How to Make a Country Ham
A country ham is different from most hams that you find in your local grocery store. A country ham has been dry-cured and aged for at least a few months before it is sold. Country hams are also known as Virginia hams, and are sometimes called Kentucky- or Tennessee-style hams. A country ham can be a delicious part of any special dinner, but it does take some special preparation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Country ham
- Wire brush
- Water
- Large bowl or ice chest
- Heavy roasting pan
- Oven or smoker
Instructions
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Preparing Your Ham
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1
Unwrap the country ham from the cloth that it came wrapped in. You will likely find that it looks dry and may have mold growing on the surface. This is completely normal.
Scrape away the curing sediment and/or mold with a wire brush and rinse the ham well. You may need to cut some of the rind away if there is any mold that cannot be scraped off of the ham.
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2
Fill a large bowl with cold water to place your cleaned ham in. You will need to soak the ham for two full days prior to serving. If your ham is too large to fit in the refrigerator, a medium-size ice cooler will also work. Depending on the saltiness of the ham, the water should be changed every 10 to 12 hours if it is soaking in the refrigerator and every four to six hours if it is soaking in a cooler. When crystals start to form, it is time to change the soaking water.
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3
Rinse your ham and dry it thoroughly before placing it in the roasting pan or on the smoker. You may also want to trim away excess fat if necessary before placing the ham in the pan or smoker.
There are several recipes that you can use to cook your ham. If you are baking it, cook at a low temperature of 300 degrees F for three to four hours. If smoking your ham, smoke at a low temperature of around 250 degrees F for around five to six hours. No matter how you cook your country ham, it must be brought to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.
Basting with your favorite basting liquid will bring a new and different flavor to your country ham while adding moisture.
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Tips & Warnings
You will need to start preparing your ham at least two days before you plan to cook it.
It is important to cook your country ham thoroughly in case it was introduced to bacteria during the soaking process.
