# Ham Eye?



## tjohnson (Sep 9, 2010)

Just got a "Ham Eye" from my neighbor and don't know what the heck it is?

Help Please........

Todd


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## chefrob (Sep 9, 2010)

i dunno todd, but it's gotta taste better than a fish eye!


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## tjohnson (Sep 10, 2010)

Bump

Trying to figure it out and what to do with it. Cure and smoke it like ham?

Anyone??

TJ


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## pops6927 (Sep 10, 2010)

Any Qview of it?  Could be a shank portion, could be the eye of the round of the ham, several different possibilities.  Wouldn't know until I saw it - so many different colloquial depictions for the same cut of meat.  If it's raw pork then you'd most likely would have to cure and smoke it.


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## Bearcarver (Sep 10, 2010)

That would be my best guess too---The pork equivalent of a Beef Eye Round Roast.

Does it look anything like the beginning of my "Dried Beef" post in my signature?

or Eye of Newt???

Bear


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## scarbelly (Sep 10, 2010)

I tried Google and Bing and they both came up with nothing

My guess is if you post a pic Pops can tell ya what it is


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## tjohnson (Sep 12, 2010)

Here's a pic of the "Ham Eye".  I already froze it, but I looks like a few separate muscles in the package






Thanks for trying to figure it out.

Don't know if i should cure it for ham or BBB or what??

Todd


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## ak1 (Sep 12, 2010)

It's pork! That I'm sure of
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Doing a search for "Ham eye" I found nothing.  Seeing the picture, it doesn't look like any ham I've seen. My best guess, is that it's some bit of meat near the back end of the hog, but not ham.


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## tjohnson (Sep 12, 2010)

If it were donut shaped I would guess it's a "Butt Hole", but not!

Todd


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## Bearcarver (Sep 13, 2010)

TJohnson said:


> If it were donut shaped I would guess it's a "Butt Hole", but not!
> 
> Todd


I might stink then too! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	











   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





LOL


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## stircrazy (Sep 13, 2010)

I found a description.

its the pork leg eye muscle, simular to the beef eye of round, and comes from the outside muscle of the ham.  it is aconcidered a low cost cut of meat as the price is tied to the fresh leg (ham) price and not the loin or tender loin prices.

Steve


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## tjohnson (Sep 13, 2010)

Cool!

My neighbor is a meat buyer for a large chain of restaurants and the processor is trying to get them to use this "Ham Eye" as part of their menu. 

I'm not sure if it should be cured and sliced like ham or what to do with it.

TJ


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## Bearcarver (Sep 13, 2010)

Todd,

What's the size & weight on that thing? It looks pretty small, but nothing in pic to compare to.

Bear


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## t-bone tim (Sep 14, 2010)

TJohnson said:


> Cool!
> 
> My neighbor is a meat buyer for a large chain of restaurants and the processor is trying to get them to use this "Ham Eye" as part of their menu.
> 
> ...


TJ they are prolly the size of a lg pork tenderloin , cure em with BBB cure and they will make a nice tasty lean ham similar to CB .


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## pops6927 (Sep 17, 2010)

If you could thaw it and unwrap it, it could be identified; probably the leg eye of round.  Your choices are like any other pork product; cook it fresh like roast pork, cure it and serve it in a dish as salted pork like baked beans, or cure it and smoke it as a ham product.   Of course there are as many variations as nickels in the 7 seas for seasonings, etc.  What dish or dishes is it intended for?


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## smokeydrewsky (Sep 17, 2010)

TJohnson said:


> If it were donut shaped I would guess it's a "Butt Hole", but not!
> 
> Todd


Haha that's great - The 'ole Ham Brown-Eye!


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## grogger27 (Sep 20, 2010)

I found a web page and noticed it detailed the ham eye. Stircrazy Steve is right when he comes from the outside of the ham. Look to the bottom of the information on the pork cuts and it shows the ham eye.

http://members.shaw.ca/masterbutcher/meat_cuts.html#PORK_CUTS_Detailed_Cuts

Greg


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## pops6927 (Sep 20, 2010)

Yes, leg eye of round.  Not unlike beef eye of round, it will have a more pronounced, coarser grain than the loin coming from the leg, indicating how hard the muscle has been worked, providing support and weight-bearing.  It would be fine for moist cooking or roasting intact with the rest of the leg, but separately it may toughen up quickly.  As a ham product the curing breaks down the connective tissue to help tenderize it. It wouldn't take much to bring it up to 205° to pull it, but a pork shoulder would be more economical and practical.


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## Bearcarver (Sep 20, 2010)

I'm with Pops on this one (Can't go wrong agreeing with him).

Actually the guy who posted #5 had it right all along.

Personally, I'd cure & smoke those little beggers!

Bear


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## rbranstner (Sep 20, 2010)

Just throw it on the smoker with some brown sugar and a bit of honey. Its awesome. I make these all the time when I am smoking for a snack. I put three of them on yesterday while making my chuckies. Two were just straight on nothing added as I am going to use it for corn chowder this week/weekend at bow camp and the last one I put a bunch of asian sweet and spicy sauce on it and it was great. It usually only takes around an hour or so to give it a nice smokey kiss and heat it up real good.


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## tjohnson (Sep 20, 2010)

WOW!

Thanks Guys!!

This restaurant chain is looking at a cheaper cut of meat to use at their carving station.  I suppose it's meant to replace ham if it's an odd part of the pig to sell.

Ross, I froze it right away, so I don't know what it looks like.  I bet it's a number of "Eyes" in one package.  Hoe large are the "Eyes" you get?  Do you cook them to temp, or just throw some smoke on them and finish cooking on the grill or oven?

THANKS!

Todd


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