Country Ham

It’s a common question we get around here.  It started many, many decades ago when curing hams and other meats was a necessity. The country ham curing process was developed because people needed a way to preserve their fresh pork without refrigeration in the days. Curing whole hams became an art, much like wagon making or quilting, that was passed down from one generation to the next, with each family safely guarding their secrets.

The taste and flavor of their country-cured ham was a source of family pride. People didn’t just talk about their hams; they had their neighbors over for a big country ham breakfast, including eggs and scratch biscuits or fried chicken and grits with fried corn, topped off with homemade peach preserves and sorghum molasses with fresh butter from the farm, with the center of the meal being the country ham. A lot has changed since the early days of curing country ham in barns, but the pride in making the best-tasting country ham has not. In our modern facilities, we still follow the old country curing recipes handed down through our family, and we are still sharing our country hams with neighbors.