“Well, it’s one of those ‘southern’ things. We season our beans, greens and peas with the salt pork and we leave the salt there on purpose. Then we don’t have to add as much additional salt. I grew up on the stuff in all of its salty splendor when fried, even though normal people would remove it. I can’t explain it.”
My people came out of the Carolinas, through Kentucky and Tennessee on their way to Missouri. Curing meat was a survival skill back in those days and something that we’ve carried on to this day. Our Michigan relatives refer to country ham as ‘fried salt’, but a pot of beans or collards without a big hunk of country ham cooked in isn’t fit to eat.
I cut my salt port into chunks for boiling veggies. I love the taste of salt pork after its finished seasoning everything.
I hear ya!