Loveless Cafe Smokehouse Items

A few words before you fire up the skillet:

You are about to enjoy some of the world's finest smoked country meats available. The time-honored processes used in curing, smoking, and preparing these meats have been passed down for generations. These items have been shipped to you without refrigeration because they are cured meat products. Certified lab nutritional and shelf stable testing have been conducted on our country ham, spiral sliced country ham, country smoked bacon, and hickory smoked country sausage. USDA has approved our labels to read "Refrigerate after opening." Even our smoked sausage and spiral sliced ham that read "Keep Refrigerated" are safe for shipping without refrigeration but should be refrigerated upon arrival. All are shelf stable for minimum of 10 days (90 days for whole country ham, center cut slices, biscuit pieces, and bacon) to allow for shipping, however we strongly recommend refrigerating upon arrival.

Country Bacon

On stovetop, fry bacon on medium heat until golden brown. To enhance the flavor of our bacon, high cooking temperatures and over cooking should be avoided. If cooking in the microwave, cook on high for about one minute per slice. But to get the full flavor of our bacon, we recommend cooking in the Oven on a rack over a baking sheet to catch grease.

Smoked Country Sausage

Cut sausage and hand-form into patties. Cook for approximately four minutes on each side until reddish brown. For safe cooking, internal temperature should reach 160 degrees. Loveless Country Sausage is made from high quality hickory-smoked pork; therefore, it will still have a pink tint when cooked. Leave uncooked sausage in cloth bag and store in an airtight plastic bag to prevent it from drying out.

Country Ham Center-Cut Slices and Biscuit Pieces

Unlike many other country hams, our ham is cured with a blend of salt and sugar, resulting in a tender and more moist ham with a lower salt content than most. To prepare ham slices, remove from packing and preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Do not trim off the fat before cooking as it adds flavor during the cooking process. Place in skillet and fry on each side for approximately 2 minutes.
WARNING: Do not over-fry your ham, as it will become hard and dry. For safe cooking, internal temperature should reach 160 degrees.

Red Eye Gravy

After ham is fried, add a small amount of hot water (or coffee) to the pan to dissolve any residue on the pan, stir, let boil and pour into a bowl……ENJOY!

Fully Cooked Spiral Ham

Our Spiral-Sliced Country Hams are fully cooked and ready to eat! You can heat your ham by the slice in a skillet or whole by following our suggested directions below. Remove your fully cooked spiral-sliced ham from the package and remove the protective plastic disc at the end of the bone. Place the ham in a foil-lined pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar and fruit juice to create a paste. Bake the ham until the center temperature reaches 160 degrees, basting and applying the brown sugar paste until finished.

Whole Country Ham

Our special curing process makes the country ham keep for months without refrigeration. We recommend hanging your ham in a cool, dark place for maximum storage. Our special cure with sugar added helps cut the salt taste. These hams are not tenderized or pre-cooked – just country cured, smoked, and aged. Due to aging, your ham will have some mold on it; you may also notice white specks throughout the meat. This, in no way, affects the quality of the meat, but rather indicates proper aging and is often preferred by many connoisseurs.

Boiled Country Ham

Clean ham with hot water and stiff brush to remove mold. If mold is very heavy, scrape with a knife. Put ham in lard can or turkey cooker, hock end up, and cover with cold water. Put on stove and bring to a boil. Boil hard for 20 minutes. Remove from burner and place lid on lard can or turkey cooker. Wrap can securely with anything that will retain heat, such as a burlap sack, blankets, or fiberglass insulation. Be sure top and bottom of can is covered. Leave ham for 24 hours. Remove from can. Remove skin and excess fat as desired. Use your favorite glaze, and put in a moderately hot oven to brown. For added flavor, coat the ham with a paste-like mixture of dark brown sugar and ginger ale or fruit juices. Garnish with whole cloves.

Baked Country Ham

Clean ham with hot water and stiff brush to remove mold. If mold is very heavy, scrape with knife. Ham may be soaked in water overnight to help reduce salty taste. Cut off about 3 inches of hock. Hock may be used for seasoning when cooking other foods. Remove the skin (easier done after cooking while warm). Weigh the ham in order to calculate cooking time. Rub ham in spices or score with whole cloves, and then cover with brown sugar or pure honey. Place ham in aluminum foil in cooking vessel. Inside the foil, pour one-quart water, ginger ale or other liquid around the ham. Crimp foil tight with double fold and bake 30 minutes per pound at 250 degrees or until center of ham registers 170 degrees on a meat thermometer. Take out of oven and leave in foil until cooled to room temperature. Discard liquid at the end of baking period. Ham may be glazed after removing skin. Glaze with sugar, ginger ale, or fruit juices and spices. Place back in moderately hot (400-degree) oven just long enough to get golden brown or about 15 minutes.

We hope you enjoy your Loveless Cafe smokehouse product(s)!