Cutting into a Traditionally Cured Country Ham 

As a chinese american person, growing up american country hams were super prized. They're the closest cured ham to a traditional chinese ham, which is really hard to get in the US. Both ham types are cured using natural molds instead of sodium nitrates which gives it that amazing flavor. My parents knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy who was still making and selling traditional cured country hams and my mom would always buy a giant one and then use it in the most amazing soups and stews.

I met my wife out in Arizona in 74' when we were both 15 years old. She is gone now, God bless her soul. Her family was from Winchester Virginia, her grand parents raised hogs there. One day she came to my parent''s house all excited, her Nana & Pop Pop were flying in to visit. When they came they brought the biggest suitcase I ever saw stuffed full of country ham. Nana wasn't in town for an hour before they had me sit down at the kitchen counter to eat ham and fresh made country biscuits at 3 in the afternoon - 50 years ago. I will never forget it. I come from a family of cooks, my grandparents owned a restaurant in St. Louis for 30 years. Best ham ever. I bought a SERRANO ham last year at Christmas and ate it for a month. But Nana and Pop Pop's ham was the all time best.

I from east Tennessee deep in the mountains. We always did hams this way.i remember going out in dead of winter and cutting slices off for breakfast. And that was in the 60s and 70s.

Lots of families when I was a kid used to cure hams every fall. They were so very good. Our recipe wasn’t a secret 😊 It was 2 cups salt (non iodine) 1 cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon red/cayenne pepper. Makes enough for 1 ham. I grew up a West Virginia girl ❤️

The culinary history of our people and this country never cease to amaze me.

One year old is good, but a two year old ham is really next level.

Ive been a butcher for 36 yrs and have stood in front a meat saw for as long as I can remember. Beautiful ham and when we get them they are EXTREMELY expensive

When my grandpa made sausage the first came from the grinder was cooked immediately. The fire was already hot. When he sliced a ham, same thing. I do the same thing. Some of the best food ever. I’m old now but we still do a hog every year. My son will keep it going.

Im almost 60 now, but I retain a vague memory as a child visiting my great aunt and uncles' farm in the country (rural N FL) and going inside their wooden smokehouse with hanging meat and smoke. Added bonus memory: every time we visited my great aunt made hand churned ice cream. We youngsters played outside until dark and watched fireflies. Oh what simple, morally clean and fun times with nary an electronic device to babysit us.

Every culture has their own secret family recipe for something edible. My family is of Polish descent and sausage recipes are the same way as your country ham cure recipe. Thanks for sharing your curing and preserving process for country ham. I’m sure if things keep getting worse with the economy and politics people will be turning back to the old ways of surviving like salting and preserving meat.

Oh I know how good it is when it’s hung up in a barn or smoke house that’s what my granddaddy called it a smoke house and I can remember him saying he would go out and check on it but the only thing is I can’t eat the ham anymore because it runs my blood pressure up. My grandparents lived in Webster county in Mississippi and back when I was a little kid the place where they lived was considered out in the sticks lol 😂 but I loved going out there and staying with them for a week or sometimes two weeks in the summer and I can remember my granddaddy milking his cows and bringing the milk to his house and I would get a cup of that milk. I’m sorry for rambling on but that was the best time of my life staying with my grandparents plus I was a granddaddy’s girl I was crazy about him and I am sure you can understand I like watching your videos because it brings back some really good memories of my granddaddy anyway I hope you have a great day and keep making your videos I really enjoy them

Wonderful to see that some of the ole ways are still in use 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

I live in Bristol VA and watching your videos brings me so much joy. I see hope for America. I see keepers of the best way. I see my own childhood. Thank you so very much and may the LORD allow your beautiful videos to reach millions and may you prosper without losing any of your beautiful hearts.

I miss living in the south country ham is fire 🔥

it's been over 60 years since I've seen or tasted a country cured ham, the ham looks good.

Love country ham..redeye gravy..biscuits eggs...mighty good. I live in middle tn buy whole ham from Rices in Mt Juliet Tn...for last 50 yrs..they been there bout 80 yrs if not longer..father..son..now grand daughter running..fews places now but some ypung folks picking up from families. Rices sells hundreds a year..hang like yall a year etc..got me hungrey..might have some tomorrow. They seal pieces like you..i go through whole ham in year buy new around xmas. They ship etc..also do dmoked bacon and sausage. Enjoy watchin yall..god bless you

Many many years ago my uncle had a smokehouse in his backyard on the farm . The hams rested in troughs of salt until they were ready to smoke.. we always had hams hang in the basement ready for Christmas and Easter. So so good!

My father-in-law used to butcher hogs every year until he could no longer do it. Naturally he cured the hams, shoulders, and jowls. Being a city gal, I didn't like the taste...at first. But when we were first married and in need, he gave us ham and potatoes so we would have something to eat. I found that fried potatoes and that country cured ham suited me quite well. I have not tasted anything to compare to dad's ham since.

That's some fine looking ham.

Fantabulous !!! That's a great video for sure. Done right, wrapped tight and oh so good to eat. Haven't seen a ham like that in over 70 years. Can't get meat like that in a butchershop anymore. Thanks for sharing this one with us, folks don't know what they are missing do they? Stay safe and keep having fun. Fred.

Oh Lawdy, there is nothing as delicious as old-time brown sugar-cured ham and red-eye gravy! 😋 ❤❤❤❤

What a great thing to see; people raising and preparing their own food as a family.

Aussie here, we solved our rat problems with wire mesh cages. We do hams with a mix of saltpetre, salt and sugar. Cure and dry then smoke well. Then wrap well and store in a box of either bran or wood ashes for at least six months. BTW I love your accent!

This brings me back a lotta years! Daddy in the cellar at the slicer and Momma making Christmas candles in the kitchen with the house smelling so amazing! Thanks for bringing back that wonderful memory. Lord love you and keep you close in the new year!

Country ham was always a staple of thanksgiving and Christmas.

And I was born and raised in hog wallow Kentucky sure do miss those country hams back then y'all keep up the good work now

That’s SWEET y’all got your own butcher shop!!!💪🇺🇸🦅💯!

Beautiful. God bless you guys.

Beautiful. I am 68 and recall y daddy done this. I will try.

Glad I found y'all. Bringing back fun memories of all the neighbors coming on hog killing day. Fun times are something we should never forget and always try to make others memories. Thank y'all again.

I have my grandmother's recipe for sugar cured ham. My husband and I even made one years ago. My favorite ham!!!

When I was young my dad put up country ham. I have such great memories. For several years I raised my own hogs but never cured one. Love y’all’s videos

My family was from west Virginia. Yall alot of people had to preserve there hams and all meats. Glad to see yall preserving the tradition

My grandparents married as young teenagers and came out of the Ozark Hills of Missouri. Originally our folks were Appalacians. We always had pigs and a smoke house. The sugar cured hams were to die for! And Granny made the best redeye gravy known to man. Appreciate your page so much as it takes me back to the old days and the old ways. Blest Be.

1556: when my momma and daddy fried up country ham they added coffee to the dripping’s for a gravy and it was so good!! First time I watched you guys was today. Thoroughly enjoyed! Keep the videos coming😊

Love me some country ham! My Mom and Dad cured their hams this way....we lived in Western NC mountains.

As a city boy whos grandparents came from a holler in Pa, maybe i should clarify 63 yr old boy. I would love to learn the proper way of curing pork the old way. You have the knowledge that few have. Be blessed.

Saw you guys on with Greg when you went down to visit them. You two have a great channel. Keep keepin it old. The kids today, maybe not so much in the homestead way of life, are forgetting everything me and my sisters and brother enjoyed growing up, because they don't go to the extra trouble to keep it alive. They LOVE that cream corn me and their mom and gran ma put up out of my garden at Thanksgiving, and that Hickory Nut cake it took me HOURS to pick up, crack and pick out the nuts for. And you know what, when me and their gran ma are gone, they'll never have them again. So sad. Their loss. That's how I see it. Any way, you guys have a great way of life. Keep turnin out these videos. Those of us that don't get to live it, sure enjoy watching you do it. Thanks for sharing.

I'm glad to see the tradition continue. Me and my family love cured country ham. Thanks for the video

We appreciate all the honest information you and your family shares. Thanks for the country ham video and passing on that knowledge. Very few people know what to do with something like that today. Heck, if it's not from the deli or out of a can and smothered in brown sugar and pineapple ham is foreign to them. Living in West Virginia country ham isn't a lost art around here yet. I do however see less and less people involved in the process. Thanks for helping to keep this alive!

If you want to keep this art alive, you should share with others. I have “secrets” too that I have shared just to keep them alive. Loved the video and that ham looks awesome!

Im from the north. About 25 years ago in North Carolina i had the dry cured ham like yours in a couple of places. Great ham. You can't get it here. Keep on making it the way you do.

My daddy (borned in 1925) grew up on country ham, and the "city" kids that had white bread and sweet ham for lunch would trade it for daddy's country ham and cat head biscuit! I can eat salt cured country ham about once a year just too salty. Thanks for sharing! Stay safe, and God bless

My brother in-law had one that looked like that I told him it was fine just needed cleaning up.he looked at me like I was crazy he threw it away.cant wait to show this to him.😂 I love country ham red eyed gravy,grits and biscuits.i could eat it fried till I had a stroke 😂😂I love it that much.my grandpa when I was a kid would cook that very meal with sliced tomatoes right from garden my granny didn't cook alot he did it mostly pa would say minie couldn't boil water when they got married.❤

I'm from west jy and we did it same way when I was a kid . The best hams ever good job keep up the tradition

My family is from piedmont of NC, spent summers there on the tobacco farm and watched my grandfather hang his hams in a small wood tool shed. OMG! That was the best, cracker barrel could only dream about achieving that level of goodness.

Family traditions and recipes are best to everyone’s heart. We pass on from kin to kin. Thanks.

Just caught this video. Love it. I'm retired and live in Nevada but I grew up in Indiana and had many friends in Kentucky (Glascow, Bowling Green and Lake Cumberland area). When traveling back home we'd always stop at these mom and pop general stores in log cabins. These stores always had these gunny sacks hanging from the ceiling with salt cured country hams. Of course I always bought a ham and they were great. This was back in the 60's and 70's and I still eat country hams today. I get my hams from "Burgers' Smokehouse" in California, MO. My freezer is packed with vacuum sealed country hams. Thanks for the exciting video. I'll be looking out for your videos from now on.

I'm a first-timer coming across videos. This is the first one. Thank you for the upload, sharing something decent wholesome and educational. Just subscribed

Definitely one of the best things you can eat! An acquired taste and many people don't like the taste and saltiness but I grew up eating it and love it. And now that I'm in Tennessee I have access to really good ham all the time.

Love that you are teaching us how to do all this … It’s Amazing!!! Thank you!!!🥰❤️

I just stumbled across your channel and man, does this bring back memories. My grandfather used to cure hams like this every year. There's nothing like home-cured county ham.

I am originally from the great town of Smithfield Va., country ham capital (was) of the world. There was once a half dozen local companies that produced smoked country hams, and they were fairly affordable. I have since moved to Michigan for work, Smithfield foods has moved to Asia, and the town of Smithfield has turned from a farming town to a boutique town, sigh. Anyway the price and availability of that delectable staple of southern eating, here in Michigan has become unattainable. I sure miss them, they are the best.

Food brings people together like nothing else.

Much love from the Shenandoah!

Glad to see you doing traditional cured hams. Sure they are delicious.

My father and grandfather made smoke cured hams. Same technique as the regular cured ham except they used a cold smoke while the ham was curing. After about four months +/- we had the best smoke cured hams. They made hams every month so we always had a supply of hams. Picnics and hind quarters were always smoked and cured.

We've got 2 hams done this way hanging in the tobacco barn right now in East Tennessee. Did our hogs last March so time is getting close. Stony Ridge also has video on butcher and hams ect. Good Job Guys 👍🏼

Inject them with a brim for about 4 weeks.. .. but l would take your beautiful ham any day of the week... it looks so beautiful... Must love and appreciation from Australia.. God Bless you all

I miss doing that kinda stuf,,all my kin folk have died I use to do that with 60 yrs old now and nobody these days want to mess with it,,so much history and pleasure gone away

God Bless America

My mom's side grew up in Waverly, TN. Country ham was always a staple for holidays, and sometimes Sunday meals. I was born in Nashville, but spent a lot of my childhood in Waverly. We always came back with country ham and sorgum molasses. Country ham and biscuits with pan gravy and a side of greens with fatback was always a great meal on a cold day. I remember an ex gf went with us to Waverly for a catfish fry, and was amazed that she had to pick the bones out of the fish. She asked me "what kind of country bumpkin bs is this?"

Thanks for sharing! I've always heard of Country hams and City hams, it's very nice to learn how it's cured and made. Thanks!

Thank you for the video, y'all are keeping the old way alive, good information.

I've never seen this process! That's so cool! Thank you for showing us! ❤

I LOVE country ham. My wife won't eat it. Those ham slices are gorgeous 💯

I remember seeing my grandmother and grandfather curing their own hams and cleaning them just like in this video. Those center slices with that rosy pink meat looks delicious!

Thank you both, and God bless you and family....

The gourmets who cure prosciutto and capocollo have nothing on you. Great work.

Back in the fifties, we bought out hams from olf farmer Cox. He also had an old log smokehouse with a small fireplace on each end. Mother would buy one of each. MY, but those were good hams!!! Floyd, VA.

Well this brings back memories for this Alaskan hillbilly. I still have family that cure ham this way in Hancock county Tn. I can smell it just watching it! God bless from Seward Alaska.

My stepdad was from Memphis and we would go up from New Orleans to visit his family around Xmas time and Big Momma would make the same thing for breakfast, a slab of country ham eggs how you wanted and fresh biscuits with homemade fruit jam jarred from berries collected in the summer. Never had a finer breakfast since.

I might could eat this one! Most of the time it’s too salty for me, but that looks delicious . Loved seeing this part of the final results.

Beautiful hams cured the right way !

It doesn't get any better than that. Old school. Best school

Aint nothin finer! My grandmas cooking was the best I ever had. They always had fresh meat, veggies, and sometimes fruits and apples.

My mom & dad use to talk about her daddy my grandpa helping everyone with their hog killings. My dad called him a jack of all trades, said he could do just about anything. I have faint memories of a hog killing. Great video. We own the homestead cabin now & the foundation to his smoke house is still there. ❤

Awesome! I was born and raised in Middle Tennessee, and until I get into my later teen years, I didn't even know that that there was ham other than this!

Good to see traditions are alive and well

I still make country ham here in Arizona. Having grown up with the process and the product, it will be passed down to my family. Mine are dried in a converted freezer made into a drying chamber. 50 degrees F and 80% relative humidity. Dried for two years.

I learned a lot watching your video, growing up in Michigan not far out of the city don't know of anyone doing this. Thanks for taking us thru the process, great job

Thank you so much for this video. Being a city guy, I didn't get the cured thing. My wife comes from Ky where her family cured hams. As I told her of your video, she was nodding the whole time. Now I know!

Country ham, biscuits and red I gravy yeah!!!yum yum!

Alrighty..looks great Andy. time for a biscut video Megan. 😀

Looks amazing. I wish I could live in America. Somewhere peaceful. Near mountains ❤

I always remember a ham hanging in my Grandma’s garage! She would fry it up for us and put it on some fresh biscuits, and Man that was the best breakfast ever!

Salt cured in a salt box and smoked, hear in northern middle Tn, glad to see y’all keeping it going love the channel. We have a kubota l245h offset high clearance tractor like y’all’s . Don’t see them much around here.

We like how y'all do things. Great flick.

It’s like Italian and Spanish cured ham . And it’s freaking good . The mold gives the taste . It like tasty 😋

Good eaten doesn’t begin to describe my love of a good ole salt cured country ham. 😋

Sweet memories ...I remember our little smokehouse ...hams hanging while we're putting fresh hams on the salt bench ...it is a dying tradition

Just found your channel and now catching up on the videos 😊 Reminds me of simpler times (simple meaning pure good hard work but rewarding and wholesome)and the way I grew up.. A few yrs ago my siblings and i got our family together for a fall hog butching. We used a metal barrel with fire underneath to dunk hog in. Our kids got to scrap the hog and do the process ❤ I wish we would do it every yr bc people are just so busy. Im thankful though we can pass some knowledge to our children. We don't have enough land (more like a postage stamp lol😂) but we do butcher chickens and rabbits and grow a big garden and orchard. We preserve years worth of food for our family of 7. We also go to local butcher to get fat so we can render down the tallow/lard. My husband takes them hunting and fishing and we preserve that as well. We also heat with wood so they split and stack every yr😂.we were blessed to catch a swarm last yr,so we keep bees at my parents property and was able to harvest honey this last fall. So blessed. We may not have the land but thankfully our children are still getting knowledge to survive 😊❤ Thanks for a great wholesome channel I can watch with our children 😀

That's some Fine Looking country ham!!! I can literally smell it from here ,down in north Alabama!!! Keep up the Good work and we will keep watching you...

My mouth is watering man that looks good keep up good work

So cool! Really nice to see the process👏

IMPRESSIVE! I've never tried that ham. I bet it's good.

Andy n Megan I'm a city girl from Iowa n I'm really enjoying your videos. Love seeing the hog demonstrations and curing your hams. I bet those are wonderfully flavored. I can not imagine processing a day full of hogs. I so love the farm life, but I haven't been on a big farm since I was little. I so love all the farm n vet videos. Please keep them coming. Thank you so much. ❤😊

Lawwwddd!! That looks amazing. Idk if I’ve ever had a true cured country ham. But I wouldn’t say no lol

Wow, thats looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

That looks exceptional. Man, it must taste mind-blowing.