Fort Valley State University

When nearly 70 contestants – young and old – placed their home-cured hams on the judging tables last month, they left their efforts under the watchful – and professional – eyes (and nose and fingers) of a judge who’s been evaluating home-cured hams at the Lowndes County Ham and Egg Show for nearly 30 years.

Dr. Glenwood Hill has judged the quality of hams displayed at the Valdosta show since 1978 when he was invited to participate as a judge by area extension personnel and show sponsors.

“George Catchings, a Grady County extension agent and the show’s judge for many years, and Mr. Perry, who was a member of the Lowndes County Improvement Association, called me and asked if I’d like to judge the ham competition,” Hill said, as he began looking over the hams in the Lowndes County Civic Center. “They were familiar with some of the judging I’d done at the Chattahoochee Fair in Columbus, the Southeastern Fair in Atlanta and the Georgia State Fair in Macon. They said they thought I’d do an excellent job for their show.”

From that time on – with a two-year break – he’s been in Valdosta, judging the hams – some 2,000 he estimates – at the annual ham and egg show.

Hill, who served as the program leader for Fort Valley State University Cooperative Extension Program’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Program for 29 years, has been judging ham quality since 1963.

“I learned how to evaluate the quality of a country-cured ham from Dr. Charles Walker, an associate professor of animal science at Fort Valley State College,” Hill said. “It was something I needed to learn as part of a meat class in animal science.”

Hill, who currently works as a consultant for the Fort Valley State University extension program, said there are seven criteria – soundness, appearance, trim, smoke, style, heat treatment and aging – involved in judging and grading a cured ham.

While the rankings – fancy, choice, good and standard – mean more money for the seller of the highest grade, he added, all of the hams are edible.

“What it comes down to is that the highest quality hams will have the best flavor; the flavor that a buyer desires in a country ham,” he said.

“The first step is checking for soundness to make sure that the ham has no spoilage,” he said, as he picked up one of the hams in the center’s county extension office auditorium. “To determine the ham’s soundness, you use a stainless steel probe and your nose.

“The second step means using your eyes to determine the ham’s appearance,” he continued, as he shifted the ham around in his hands, evaluating the color of the muscle and looking for discolorations and other blemishes.

Hill said the next step – judging the trim – meant using his eyes to determine the ham’s actual shape.

“Hams are usually trimmed at the beginning of the cure and before they’re smoked. Excessive skin, protruding bones and loose fat should be removed,” he explained. “Checking the trim tells you if the ham has been cured according to the standards for a dry country cure.

“The fourth step is using your eyes, nose and fingers to determine if the ham’s been smoked after it’s been cured, or if it’s only had liquid smoke applied,” he said, as he probed the ham with his fingers.

Pressing the ham’s skin to see if it was firmly attached to the underlying muscle, he added, “Although smoking’s not required in the curing process, it’s desirable because it adds flavor to the product.”

Rotating the ham in his hands, Hill said the fifth step in the judging process is checking for style.

“This means visually examining the ham to see if those portions removed in a commercially cut product – the ham hocks and ham tip – are still part of the country-cured ham,” he explained.

“Commercially cured hams have had those parts removed early in the curing process and sold for ham hocks and sausage,” Hill continued. “The country-cured ham still contains these meat cuts.”

Hill said the sixth step in judging means determining whether or not any heat was applied to the ham during the smoking process.

Hill said he uses his nose to determine if smoke was applied to the ham, and his hands to determine the degree of heat – if any – that was used during the process. He uses his eyes to determine how much smoke was used by gauging the color of the ham.

He said that the indicators combine to let him know the amount of heat the producer used after the curing process.

“The final step is checking the ham for aging,” he said. “To determine the ham’s age – the period of time when it’s hung after the curing process is complete – you use your eyes to see if any mold has started to grow on the ham.

“Now, despite what ‘mold’ means to most products, finding it on a country-cured ham means that the aging process has been done properly – and that means you’re going to get the best tasting ham,” he cautioned. “The mold itself is not harmful and is growing on the exterior of the ham. You simply wash it off.”

Hill said standard, good and choice hams meet the basic requirements needed to be classified country-cured. However, their varying weights, appearances and odors separate them from a fancy grade.

“Fancy hams weigh 10 to 14 pounds, have the ideal finish and no trace of an ‘off’ smell,” he continued. “Each of the four grades make good eating – but fancy makes the best addition to your breakfast menu.”

Moving down the rows of ham, Hill stopped by each, picked it up and began the ritual. After checking each ham for soundness, appearance, trim, smoke, style, heat treatment and aging, he paused, noted his evaluation on a slip of paper and moved to the next ham.

Each ham received the same attention – each had its moment alone with the judge. Then he moved on.

Calvin Willis, the FVSU extension agent in Lowndes County, said show officials look forward to Hill’s appearance each year. His judging activities include an on-site classroom for producers, buyers and onlookers.

“Every year Dr. Hill takes the time to explain the origins of country cured hams, describes what he’s looking for when he judges, holds up examples of each grade of ham and explains their strengths and weaknesses. He educates the crowd about what makes good breakfast eating,” said Willis.

Hill said he’s seen the quality of curing improve over the years. He said he thinks the improvement is mostly due to educating farmers on the breeds of hogs best suited for this type of curing and the proper techniques for curing meat.

“Sixty to eighty years ago, you found farmers who could do a first-rate job of curing their own hams,” Hill said. “It was a means of preserving the meat when refrigeration wasn’t common and a way to earn additional income from the farming operation.”

As producers gained access to better refrigeration equipment, they began cutting back on older, more traditional meat preservation techniques, he continued. They also stopped passing on their knowledge to their children.

“By the 1970s, it was hard to find producers able to cure their own hams,” Hill said.

In 1981, Hill said, he started reviving knowledge of the country curing process among producers by holding home slaughter and meat clinics across the state through the FVSU extension program. By 1985, a growing number of farmers were curing again.

After three hours, Hill completes his examination of the final ham. He makes his final notes and closes the pad. It’s over for another year.