country ham
Salt-preserved pig leg
Country ham is a style of dry-cured ham traditional to the American South, salted and aged for months rather than wet-brined.
The result is intensely salty, firm, and deeply flavored—often served in thin slices with biscuits or red-eye gravy.
Virginia and Kentucky are particularly known for their country hams.
Unlike city ham, which is mild and ready to eat, country ham typically requires soaking and cooking to temper the salt.
Preserved with salt, no brine
- agedAdvanced in years
- preservedKept from deterioration
- air-driedMoisture removed by atmosphere
- smokehouseStructure for preserving with fumes
brine · salted · prosciutto · serrano · speck · heritage · hanging · cellar
Toward the sunbelt
- VirginiaMid-Atlantic American state
- SmithfieldLondon wholesale meat market
- KentuckyBluegrass State
- TennesseeSixteenth state admitted
North Carolina · Appalachian · heritage · farmstead · heirloom · traditional · biscuits · red-eye gravy
dry-cured
Preserved with salt, no brine
smokehouse · brine · salted · prosciutto · serrano · speck · heritage · hanging · cellar · cure time
southern
Toward the sunbelt
- VirginiaMid-Atlantic American state
- SmithfieldLondon wholesale meat market
- KentuckyBluegrass State
Tennessee · North Carolina · Appalachian · heritage · farmstead · heirloom · traditional · biscuits · red-eye gravy · grits
salty
Tasting of brine
funky · pungent · intense · rich · complex · aged · nutty · sweet · caramelized · crystalline
soaking
Completely saturated with liquid
glazed · sliced · shaved · skillet · cast iron · cracklins · bone-in · spiral cut · carving · rendering
- meatsbeef, chicken, pork, mutton, lamb
- country storegeneral store, penny candy, pickle barrel, cracker, potbelly stove
- cured meatsbacon, pancetta, prosciutto, salami, pepperoni
- hamprosciutto, speck, gammon, jambon, Bayonne
- ham dishesprosciutto
- holiday roastsprime rib, roast turkey, crown roast, leg of lamb, standing rib roast
country, ham, countryside, hams, countries, countryman, countrywide, countrywoman