How to Make a Country Ham

Country ham is the dry-cured hind leg of a pig that harks back to the way food was preserved before mechanical refrigeration. The country ham finds its roots in China and European dry-cured hams such as China’s Jinhua and Yunnan hams, Italy’s Prosciutto, Spain’s Serrano and Iberian hams, and Germany’s Black Forest ham. Country hams are drastically different from their more common cousin, the wet-cured ham, also known as “city ham.” The flavor of a country ham is complex, and the texture is unlike that of other hams