page_title: Country ham
hierarchical_section_title: Country ham
caption_attribution_description: Baked country ham
context_page_description: Country ham is a variety of heavily salted ham preserved by curing and smoking, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States. Used as a method of preservation from before widespread refrigeration, country ham is packed in a mixture of salts, sugar, and spices and allowed to cure for a long period of time, sometimes months, and often smoked afterwards. It is extremely dry and salty, often too salty to be palatable on its own. Most preparations call for a long soak prior to preparation so that much of the salt can be removed and the ham rehydrated. Commercially available country hams may be sold whole as-is, soaked but uncooked, or cooked and ready to eat. Country ham is often contrasted with wet-cured hams known as city ham in areas of the U.S. where both types of ham are available.
  Country ham is a popular breakfast item in the southern U.S. It is often served in diners as a grilled steak, with the cross-cut portion of the leg bone still intact, alongside a portion of red-eye gravy, which is made by deglazing the pan used to cook the ham with black coffee and then reducing the resulting sauce.
context_section_description: Country ham is a variety of heavily salted ham preserved by curing and smoking, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States.  Used as a method of preservation from before widespread refrigeration, country ham is packed in a mixture of salts, sugar, and spices and allowed to cure for a long period of time, sometimes months, and often smoked afterwards.  It is extremely dry and salty, often too salty to be palatable on its own.  Most preparations call for a long soak (as long as a day or two) prior to preparation so that much of the salt can be removed and the ham rehydrated.  Commercially available country hams may be sold whole as-is (often still wrapped in the net bags used to hang the hams during the smoking process), soaked but uncooked, or cooked and ready to eat.  Country ham is often contrasted with wet-cured hams known as city ham in areas of the U.S. where both types of ham are available.  
  Country ham is a popular breakfast item in the southern U.S.  It is often served in diners as a grilled steak, with the cross-cut portion of the leg bone still intact, alongside a portion of red-eye gravy, which is made by deglazing the pan used to cook the ham with black coffee and then reducing the resulting sauce.  Country ham is also served as a biscuit sandwich in popular fast-food establishments across the southern U.S. as a convenient breakfast food.
caption: Baked country ham
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