Peameal ham, also called Peameal Bacon, is a brined pork loin roast that was once coated in crushed yellow peas (but now coated in cornmeal) to preserve it. It was developed in Canada in 1854 and is found mainly in Ontario, Canada. It is not what we call Canadian Bacon here in the USA.
One of my volunteers for our Parish Fish Fry during Lent lives in Canada. His wife is a teacher here in Michigan and his son, who is now in college, attended our Parish school. This man, Bob, began working the fish fry while his son attended our school and continued even after his son graduated to high school and beyond.
Of course, we hadn't seen Bob for the past couple of years due to COVID travel restrictions between the countries but this year the borders opened again and we were happy to have Bob back. Bob helps cut and fry the fish and Bob loves to talk and tell stories. We love having him. During one of our sessions the topic of Peameal ham came up. One of our other volunteers said one of the worst things about the border being closed was that she couldn't go to Canada to buy it and she hadn't been able to find anything close to it in the USA.
The following week, Bob arrived baring gifts of packages of Peameal Ham for those who wanted it. He then used the rest to make us lunch on a Thursday fish cutting day and gave me a lesson on how to prepare the ham that he served to us accompanied by scrambled eggs and some banana bread that another volunteer had brought.
- Keto 2-Minute Protein Bread & A Ham Sandwich from Sneha's Recipe
- Peameal Ham and Egg Breakfast Sandwich from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Spicy Ham Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Food Lust People Love
- Grilled Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich from Palatable Pastime
- Ham & Pickle Sandwich from Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Croque Monsieur from Making Miracles
You can see in the top photo that when you slice the peameal ham that it is obviously not cooked and looks like a nice lean pork loin roast. You cover the slices in water and cook over med high heat until they are cooked through. Drain the water, add some butter to the pan and then brown the slices.
The peameal ham is now ready to be used in any manner that you would use any other cooked ham. It can be eaten in slices on it's own, diced into eggs, used in casseroles or placed onto sandwiches.
The sandwich I am sharing today was wonderful with the Peameal Ham but leftover Easter Ham will work just as well. Happy Easter my friends, Rejoice in the Risen Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia!!
Yield: 8 sandwiches
Peameal Ham and Egg Sandwiches
Peameal ham, also called Peameal Bacon, is a brined pork loin roast that was once coated in crushed yellow peas (but now coated in cornmeal) to preserve it is cooked to a golden brown and placed on a toasted English Muffin with a fried egg and slice of cheese makes for a delicious portable breakfast.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Ingredients
- 1 (1 1/2-2 lb) pkg. peameal ham, cut into 8 thin slices
- 8 English muffins
- 8 Eggs
- 8 slices Colby Jack Cheese
- Butter
Instructions
- Remove and discard any fat or silver skin from the slices of peameal ham. Place the ham slices into a large skillet and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook the ham until the slices turn white, about 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of slices.
- Remove the slices to a plate and set aside. Drain the water from the skillet and return skillet to med high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet.
- When the butter is melted, return the slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, halve and toast the English Muffins. Butter, if desired and place onto a serving platter.
- In another skillet melt another Tablespoon of butter over medium heat and carefully add the eggs, cooking in batches if necessary. Use a butter knife or spatula to break the yolk, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook until eggs are nearly set. Flip the eggs and add a slice of cheese on top of each. Cover and cook another 30 seconds or so.
- Remove the eggs and place onto one half of the English muffins. Place a slice of the peameal ham onto each and cover with the other half of English muffin and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
311.97Fat (grams)
14.73Sat. Fat (grams)
7.52Carbs (grams)
27.26Fiber (grams)
1.54Net carbs
25.72Sugar (grams)
0.3Protein (grams)
16.63Sodium (milligrams)
501.58Cholesterol (grams)
191.7
That's a scrumptious sandwich Wendy!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to start the day, for sure.
DeleteLooks delicious. I was not familiar with peameal ham. Thank you for the info.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Cathy. I was happy to learn about it as well.
Delete