While the process of curing ham remains pretty much unchanged, Bob Woods of The Hamery in Murfreesboro says he’s starting to see some changes in the world of ham.

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“We’re beginning to see our market expanding into restaurants, and that’s probably due to the Food Network and other cable channels like that,” he says. “People are becoming more familiar with the Old World hams like those from Italy and Spain, the prosciutto and serrano hams, and realizing that if you put salt on a ham in Tennessee and you put salt on a ham in Tuscany, we’re going to come out with a similar product.”

SEE ALSO: Going Ham on Tennessee Prosciutto

He notes that it took chefs a long time to realize that.

“That’s why we actually coined the word ‘Gourmet Tennshootoe’ – that’s a hillbilly coinage, but we think it’s quite appropriate,” Woods adds. “See, us Southern hillbillies have not been as successful as those Italian hillbillies at educating our customers as to the value of what our ham is worth. The Italians are getting $25 a pound for some of their hams, and we’re way behind.”

The Hamery is catching up, however. Today, visitors to the business will find they can also purchase pre-cooked country ham, along with ham and biscuits, pork sausage, country bacon, preserves and pickles. The Hamery also provides seasonal items such as gift baskets.

The Hamery is also serving up plenty of additional recipes at its website. Among the tasty offerings are recipes for Baked Whole Ham, Fried Cured Ham Slices, Red Eye Gravy, Cheddar & Ham Cheese Ball, The Hamery’s Angel Biscuit recipe and more.

The Hamery is open year-round Wednesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 411 W. Lytle St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130. For more information, call (615) 893-9712 or visit www.thehamery.com.

Photo via Tasting Table