind of dishes my family loves, and also pulled a bit on my Portuguese/Brazilian heritage.
What I came up with was a Breakfast recipe, and a main dish. Both got thumbs up from the family, are super easy to make, and pretty delicious too.
First product we are going to work with, is the Country Ham Biscuit Slices, which I used to make some stuffed bread rolls. I usually make these just with ground beef, but the addition of the ham gave it that extra kick it needed and really jazzed up the recipe.
Stuffed Meat and Ham Bread Rolls
12 Bread Rolls (use whichever you prefer)
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
Half a package of Clifty Farm Country Ham Biscuit Slices
2 teaspoons crushed garlic in olive oil (I make my own)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili flakes to taste
Cilantro and Parsley
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup Milk
Shredded cheese of your choice
In a skillet, add the olive oil and garlic, cook for about a minute, then add the onion and cook until transparent. Add the ground beef, cook until brown, then drain, remove meat mixture to a separate bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the ham biscuit slices and fry for a few minutes. Add the meat mixture back into the skillet and give it all a good stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, and some chili flakes.
Next, sprinkle on the flour, and stir well to coat all the meat. Slowly pour in milk, stirring constantly. Simmer for a few minutes, just so the flour can cook and it creates a creamy thick sauce.
Finish with the cilantro and parsley, topping with the shredded cheese, which is to taste.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grab each bread roll, give it a small slice on the top, about an inch and a half wide, and cut down to about middle of the roll. Don't cut all the way through. Using the knife or your finger tips, make the hole bigger, so that you can stuff with the meat mixture.
Add a bit of the meat mixture into the roll, top with a bit more shredded cheese, add a little more meat mixture and finish with a few more sprinkles of cheese.
Place the roll in a baking dish, and repeat with the remaining rolls.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and the roll are crusty and brown. Serve immediately.
For the next recipe, I decided to go with a simple breakfast, combining all the my favorite breakfast food into one tasty bite.
For this recipe, I used the Seasoning Pieces.
Breakfast Ham, Egg and Gravy Pockets
Half a pound of Clifty Farm Ham Seasoning Pieces
8 eggs, beaten
Fresh Parsley
Sausage Gravy, prepared according to package (I used a pouch of the Sausage Country Gravy mix)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Shredded Cheese
2 cans crescent rolls
In a skillet, fry the seasoning pieces until brown. Season with salt and pepper (be mindful, the ham is already salty so don't add too much).
Add about a handful of chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup of the sausage gravy of your choice and mix well. Next, add in the eggs and cook until scrambled. Check the seasonings again. I added a few drops of Tabasco sauce to mine because I love spicy food, but you can omit that. Sprinkle on some shredded cheese and mix well.
Grease a baking sheet, then open the crescent rolls and separate them. Using a small rolling pin, or even your fingertips, roll each triangle into a rectangle.
Separate the ham and egg mixture into 16 equal portions, you don't need a lot in each. Add the filling to the center of each rectangle and then fold up into a small pouch, pinching the seams shut. Place seam side down on baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining crescent rolls until all the ham and egg filling has been used up.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned. Remove from oven.
Serve with the remaining sausage gravy.
I hope that I've been able to provide some ideas for you. Truthfully, I have tasted many different brands of ham and I can say without a doubt, that the Clifty Farm Ham products are the best, tastiest, hams my family and I have ever tasted. There is a smoky flavor that is like no other.
If you want to learn more about Clifty Farms and their products, you can find them on the web, Facebook and Instagram.
They offer free shipping, and if you would like to try some of the products yourself, follow this link to receive a $1.00 coupon.
Thank you to Clifty Farms for providing me with the products to come up with these recipes, in exchange for an honest review and opinion.
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