Alton Brown’s City Ham (Gingersnap Crust) - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a country ham and a city ham? ›

The difference between city and country ham comes down to how they're cured. Country hams are cured by dry-brining for several months, while city hams are wet brined for a much shorter amount of time and kept fresh thanks to the advent of refrigeration.

Country Ham, like all pork, must be cooked before consuming. However, not very much! Cooking is not difficult.

Place ham in a large cooking vessel, skin side down. Cover ham with water. Bring water temperature to 180 – 185 degrees F. Cook at this temperature for 20 – 25 minutes per pound until temperature at center of largest muscle is 150 – 155 degrees F.

Both ham and bacon are high in protein, but they also contain a significant amount of fat and sodium. As you can see, bacon is significantly higher in calories, fat, and sodium than ham. Ham is a better source of protein per calorie than bacon. However, bacon does contain slightly more protein per serving than ham.

Butt portion vs. shank, which do you need? The butt portion will cost more per pound and will yield the largest amount of attractive slices. The shank bone is preferred by many for cooking with beans or in making soups, and others prefer the “fully cooked” varieties for ease of preparation and cooking time.

Editor's Tip: For a fall-apart tender ham, let it cook longer; 10 to 12 hours on low. This method is perfect for families who prefer a more casual dinner of shredded hot ham and roll sandwiches.

Just like beef, chicken, or any other meat, hams can overcook, which leaves them dry and stringy. Since they're already cooked through, your only goal is to heat yours to an appropriate serving temperature.

For cooked hams that have been repackaged in any other location outside the plant or for leftover cooked ham, heat to 165 °F (73.9 °C). Cook all raw fresh ham and ready-to-eat ham to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.

Cooking a ham in cola will impart a slight sweetness to the ham, which is foiled by the saltiness of the meat itself.

It is the salt, of course, that allows the ham to age for months without refrigeration. This is typical of all country hams. It is possible you might have to acquire a taste for country ham, but once you do you will always prefer it. Mold in no way affects the quality of the meat but rather indicates proper aging.

Can you eat a precooked ham without cooking it? ›

Cooked canned ham and cooked vacuum-packaged ham, both from federally inspected plants, can be eaten right out of the package. All of these along with spiral-cut cooked ham are safe to eat cold or can be warmed to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C), as they are already fully cooked.

Try boiling the ham.

Cut the ham into large chunks and place the meat in a pot of boiling water. Boil the ham for about ten minutes. This can help leach out any remaining salt. Taste the ham after you have boiled it for about ten minutes.

There are two ways of curing meat – a salty brine, or just plain salt.

Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. Fresh hams and hams that are only treated to destroy trichinae (which may include heating, freezing or curing in the processing plant) must be cooked by the consumer before eating.

Country hams are salt-cured (with or without nitrites) for one to three months. They are usually hardwood smoked (usually hickory and red oak), but some types of country ham, such as the "salt-and-pepper ham" of North Carolina, are not smoked.

Smithfield Ham

To be called a “Smithfield,” by law (yes, by law) this country ham has to be cured and processed (cold-smoked, covered in pepper, and aged at least six months) in Smithfield, Virginia, and come from peanut-fed pigs.

City hams are produced using modern moist-curing methods. The cure is injected into the ham in a brine form. The process takes much less time compared to that of country ham. The result is a moist and tender ham that is characterized by its sweet flavor.