you can still buy good country hams in the store. We used to make them every year up on the old farms in Virginia. Slab bacon as well. This picture is my Granddad, making Country. The farm was in Black Lick Community, Wythe County Virginia. I believe the picture was taken in the late '40s.
Now you're really in my wheelhouse. For cooking and eating. Not making. Will have have to scan some pictures for this because we used country ham in a lot of our catering.
It has been forever since I had real country ham, my Father used to buy them at a farmer's market in Orangeville, Ontario. They were delicious, and my Grandmother served her home canned mustard green beans with them, the combination was sheer heaven.
Serving a smoked pork shoulder ham at lunch today. Simmered for a while in water with peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, and a whole apple. Then I will transfer it to the oven to finish it off. I will use the broth left behind, in it I will simmer potatoes, carrots, rutabagas and cabbage.
Going to make some biscuits as well, as everyone likes to dip them in the broth.
Wabi' a friend in Pa. still makes them for me. Whole hams done with Morton cure in a cold garage then hung in a smokehouse over smoldering sassafras root for two weeks.
Sassafras root is also an excellent adjunct to the smoking process when making jerky.
was driving around in Maryland once and found a local-made for my first experience with country ham...was antithetical to me...now I know better, but still don't know the best way to prepare...may not make any difference since the closest one is several days of hard riding...
I still do two each year. Rub salt on them till your hands bleed. Keep them in salt for 6 or 7 weeks, take them up and brush the salt off. Rub a mix of black pepper, brown sugar, and molasses on them. Place in heavy paper bags and then in a unbleached muslin sack. Hang with the hock up and let them drip until mid summer. We usually cut one about July and the second about October.
Soaking in water or a simple boil to draw out much of the salt before cooking is my preferred method but many hams are cured differently than others so for some cooks it's trial and error till you find what you like.
I notice the hams are rubbed down and cured in a wood trough or a wooden table. Does the species of wood matter? Is one type better suited than the others?
Missouri state fair has a ham judging. Shelves about 8 or 10 layers tall, Hams nearly touching, spanning the whole end of one building. Many hundreds of perfect looking hams all in one place. Glad I'm not judging.