Cured Ham: City Ham, Country Ham, and How to Cook Each

Cured ham is the pork leg preserved, the pink, savory centerpiece of holiday tables and the deli meat of everyday sandwiches. But not all ham is the same. A wet-cured city ham and a dry-cured country ham are worlds apart in flavor, saltiness, and how you handle them. Knowing which one you have is the difference between a juicy, glazed showpiece and a salty disappointment. This guide covers both and how to cook each one right.

Where it comes from

Cured ham starts as the pork leg, the same cut sold fresh as fresh ham. Curing preserves it and transforms the flavor. A city ham is wet-cured in a brine, usually smoked, and sold fully cooked, which is the pink ham most people know, mild and juicy. A country ham is dry-cured with salt and aged for months, giving an intense, salty, deeply savory meat in the tradition of the American South. Dry-cured legs aged even longer, like prosciutto and jamon, are eaten raw in thin slices.

What it tastes like

A city ham is mild, faintly sweet, and juicy, with a gentle smoke. A country ham is bold, salty, and complex, closer to prosciutto in intensity, and it is used in smaller amounts or soaked to tame the salt. The texture ranges from the soft slices of a city ham to the dense, sliceable firmness of a country ham. The bone in either adds flavor and is a prize for stock afterward.

How to cook cured ham

Most cured hams are already cooked, so the job is to warm them through gently and glaze them, not to cook them again. For a city ham, warm it low and covered to about 140F so it does not dry out, then brush on a glaze and raise the heat at the end to caramelize it. Score the surface in a diamond pattern first so the glaze grips. A country ham is different: it usually needs soaking for hours or overnight to draw out salt, then simmering or baking, and it is served in thin slices because it is so intense. We warm and glaze in metal or enameled cast iron, never plastic, and rest a whole ham before carving. Our roasting guide helps with the warming and glazing.

Whatever the style, do not overbake a pre-cooked ham, which is the fastest way to dry it out. Gentle heat and a good glaze are all a city ham needs.

Classic dishes to make

A glazed holiday ham, scored and studded with cloves and brushed with a sweet, sticky glaze of brown sugar, mustard, or fruit, is the centerpiece classic. Country ham is fried into slices with red-eye gravy in the South, or shaved thin over biscuits. Leftover ham becomes split pea and ham soup, ham and beans, sandwiches, quiche, and a stock built on the bone. Thin-sliced cured legs like prosciutto wrap melon, top pizza, and finish pasta.

Common mistakes

Overbaking a pre-cooked city ham dries it out, so warm it gently to 140F rather than roasting it hard. Not soaking a country ham leaves it punishingly salty, so soak it as directed. Glazing too early burns the sugars, so glaze near the end. And discarding the bone wastes a great base for soup and stock, so save it.

How to buy it

Decide on the style first. For an easy, juicy holiday ham, choose a bone-in city ham, which has more flavor than boneless or spiral-cut. For a traditional, intense ham, seek out a country ham and plan to soak it. Look for hams without excessive added water, and prefer pasture-raised pork where you can. Ask your butcher or use our Find a Farmer directory.

Good substitutes

A smoked pork shoulder or a gammon joint fills a similar role for a warm, sliceable centerpiece. For the salty punch of country ham, prosciutto or another dry-cured ham works in small amounts. A fresh ham roast is the uncured alternative if you want to control the salt entirely. For deli sandwiches, smoked turkey stands in as a leaner option.

Storage and leftovers

A whole cured ham keeps a week or more refrigerated and freezes for a couple of months, though the texture softens slightly. Sliced leftovers keep three to four days and freeze well flat. Country ham, being heavily cured, keeps much longer. Always save the bone in the freezer for soup or a pot of beans, where it adds smoky depth.

Nutrition

Cured ham is high in protein and, because it is cured, high in sodium, especially country ham. City ham is moderately lean, while the fat varies with the cut. Used as a centerpiece or a sandwich filling, it is satisfying in modest portions. Rinsing or soaking a very salty ham lowers the sodium, and pairing ham with fresh, low-salt sides balances the plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between city ham and country ham?

City ham is wet-cured, smoked, and fully cooked, mild and juicy. Country ham is dry-cured and aged for months, intense and salty, and usually needs soaking.

Is cured ham already cooked?

Most city hams are fully cooked and just need warming to about 140F. Country hams and some others may need cooking, so check the label.

How do I keep a ham from drying out?

Warm it gently and covered rather than baking it hard, and glaze near the end. A pre-cooked ham only needs to be heated through.

What to serve with it

A glazed ham pairs with scalloped potatoes, buttered peas, roasted vegetables, and a sharp mustard. Because ham is salty, keep the sides fresh and bright to balance the plate. Leftovers turn into soups and sandwiches all week.

Aged and dry-cured legs

At the far end of the ham spectrum are the dry-cured legs aged for many months, eaten raw in whisper-thin slices. Italian prosciutto di Parma, Spanish jamon serrano and jamon iberico, and American country hams all belong to this family. Salt and time do all the work, drawing out moisture and concentrating the flavor into something deeply savory and almost sweet. These are not cooked but sliced paper thin and served as they are, over melon, on bread, or draped on a board. They are a reminder that the humble pork leg, given salt and patience, becomes one of the great preserved foods in the world.

Learn more

Back to the pork leg guide and the Pork Meat Wiki. For a quick weeknight slice of cured ham, see the ham steak, or find good pork through Find a Farmer.