The ham, as known today, is made with the leg of pork or wild boar, and, for some hams with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status (the Europeans classification for culturally special food types from specific regions), a very specific breed of pig from a specific region. Hams typically come in two kinds, cured and smoked.
Cured Hams are dried and aged, under strict temperature and humidity levels, for up to 2 years! These hams are never smoked, simply left out to dry cure, sometimes with the assistance of salt, to naturally preserve. Examples of famous cured hams are: Prosciutto, Culatello, Elenski but, Jinhua ham, Wiltshire ham, jamón serrano. At North American Game Company, we make a Capicola ham, which is air-dried for a month and is fantastic!
Smoked Hams are pork or boar legs which have been wet-cured and then smoked to preserve them. The curing is usually a liquid brine, infused with seasoning, spices, and sugar. The cure can also, though less popular, be a dry cure, in which the legs are packed in salt or a salt and spice mixture to dehydrate the meat prior to smoking. Once brined or dry-cured, the legs are hung in a smoke house to finish. This is your typical American ham enjoyed at Christmas and Easter. Here at North American Game Company, we love to make hams! We have our house brined ham as well as a large selection of traditional and classic recipes for both Cold Smoked and Hot Smoked hams!