Kentucky ham is a dry-cured ham made from Hampshire pigs, rubbed with a mixture of sugar and salt, smoked, and aged for up to a year. It has a mild, dry flavor and can be used in cooking. The curing process removes bacteria and moisture, allowing it to be kept at room temperature until opened.
A Kentucky ham is a type of dry-cured ham that originated in the US state of Kentucky. Like other cured hams, a Kentucky ham is made in a specific way that sets it apart from other hams and can generally command a higher price when sold due to its unique style of curing. Kentucky hams have been made since the 1800s and continue to be a popular staple, especially in the American South.
Like other country hams, Kentucky ham undergoes a lengthy dry curing process that makes it highly stable and allows the ham to develop a complex and subtle flavor. Kentucky hams are rubbed with a mixture of sugar and salt, then smoked before aging for up to a year and have a very dry texture, even more so than Virginia ham, another popular country ham. There are several ways to use Kentucky ham’s mild, dry flavor in cooking, and a really fine Kentucky ham can be used like prosciutto, a traditional Italian dry-cured ham.
Traditional Kentucky ham starts with a Hampshire pig. Hampshire pigs were imported to the United States from England in the 1830s, because they were strong, lean pigs that could easily forage themselves in the woods. Hampshire pigs also grow very large and have a distinctive thin rind which leads to the famous name ‘Thin Rind Pig’. The appearance of a Hampshire pig is quite distinctive; pigs have black bodies with a broad white belt running along the shoulders and forelegs.
The animals are fed a diet of acorns, beans, clover and grains until they are of a suitable size for slaughter and the hind legs are taken as Kentucky hams while other parts of the hog are cured in different ways, or sent to market as fresh meat. The legs are salted and rubbed in a spice blend before being smoked over a nut, apple, and corn on the cob fire for several days. After smoking, Kentucky ham is hung in a cool, dry place to cure.
Although Kentucky ham isn’t cooked during the curing process, the curing removes the bacteria and moisture that the bacteria feed on. Therefore, the ham can be kept whole at room temperature until opened, at which point it should be refrigerated. Cooks may also choose to bake, boil or fry Kentucky ham for serving; cooked ham is a popular offering at Christmas, for example.
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