What is a rural ham?
Country Ham is a type of cured ham originally from the American south. Unlike urban ham, more available ham in the United States, rural ham is cured by a long and slow process that brings highly stable ham with a very complex taste that some consumers compare to prosciutt and other large cured ham. Like other special ham, rural ham is usually available through a boutique butcher or special order, and some consumers preferred to order it directly through butchers in the US South. Long history is accompanied by Smithfield ham, which traditionally came from pigs of fed peanuts. While diet requirements for pigs converted into Smithfield Hams have been relaxed, they must still come from Virginia and are usually associated with excellent quality. Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina are also Big Hamg's production, with slightly different regional changes on their rural ham.
To form a country ham, the meat is liberally solen The meat and suspended in a cool place for several weeks. Salt can be mixed with sugar for other sweetness and sometimes the salt Peter is also mixed to make the color red. Many producers also smoke their ham with Hickory or maple smoke. After cure, rural ham is dry and loses up to 20%in this process and sometimes even more of its initial weight. After dry aging, the ham is packed for sale.
Unopened rural ham does not have to be cooled because the process of curing and aging stabilizes the meat. But it is not edible yet. First, the consumer must scrape off the outer layer of ham to remove surface salt and mold that occurs during the curing process. Furthermore, the ham must be soaked in several changes Fresh cold water for up to 30 hours to pull out the salt or the ham will be inedible. Then the rural ham can be baked, cooked or fried for consumption.Some package producers ready to eat rural ham, for consumers who do not want to go through this process of preparation.
Even after soaking, rural ham tends to be very salty. This strong salty taste is attractive to some consumers who prefer milder urban ham or fresh pork. Usually rural ham is used as an accent in a bowl rather than serving as a main course, because the salty taste can be stunning. It follows it with pasta, salads, fruit and many other foods. Because the process of long cure and aging is somewhat outdated at the age of cooling and rapid healing, rural ham is a truly unique piece of American culinary herinary heritage.