What Is Country ham and How Can I Use It?
Country ham is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 8 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Country ham is salt-cured, dry-aged Southern ham, firm and very salty, akin to prosciutto.
- Soak it in cold water for hours before cooking to draw out some of the salt.
- Use it as a seasoning; a little flavors far more food than mild ham.
What is country ham?
Country ham is the salt-cured, dry-aged ham of the American South, rubbed with salt and hung to cure for months until it turns firm and intensely salty. It is the opposite of a soft, wet pink deli ham, closer in spirit to prosciutto than to a holiday ham.
Kentucky and Virginia are its heartland, with Tennessee close behind, where hams age in smokehouses through the seasons. The long cure concentrates the flavor, so a little goes a long way.
How to Use It
Because it is so salty, country ham is usually soaked before cooking. Cover it in cold water for several hours or overnight, changing the water once or twice, to draw out some of the salt.
Sliced thin and fried, it renders into the centerpiece of Fried Country Ham with Red-Eye Gravy, with a splash of black coffee swirled into the pan drippings. It also tucks into Kentucky Ham'N' Angel Biscuits and seasons a pot like Country Ham & Pinto Bean Soup.
Treat it like a seasoning, not a main. A few slices or a diced handful flavor far more food than the same weight of mild ham.
Buying and Storing
Country ham is sold whole and uncut, or as ready-to-cook slices and trimmed center cuts. A whole uncooked country ham is dry-cured and shelf-stable, so it can hang at cool room temperature for months, the way it was aged.
Once you cut into it or cook it, treat it like any ham: wrap it tightly, keep it cold, and use cooked slices within three to five days.
For how country ham compares with everyday city ham, see the parent ham page.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 国家火腿
- British (UK) term
- Country ham
- en français
- jambon de pays
- en español
- jamón del país
Recipes using country ham
There are 8 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Fried Country Ham with Red-Eye Gravy
Fried country ham with red-eye gravy: the classic Southern breakfast of thick-sliced salt-cured ham fried in its own fat, deglazed with hot coffee. Two ingredients, pure tradition.
Country Ham & Hominy Bread
Country ham and hominy bread is a Southern-style yeast loaf studded with crispy ham, caramelized onion, Anaheim chilies, and yellow hominy. Cornmeal crust, crescent shape, serious savory bite.
Kentucky Ham'N' Angel Biscuits
Kentucky ham and angel biscuits: light, foolproof biscuits raised with both yeast and baking soda, split and stuffed with salty country ham. The Southern party staple, a fixture from church suppers to Derby Day.
Stuffed Flounder
Whole flounder stuffed with crabmeat, country ham, and sherry, baked in lemon butter until flaky and golden. A Southern coastal classic that brings the shore to your supper table.
Snails Cauderan
Snails Cauderan is a traditional Bordeaux escargot recipe braised with country ham, shallots, white wine, and bouquet garni. Petit-gris snails cooked low and slow in a rich, savory sauce.
Coca-Cola Easter Ham for Crockpot
Coke makes an awesome glaze for this no-fuss family style meal pleasing recipe. Good for Easter or anytime of year.
