How to Cook a Country Ham

Guide Note: How to Cook a Country Ham offers tips, tricks and advice on cooking a dry-cured ham.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

A country or dry-cured ham has been cured, smoked and aged for a period ranging from a few months to a year or more. In the United States, they are also known as Virginia, Tennessee or Kentucky hams. While delicious, they are heavily salted and, for many, an acquired taste. Nevertheless, if you grew up in the South or just love the taste of a country ham, there's no substitute.

Aged hams, like cheese, mold in the process. If there is mold on your ham's surface, don't be alarmed. The mold is not harmful. It simply needs to be cleaned off. You will also need to soak the ham to remove excess salt.

Wash the ham in warm water.
Scrub the mold from the surface of the ham with a stiff brush.
Rinse the ham well.
Two days before you plan on serving the ham, place it in a large pan.
Cover the ham with cold water.
Let the water-covered ham stand at room temperature.
Depending on the saltiness of the ham, crystals will begin to form on the ham's surface.
If crystals begin to form, change the water every 4 to 6 hours. Let the ham soak for at least 12 hours.
If crystals do not form, change the water every 6 to 10 hours. Let the ham soak for 6 to 12 hours.
Once the ham has been scrubbed and soaked, it is ready to cook.

Add bay leaves and peppercorns to the boiling water. (Creative Commons photo by Jessica)

There are several different ways to prepare a country ham. The following directions outline a method which involves boiling and oven-browning. Other preparation methods are available via downloadable PDFs at Smithfield Hams' website.

Scrub and soak ham according to the directions is Step 1.
In a large pot, cover ham with water.
Add bay leaves and peppercorns to pot. (Optional)
Boil for 20 to 25 minutes per pound.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees towards the end of the boiling process.
Drain ham.
Trim, score and glaze ham if desired.
Insert meat thermometer into the ham.
Place ham in roasting pan.
Brown at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven.
- Do not overcook the ham. It's internal temperature should be 160 degrees F.
Let stand 15 minutes before carving.

If your ham has a layer of rind and fat on it, it can be trimmed towards the end of the cooking process, just before a glaze is applied.

Make a slit in the rind.
Trim the rind and fat at the same time.
Leave a 1/4 inch layer of fat on the ham.
- You don't want to cut into the meat while trimming.

Scoring your ham allows the glaze to penetrate the meat—making it more flavorful. Cloves can also be added while scoring for decorative purposes. Scoring can be done towards the end of the cooking process when the ham is being trimmed and glazed.

Make diagonal cuts along the surface of the ham. The cuts should be made to the fat layer. Don't penetrate the meat while scoring.
Make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction—forming diamond shapes in the fat layer.
Insert a clove into each diamond.

Cook and Carve Ham by Cooking.com

Pineapple Glazed Ham (Creative Commons photo by Matt Calder)

A ham glaze is a combination of ingredients slathered on the ham towards the end of its cooking process to enhance its flavor. Some people simply pat mustard or sugar on their ham; others create a moist glaze that can be brushed on.

Regardless of which glaze you use, it should be applied to the ham's surface approximately 30 minutes before the meat is taken out of the oven. Adding it too early can burn the ham. Here are some ham glaze variations:

Mix equal amounts of powdered mustard and brown sugar. Sprinkle on ham in final 30 minutes of cooking.
Mix equal amounts of brown sugar and honey. Brush sugar and honey mixture over ham in final 30 minutes of cooking.
Mix 1 cup of raspberry preserves with 1/2 cup of light corn syrup. Brush on ham in final 30 minutes of cooking.
Combine 1/4 cup of pineapple juice with 1/4 of honey and 1/4 of brown sugar. Coat the ham with the pineapple-honey mixture in the final 30 minutes of cooking. Optionally, secure pineapple slices and cherries to the ham with toothpicks at this time.