How to Cook Country Ham

Country ham is the original American charcuterie: a pork hind leg rubbed with salt, hung to cure, and smoked over hickory until it will keep for months without a refrigerator. It is nothing like the spiral or honey-baked ham most of us grew up with. It is firmer, darker, deeply smoky, and salty by nature. Handled right, it is one of the best things that can come out of a Southern kitchen. This guide covers everything we get asked about.

Country ham vs. city ham

A city ham (spiral, honey-baked, holiday ham) is wet-cured: injected with a brine, then cooked. It is mild, moist, and needs refrigeration. A country ham is dry-cured: rubbed with salt and sugar, aged for months, and usually smoked. The salt pulls water out of the meat, which is what preserves it and concentrates the flavor. Think prosciutto or Spanish jamón, but from Kentucky and with hickory smoke. It is meant to be eaten in smaller portions, sliced thin, alongside things that balance the salt: biscuits, eggs, grits, beans, greens, honey, apple butter, red-eye gravy.

Is it supposed to be this salty?

Yes. Salt is the cure. Every producer of real country ham, ours included, makes a product that is noticeably saltier than grocery store ham, and the traditional cuts (biscuit slices, seasoning hocks) are saltier still. Three things bring it back to where most people like it: slice it thin, serve a small amount, and soak it if you want it milder. Soaking is optional. Plenty of people never do it.

Soaking

Soaking pulls some of the salt out. How long depends on the cut and your taste.

  • Biscuit slices: 30 minutes to an hour in cold water or milk. Pat dry before cooking.
  • Steaks (center or breakfast): 30 minutes to 2 hours in cold water or milk. Pat dry.
  • Seasoning hocks: Usually no soak. Skip the salt in the pot instead. If you want it milder, 30 minutes in cold water before it goes in.
  • Whole ham, to bake: Scrub off any surface mold with a stiff brush and warm water (a little mold is normal on an aged ham and does not mean anything is wrong). Then soak 12 to 24 hours in cold water, changing the water once or twice. Longer soak, milder ham.

Slicing

Thin. That is the whole rule. A country ham steak wants to be cut into pieces about as thin as a coin; a prosciutto-style ham wants to be shaved paper-thin. Two or three thin slices is a serving. If your first bite was too salty, the slice was too thick.

Frying slices and steaks

  1. Soak if you like, then pat completely dry.
  2. Heat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium. No oil needed; the ham has its own fat.
  3. Lay the slices in and cook about 2 minutes a side for thin slices, 3 to 4 minutes a side for a 3/8-inch steak. You want the fat rendered and the edges just crisp. Do not overcook; country ham goes from tender to tough quickly.
  4. Leave the drippings in the pan for red-eye gravy.

Red-eye gravy

After frying the ham, pour a half cup of strong black coffee (or half coffee, half water) into the hot skillet and scrape up the browned bits. Let it bubble a minute or two until it reduces slightly. That is it. Spoon it over the ham, biscuits, or grits. No salt, no thickener.

Baking a whole country ham

  1. Scrub and soak as above.
  2. Put the ham skin side up in a large roasting pan or covered roaster. Add about 4 to 5 cups of water (or half water, half apple cider) to the pan and cover tightly with a lid or heavy foil.
  3. Bake at 325°F for about 20 to 25 minutes per pound, until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 160°F. A 16-pound ham takes roughly 5 to 6 hours.
  4. Let it rest 20 minutes, then trim the skin and most of the fat, leaving a thin layer.
  5. To glaze: score the fat, rub with brown sugar and a little honey or mustard, and return to a 400°F oven uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until browned.
  6. Slice thin against the grain. Plan on 40 or more servings from a whole ham. It keeps for weeks in the refrigerator once cooked, and freezes well.

Seasoning hocks in beans and greens

Put one hock into the pot with your beans, greens, black-eyed peas, or split peas at the start of cooking and let it simmer an hour or more. Do not add salt until the end, after you taste. One hock seasons a full pot; it usually needs nothing else.

Prosciutto-style ham

Our Heritage Dry Cured Country Ham and Hillbilly Prosciutto are made to be eaten uncooked. Shave them paper-thin, bring to room temperature, and serve with something to balance the salt: melon, a soft cheese, a biscuit with butter, or a drizzle of honey. A little goes a long way.

Storage

  • Unopened, vacuum-sealed cuts keep at room temperature for up to 3 months, in the refrigerator for up to 6 months, or in the freezer for up to 12 months. They may arrive warm. That is normal for a salt-cured product.
  • Whole uncooked hams hang or sit in a cool, dry place. They keep for months; they get drier and saltier the longer they age.
  • After opening, wrap tightly and refrigerate. Use within a couple of weeks or freeze.
  • Cooked ham keeps refrigerated for several weeks and freezes well.

Where to start

New to country ham? The Country Ham Starter Pack has biscuit slices, steaks, hocks, pepper bacon, and Hillbilly Prosciutto in one box. Ready for the whole thing? The Whole Country Ham is Broadbent's 23-time Kentucky State Fair Grand Champion.

Shop all Country Ham →