Ham Roll-Ups — The Kind of Simple That Keeps the Chain Going

February 2023. Winter in Memphis, 64 years old, and the cold has settled into the house on Deadrick Avenue the way cold settles into old bones — persistently, without malice, just the physics of aging and December. Rosetta has the thermostat set at 74, our eternal compromise, and I cook warming things: stews and soups and slow-braised meats that fill the house with steam and flavor.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 39 years of marriage.

I experimented this week — smoked pork belly burnt ends, cubed and re-smoked with sauce and butter until they were sticky, caramelized, and indecent. The kind of food that makes Rosetta say "Earl, your arteries" and then eat three more pieces, because even nurses have limits, and the limit of smoked pork belly burnt ends has not yet been found by human science.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 64 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

After a night like that — sitting in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde’s smoker, watching the smoke rise over Orange Mound while Rosetta ate her fourth piece of pork belly and blamed me for it — I wanted something I could put together fast the next day without a fire or a twelve-hour commitment. Ham Roll-Ups have been a staple at every Johnson family gathering I can remember, the kind of thing that disappears off the tray before you even set it down, and they remind me that not every link in the chain has to be complicated — sometimes it just has to be good, and ready, and shared.

Ham Roll-Ups

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely diced green onions
• 2 tablespoons finely diced roasted red peppers
• 8 large slices deli ham (thin-sliced works best)
• 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Stir in the ranch seasoning, shredded cheddar, green onions, and roasted red peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spread the tortillas. Lay each flour tortilla flat on a clean work surface. Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture across each tortilla, going nearly to the edges.
3. Layer the ham. Arrange 2 slices of deli ham in a single layer over the cream cheese filling on each tortilla, covering as much surface as possible.
4. Roll tightly. Starting from one edge, roll each tortilla into a tight, even log. Press gently to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Chill. Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to allow them to set and firm up for clean slicing.
6. Slice and serve. Unwrap and use a sharp knife to slice each roll into 1-inch pieces, discarding the uneven ends. Arrange cut-side up on a platter and serve chilled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 180 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg