Smithfield ham: history, production, and cultural significance

¶ … history of Smithfield Ham

In recent years, the demand for premium meat products has increased nation-wide. Concerns about the safety and ethics of factory farming, generated by works such as Michael Pollan's the Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules have stimulated interest in older ways of farming and raising livestock. Heritage pork raised on free-range farms has become the preferred choice of 'foodies,' people who care about the taste and quality of their food to a near-obsessive degree, as well as meat-eaters who wish to eat in a healthier and more sustainable fashion. Critics of conventional pork raising and meat processing would condemn many of the characteristic raising and curing methods currently used by the Smithfield organization. But producers of commercial meats such as Smithfield Ham are still popular amongst large sections of the public. Although it is a national brand that makes use of commercial manufacturing methods, Smithfield Ham has been able to retain customer loyalty.

Ironically, the Smithfield Ham company is founded upon a long, proud tradition of natural pork raising in Smithfield, Virginia. Smithfield has been called the Ham Capital of the World. Smithfield ham, although it is associated with a specific company, is also the status of a protected agricultural product in Smithfield. "Smithfield ham, in order to be the genuine product had to be produced in Smithfield from hogs that were raised in Smithfield. Smithfield hams were defined by a 1926 statute of Virginia which stated that genuine Smithfield hams are hams cut from the 'carcasses of peanut-fed hogs, raised in the peanut-belt of the Commonwealth of Virginia or the State of North Carolina'…Virginia's General Assembly revised the meaning of the term Smithfield ham in 1966 by deleting references to peanut-fed hogs. In addition, the revision stipulated that genuine Smithfield hams must be 'processed, treated, smoked, aged, and cured by the long-cure, dry method of cure and aged for a minimum period of six months' and that all the salting, processing, curing, and aging had to be performed within the corporate limits of the town of Smithfield, Virginia"(Ruegsegger 2010). This detail reflects the fact that ham in Smithfield is viewed as a kind of regional treasure, as well as a food product. This tradition has made a substantial contribution to the positive marketing and associations with the Smithfield Ham company.

The company Smithfield Ham began on a family run farm in Smithfield, in the heart of this 'ham country.' Modern meat packing technology enabled the Luter family of Smithfield, Virginia to found its business. The family "has been curing and selling hams since the turn of the century" like many residents, but the Luters were able make their local meats into a national enterprise (About us, Smithfield Hams, 2010). Meat packing, more so than original raising or curing founded the Smithfield Ham empire. "Joseph W. Luter, Sr.'s first job was at a local meat packing plant. His young son, Joseph W. Luter, Jr., followed in his father's footsteps, learning every phase of the meat packing industry…eventually persuading him [Luter, Sr. to] start their own business - Smithfield Packing Company was chartered in 1936" (About us, Smithfield Hams, 2010).

Smithfield remained a family business, but in 1962, when Joseph W. Luter III assumed control of the company, Smithfield became a publically traded company with a widely expanded packing facility and product line. "Today with Joseph W. Luter IV on board, the company retains its family heritage and has become a worldwide marketer of pork products and one of America's largest meat companies -- poised for significant growth and expansion" (About us, Smithfield Hams, 2010).

Smithfield Hams has, over the years, altered the taste of its product to the modern demand for 'leaner' ham. "The National Pork Board has been touting pork as 'the other white meat' for decades, providing low fat pork to the American public. In the last fifteen years the average pork chop has about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast" (Forester 2009). Smithfield boasts that "with the development of high-tech hog breeding techniques, there is now a new generation of pork that combines yesterday's goodness with today's leaner taste" and that its brining methods makes it easier to serve a prepared ham more quickly to a family on a busy weekday night as no cooking is required (About us, Smithfield Hams, 2010). However, heritage pork enthusiasts counter: "the only problem is that while being low fat, it [commercially raised pork] is also low in taste, just like that pasty white, mushy chicken breast. In many cases the pork has no taste at all. You try to fry up a chop and you end up having to add lots of fats or oils to brown it, and if you aren't careful you end up with a tough, dry, and flavorless hunk of inedible pseudo-pig on your plate" (Forester 2007). In contrast, heritage pork, the flesh of so-called traditional or heritage breed pigs who do not often flourish under the conditions of factory farming, is fattier than standard-grade pork. Heritage pork is humanely raised, usually organically, without antibiotics or hormones. Heritage pork breeds must be brined by the customer, or smoked for flavor, unlike Smithfield hams and other commercial products, which can be served immediately (Forester 2007).

Although Smithfield continues to rest its laurels on the value of the historical Smithfield name, it has explored partnerships that emphasize the convenient and ubiquitous brand name of its product, including its alliance with the popular TV chef and spokeswoman, Paula Deen, known for her heavy, buttery cuisine. Smithfield has also begun to market traditional, hearty side dishes like butter that are sold with its hams -- such as biscuits and casseroles -- to satisfy the demand for 'complete' dinners amongst customers today who are pressed for time. Today, the pork market could be said to be divided into two camps. The first is the average, time-pressed and value-conscious consumer watching his or her weight but still desirous of hearty American fare -- that consumer is likely to buy leaner Smithfield products. Those who want hams that are more like the ones 'traditionally' raised in the ham capital of the world before Smithfield became a standardized product would likely opt for heritage breeds.