I have 2 country hams curing right now based on this youtube video from the southern us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcwu6K4crHc
No cure is used, just salt sugar and some pepper.
In this discussion from the parent site here they use cure and salt?
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-ot ... ts/country
Thoughts?
Can you Southern Boys chime in, seems that's the "home" of country hams.
Country hams, Nitrate or not?
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Butterbean
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I think botulism was first discovered in hams even though sausage is what most people associate it with so I would definitely use cure in the salt. I can think of no reason not to use it and botulism is one big reason not to only use salt.
Years ago when every family cured hams here the grocer would sell large bags of salt in gunny sacks and some only used this but many also added salt peter. This old salt was an unrefined salt and was mined from a salt source known to be good for hams. In other words it had impurities in it such as natural nitrates. If I were hellbent on not using nitrate I would use sea salt because it also has impurities and would be the closest to what used to be in these bags.
Years ago when every family cured hams here the grocer would sell large bags of salt in gunny sacks and some only used this but many also added salt peter. This old salt was an unrefined salt and was mined from a salt source known to be good for hams. In other words it had impurities in it such as natural nitrates. If I were hellbent on not using nitrate I would use sea salt because it also has impurities and would be the closest to what used to be in these bags.
