Virginia Country Ham, Soaked and Simmered
A dry-cured, aged country ham scrubbed, soaked overnight, held just below a simmer until tender, then rubbed with brown sugar and dry mustard and glazed in a hot oven, for paper-thin slices on biscuits.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
Country ham is America's oldest ham style: a heavily salted ham preserved by curing and often, but not always, by smoking, linked above all with Virginia (Wikipedia:). The most famous name is Smithfield. Wikipedia says the first record of a commercial sale of "Smithfield Ham" is a 1779 receipt, that Virginia's General Assembly first defined it in 1926 as ham from peanut-fed hogs raised in Virginia's peanut belt, that the peanut rules were dropped in 1966, and that genuine Smithfield hams must be cured and aged at least six months inside the town limits; the Isle of Wight County Museum keeps a "pet ham" cured in 1902 by P. D. Gwaltney Jr., thought to be the world's oldest. USDA's labeling glossary still says "Smithfield ham" may only be made in Smithfield, Virginia, even with "brand" or "style" added (FSIS, Ham and Food Safety). Then the brand ended: the Smithfield Times reported on January 24, 2024 that Smithfield Foods had stopped making Genuine Smithfield Ham because spiral-cut hams sell far better, and in April 2024 the company gave the last one to the same museum. Other Virginia smokehouses still cure country hams the old way.
🇺🇸 The original
A dry-cured, aged country ham scrubbed, soaked overnight, held just below a simmer until tender, then rubbed with brown sugar and dry mustard and glazed in a hot oven, for paper-thin slices on biscuits.
🇺🇸 The American version
The modern holiday ham is fully cooked and spiral-sliced, so the job is just reheating it to 140°F and painting on a sweet glaze. See the Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Spiral Ham recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Below a simmer
Water held at 180°F to 185°F cooks the dense, dried meat through without tightening it into strings; Schiemann warns that a ham taken past 155°F turns stringy and hard to slice.
Slice thin
Schiemann says the thickness of the slice, more than the length of the soak, decides how salty country ham tastes.
🧰 You'll need 6 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
Pans and pots
Tools
Step by step
- Step 1
Unwrap the ham and scrub off any surface mold under cold running water with a stiff vegetable brush. Mold is normal on country ham; do not throw the ham away (FSIS).
- Step 2
Put the ham in a large container or stockpot, cover it with cold water and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours (the longer time for older hams), changing the water once or twice.
- Step 3
Drain. Set the ham skin side down in a stockpot of at least 16 quarts, cover with fresh water and put the lid on. Heat over medium until the water reaches 180°F to 185°F, about 30 minutes.
- Step 4
Hold the water at 180°F to 185°F, just below a simmer and never boiling, adding hot water as needed to keep the ham covered. Cook 20 to 25 minutes per pound (about 2 1/2 hours for 7 lb), until the center of the thickest muscle reads 150°F to 155°F.
✓ What it should look like - Step 5
Lift out the ham and cool it 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut off the skin and trim the fat to about 1/4 inch, then score the fat in a 1/2-inch crosshatch about 1/4 inch deep.
- Step 6
Mix the brown sugar, dry mustard and pepper and rub it over the top. Set the ham fat side up in a roasting pan and bake 15 minutes, until the sugar melts into a glaze.
✓ What it should look like - Step 7
Rest the ham 20 minutes, then carve it as thinly as you can. For the thinnest slices, chill it overnight before carving. Serve on split biscuits.
Virginia Country Ham, Soaked and Simmered
Serves 16 · one 7 lb half ham, about 16 servings (thin slices) · 3 hr 50 min total
Ham
- 1 bone-in country ham half (6 to 8 lb), uncooked, aged under 6 months for a milder ham
- Cold water, for soaking and cooking
Glaze rub
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp black pepper
To serve
- Small buttermilk biscuits, split
Equipment: Oven, Roasting pan, Large pot, Instant-read thermometer, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons
Method
- Unwrap the ham and scrub off any surface mold under cold running water with a stiff vegetable brush. Mold is normal on country ham; do not throw the ham away (FSIS).
- Put the ham in a large container or stockpot, cover it with cold water and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours (the longer time for older hams), changing the water once or twice.
- Drain. Set the ham skin side down in a stockpot of at least 16 quarts, cover with fresh water and put the lid on. Heat over medium until the water reaches 180°F to 185°F, about 30 minutes.
- Hold the water at 180°F to 185°F, just below a simmer and never boiling, adding hot water as needed to keep the ham covered. Cook 20 to 25 minutes per pound (about 2 1/2 hours for 7 lb), until the center of the thickest muscle reads 150°F to 155°F.
- Lift out the ham and cool it 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut off the skin and trim the fat to about 1/4 inch, then score the fat in a 1/2-inch crosshatch about 1/4 inch deep.
- Mix the brown sugar, dry mustard and pepper and rub it over the top. Set the ham fat side up in a roasting pan and bake 15 minutes, until the sugar melts into a glaze.
- Rest the ham 20 minutes, then carve it as thinly as you can. For the thinnest slices, chill it overnight before carving. Serve on split biscuits.
Adapted from Calvin A. Schiemann, "Cooking Salt Cured Hams" (Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, October 2014), water method, as written. We soak in the refrigerator as USDA FSIS directs (Ham and Food Safety; Schiemann soaks in a sink of cool water). The glaze rub (brown sugar, dry mustard, pepper) is from America's Test Kitchen's "Country Ham" (Cook's Country, April/May 2012): baked at FSIS's 400°F for 15 minutes instead of ATK's 450°F. The ham size, serving count and timings for a 7 lb half ham are ours, from Schiemann's 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Virginia Cooperative Extension. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- No pot big enough? Saw off the hock, or use Schiemann's baking method: roast covered at 300°F with 4 to 5 cups of liquid, 20 to 25 minutes per pound.
- Thin slices dry out fast. Schiemann sprinkles cut ham lightly with water and wraps it tightly.
- Leftover cooked country ham keeps 7 days in the refrigerator (FSIS).
- Thick slices are for frying at breakfast; see our Skillet Ham Steak with Maple Red-Eye Gravy recipe for red-eye gravy.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Soaking takes out the salt. Disputed: USDA FSIS says country hams can be soaked to reduce salt; Virginia Tech's Schiemann calls this debatable because little water gets into a dense ham; America's Test Kitchen found soaking did not reduce salt or add moisture and skips it.
- How long to soak. Disputed: FSIS says 4 to 12 hours or longer; Schiemann says 4 to 8 hours for young hams and up to 24 for aged ones; ATK says hams under about 400 days are often soaked 12 to 48 hours.
- Boil or barely simmer. Disputed wording: FSIS's timetable says boil 20 to 25 minutes per pound; Schiemann says never let the water boil and hold it at 180°F to 185°F. We follow Schiemann.
- Smithfield ham comes only from Smithfield. Documented (Virginia's 1926 statute via Wikipedia; FSIS glossary).
- Smithfield hogs must be peanut-fed. Documented as history only: the 1926 law required it and the requirement was removed in 1966 (Wikipedia).
- Genuine Smithfield Ham no longer exists. Documented for the Smithfield Foods brand (Smithfield Times, January and April 2024); whether another maker will revive the name is unknown.
- Queen Victoria ordered Smithfield hams every week. Folklore: repeated in popular articles (Dogwood, 2025, citing Yahoo Lifestyle); we found no primary record.
- Jamestown settlers learned curing from Native Americans. Disputed: repeated by Dogwood (2025) citing a Yahoo Lifestyle article; we found no historian's source.
Every other ham
Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Spiral Ham
The American holiday centerpiece: a fully cooked spiral ham heated gently under foil, then brushed twice with a glaze of dark brown sugar, grainy mustard, cider vinegar and fresh orange until it is sticky and glossy.
Slow-Roasted Fresh Ham
The leg before it becomes ham: an uncured, bone-in fresh ham salted overnight with brown sugar, rosemary and thyme, roasted slowly in an oven bag and finished with a maple, molasses and mustard glaze.
Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
The mid-century "Hawaiian" ham: a spiral ham pinned all over with canned pineapple rings, wrapped tight and baked low, then roasted hot with a brown sugar, pineapple juice and two-mustard glaze until sticky and golden.
Crackly Honey-Glazed Spiral Ham (Copycat)
A spiral ham heated under foil with honey, then coated in a spiced sugar and melted with a kitchen torch or the broiler into a thin, crackly shell. Inspired by the HoneyBaked Ham Company's famous store ham; not official.
Senate Navy Bean Soup with the Leftover Ham Bone
The soup the US Senate restaurant has served for more than a century: dried navy beans simmered three hours with a meaty leftover ham bone, finished with diced ham and onion browned in butter.
Skillet Ham Steak with Maple Red-Eye Gravy
A bone-in ham steak browned in bacon fat, then a quick pan gravy of broth, maple syrup and espresso powder, swirled with butter: the Southern country breakfast classic as a 30 minute dinner.
Swedish Christmas Ham with Mustard Crust (Julskinka)
Sweden's Christmas ham: a cured ham simmered gently until 158°F, cooled, then spread with egg, two mustards and sugar, dusted with breadcrumbs and baked hot into a golden crust, served cold on the julbord with the broth saved for dipping bread.
Galician Cured Pork Shoulder with Turnip Greens (Lacón con Grelos)
Galicia's Carnival feast: a whole salt-cured pork foreleg soaked for two days, boiled until it falls from the bone, and served with chorizo, potatoes and turnip greens cooked in the same broth.
Ham Baked in Bread Dough (Schinken im Brotteig)
The Viennese Easter ham: a cured ham simmered with caraway, fennel and coriander, wrapped in a rye and wheat bread dough with a braided top, and baked until the crust is dark and the ham inside is steaming.
Filipino Christmas Ham with Pineapple Glaze (Hamon)
The Noche Buena ham: a bone-in ham poached for an hour in pineapple juice and brown sugar, scored, spread thickly with pineapple jam and baked hot until dark and glossy.
British Gammon Simmered in Cola with Treacle and Mustard Glaze
A mild-cure gammon joint simmered for over two hours in cola with an onion, then skinned, studded with cloves, painted with black treacle, patted with mustard powder and demerara sugar and blasted in a very hot oven.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.