# Johnston County Ham - Salted Ham



## Quercus21 (Nov 25, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone has dealt/cooked/prepared a Johnston County Ham. One was given to me the other day and I have never prepared one. From what I understand, it is dried and salted. Do I soak it, if so for how long. It's a 10lb ham. There is cooking instruction on the package, but doesn't say there is a need for soaking/leaching the salt. The boss(wife - she's a nurse) and my doctor is going to love this. Ham flavored salt? Is it going to be really salty? When I make corn beef, I usually boil it a few times to leach out the salt etc. Is this what I should do with the ham?
Thanks
Kaj


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

I normally have my country hams sliced real then. I do not cook them whole so i'm no help there. it will be very salty (to salty to eat) without being soaked. my slices (about 1/4'' thick) I soak about 30 minutes before I fry them, even then I can fry an egg in the grease without putting extra salt on the egg. I'll probably buy a whole one this week, Kroger has them on sale for $1.99/lb around here to just buy a few slices its normally over $6.00/lb.

greg


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

I grew up with home cured salt hams. We always used them for frying or seasoning meat for vegetables. Once in a long while my Mom would boil one for Christmas. Personally, I don't like salt cured boiled ham. The meat is tough and somewhat dry, as the curing process removes most of the liquid. It's like a dehydrated ham. My favorite boiled ham is a "corned" ham. This one is lightly salted when compared to either a fresh ham or a cured one.

For frying or using it to season soups and vegetables, our procedure was to cut the ham into slices or small chunks. Put it in a pan of water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a few minutes (3 or 4 min) to remove some of the salt and the old black pepper that coated the hams. Transfer the ham to the frying pan or to the bean or soup pot to finish cooking.

If I had a chunk of real salt cured ham I'd want to save it for ham & eggs and red-eye gravy! Then use the bone and scraps to season pots of dried beans or veggies like collards and green beans.

BTW, the size makes me think you may have a "picnic ham". These are actually made from the shoulder of the pig. A little different flavor and texture than from the rear leg of the hog. Either way, both are good. Just be prepared for the salt and take it into consideration with the rest of your dishes in the meal. 

Lee

Edit: For a boiled salted ham, my Mom would bring it to a boil. Let it simmer 15-20 minutes. Drain, add fresh water for cooking. She didn't bake salt hams. The cooking water removes part of the salt. Baking doesn't do that, except what little comes out with the drippings.


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## sewsilly (May 16, 2004)

I have a cured ham right now, received as a gift.

I'll slice it and fry it, straight as it is from the ham, with some eggs and grits.
I'll chop off small hunks and bits and put it in beans or ham/bean soup.
I'll share it with everyone I know, as the salt on a whole ham basis would be too much for us over the long haul.

I was raised on them and I love them. Some recipes are saltier than others. The one that was gifted me was a Clifty farms brand and it's very good as it is.

dawn


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

I love getting a country salt cured ham YUM
I soak it for several hours, changing the water at least twice.
Then I boil and serve with potato salad and fresh greens and cornbread.
Leftovers are seasoning for all kinds of dishes.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Does anybody ever can the broth like you would do for chicken stock? We have a salt cured ham this year and I was thinking about how dark the liquid is that I cooked it in as per package directions.

I don't think we'll ever buy another one--you could use this thing for shoe leather.


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

Yes, you can can the stock. Taste of it. If it's too salty, you can add some water to thin it a bit. Add too much water and you'll dilute the flavor to the point that it isn't worth the effort and expense to can it. Even if it's too salty to the taste, you can still preserve it for future use. Just adjust the sodium content of the recipes where you use it. And, don't use as much as you would chicken stock. The flavor is stronger. Canning in half pints may be a good option.

Suspect that you may have cooked it too long. Sometimes commercial recipes go too far in order to cover themselves from a food safety standpoint. A REAL salt cured ham can be eaten raw. It doesn't need a long boiling time. 

Again, I prefer salt cured ham for fried ham and biscuits. Or ham & eggs with red eye gravy. That stuff is too good to lose out on it by boiling the ham. A fresh ham or a corned ham, IMHO, is better for either boiling or baking. Plus, when you fry up slices, you have all the leftover meat to use for seasoning beans and greens. And a big bone for soup. One REAL ham can enhance quite a few meals over a long period of time.

Just my 2-cents.
Lee


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

I turned the ham in the water the instructions that came with it recommended. Finally the "rind" was tender where before I thought I was going to need a chainsaw to cut it and the meat is delicious. I have quite a bit of broth that is flavorful but as you suspected, Lee, very salty. Too late to can it tonight so I'll can it tomorrow. Thanks for the input.


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