Egerton's Country Ham
Bona fide country hams should be cured with salt, smoked for a month or more, ideally with hickory, and aged through a summer and fall. Anything less than a 9 or 10-month process should be considered suspect. A year is better, and many real ham lovers prefer 2-year-old hams.
Ingredients
Country ham, ideally 22 to 25 pounds
1 cup vinegar, for overnight soak
2 cups apple juice
1 cup sugar Brown sugar
about 1 cup Bread crumbs
about 1 cup Black pepper
*Wars have been fought for less.
Preparation
Step 1.
Scrub the ham with a stiff brush in lukewarm water to remove mold, a harmless but telling sign of its age.
Step 2.
Have your butcher cut the hock into several pieces. Use these for seasoning pots of cabbage, beans, and similar dishes.
Step 3.
Take out five or six thin center cuts, about a quarter inch. With the center cuts removed, the whole ham will now be in halves of 8 to 10 pounds each. Wrap one for the freezer and use the other for the table.
Step 4.
Soak the ham half overnight in cold water with 1 cup of vinegar added.
Step 5.
Remove the ham, rinse it off, and place it fat side up in a large pot. Cover with fresh water, bring to a low boil, and simmer for about an hour. Remove and rinse again.
Step 6.
Fill the pot with fresh water fortified with 2 cups of apple juice and 1 cup of sugar. Cook just below the boiling point, uncovered, for about 3 hours or 20 minutes per pound. Turn off the heat and let the ham cool in the water for about 2 hours.
Step 7.
Remove it from the pot, trim off the hard skin and some of the fat, debone it if possible, and place it on a serving platter.
Step 8.
Mix equal parts brown sugar and bread crumbs, about 1 cup of each. Add a generous portion of black pepper and gently pat this spicy-sweet topping all over the warm ham.
Step 9.
When the ham is cool, slice thinly so each slice includes topping, a ribbon of fat, and the rich red meat.