Dry Curing and Aging Country Hams: An Ancient Method of Preservation Used in a Modern Age

Before the invention of the modern day refrigerator there was a simple form of preservation that dates back to ancient times. For centuries man has used salt as a method to cure and preserve meat. Meat that has been cured and aged in this process can keep for several years before going bad without refrigeration.

A country ham isn't a country ham until it has gone through a dry curing process. The process to properly cure and age a country ham can take as long as one year. Most of the so-called “country ham” you purchase in the grocery store isn't really country ham. It's what we call “city ham”. Most store bought country ham has gone through a wet brine curing for a few days (just to add the salt flavor) and is then cooked, packaged and ready to sell. So what is the process to produce a real country ham? And how does this process preserve the meat so well?

The most important ingredient is dry salt. Lots of dry salt. The salt draws out moisture in the ham which is the main cause of decay. Moisture creates an environment for the growth of bacteria and fungi which cause the meat to go bad. The extraction of moisture essentially creates an environment where micro-organisms can't grow, thereby preserving the ham.

How to Cure a Ham at Home:

The best time to begin curing a ham is during the winter months. Purchase a ham from a local butcher. Ask him to trim away any excessive layers of fat (You can do this at home to your liking if you prefer). Weigh your ham. The following cure recipe can be adjusted to the weight of your ham.

Salt and Sugar Cure Recipe (This is enough to cover a 25 pound ham)

1. 1 pint Morton coarse kosher salt
2. ½ cup brown sugar
3. 2 tbsp. ground red pepper
4. 4 tbsp. ground black pepper

Take all ingredients and mix together well. Take your now trimmed and rinsed ham and rub the mixture into every nook and cranny you can find. Continually rub the mixture over and over again until it is well covered. Take the remaining mixture and stuff as much as you can in the hock of the ham (Where the foot was cut off).

Once the ham is well covered in the mixture, carefully wrap the ham in butcher's paper or waxless paper to help keep the mixture in place. Now place the wrapped ham in a ham sock or meat netting. Make sure the hock of the ham is facing down. Hang the ham in a cool, dry place (hock facing down) and allow the ham to cure for 2 days per pound. A thirty pound ham will require at least 60 days to cure.

Aging a Ham:

Once the curing process is complete, remove the ham from the ham sock and butcher's paper. Remove any remaining cure mixture with a simple rinse. Place the ham in a new sock and hang inside a smokehouse, out building or attic to allow the ham to go through a summer heat. Yes, we want to expose the ham to differentiating temperatures. This is the point in which country hams gain most of their flavor. The summer heat will aid in the evaporation of moisture and the concentration of salt will increase. Allow the ham to age until it is around 1 year old. You may even see mold begin to form on the outside of the ham. This is natural and will not harm the ham.

The ham can be eaten directly after the curing process or after it has aged. The longer the ham is aged the better it will taste.