How to Cook a Ham: City Ham, Country Ham, and Smoked Methods (Including a Bourbon-Maple Glaze)

Featured-Snippet Intro

To cook a ham, first identify whether it is fully cooked or raw. Most grocery hams are fully cooked, wet-cured city hams. Reheat them to an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit in a 325 degree oven, allowing roughly 10 to 15 minutes per pound. Raw, fresh, or partially cooked hams must reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a 3 minute rest. Glaze in the final 20 to 30 minutes so the sugars caramelize without burning. Always pull the ham 5 degrees below your target temperature to account for carryover cooking, and rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

[Image 1: Hero shot. A bone-in spiral-sliced ham on a wooden carving board, glistening with a lacquered bourbon-maple glaze, a few sliced pieces fanned out, Circle 7 ranch field softly blurred behind. Alt text: “Bone-in spiral-sliced ham with bourbon-maple glaze on a wooden carving board, Circle 7 Meats heritage pork.”]

Most ham guides assume you already know what kind of ham you bought. That is the wrong place to start. A wet-cured city ham, a dry-cured country ham, and a fresh leg from a heritage pig each demand a different oven, a different temperature target, and in some cases a different week of preparation. We raise heritage Berkshire and Berkshire-cross pigs at Circle 7 Meats, and this is the guide we wish every customer had before opening the cooler bag.

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Types of Ham Explained

The word “ham” covers four meaningfully different products. Pick the wrong cooking method and you will either dry out an expensive piece of pork or, worse, undercook a raw leg. Read this section before you turn the oven on.

City Ham (Wet-Cured)

A city ham is wet-cured in a brine of water, salt, sugar, and curing salts (sodium nitrite), then fully cooked at the processor and usually smoked over hardwood. This is the standard American supermarket ham. The label will say “fully cooked,” “ready to eat,” or “hickory smoked.” Texture is moist and pink, flavor is mild, sweet, and lightly smoky. Your job in the kitchen is to reheat it, glaze it, and not dry it out. City hams account for the overwhelming majority of US ham sales, per data from the National Pork Board.

Country Ham (Dry-Cured)

A country ham is dry-cured with salt (and sometimes sugar and spices) rubbed directly onto the meat, then aged from 3 months to over a year. Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky are the historic homes of US country ham. Smithfield, Edwards, and Benton’s are the canonical producers. The result is a dense, deep red, intensely salty, dry product closer to Italian prosciutto or Spanish jamon than to a supermarket ham. A country ham must be soaked in cold water for 12 to 24 hours to draw out salt before cooking. It is cooked to a lower internal temperature because the cure has already preserved it.

Fresh Ham

A fresh ham is an uncured, uncooked pork leg. It is raw pork, plain and simple. Color is pale pink to gray-pink, the label will say “fresh ham” or “uncured pork leg.” This is what we sell as the Heritage Pork Fresh Leg on our farm. Fresh ham must be cooked from raw to a USDA-safe 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a 3 minute rest, just like a pork roast. The reward is real pork flavor unmasked by cure or smoke.

Smoked Ham

“Smoked” is a method, not a category. Most city hams are smoked at the processor. You can also smoke a fresh ham yourself at home, or hot-smoke a fully cooked ham to add another layer of flavor. We cover the home smoking method in detail in Method 2 below.

Spiral-Sliced Ham

A spiral-sliced ham is a wet-cured, fully cooked city ham that has been mechanically cut in a continuous spiral around the bone. It is the easiest ham to serve and the easiest to overcook. The pre-cut surfaces dry out fast in the oven. We treat spiral-sliced separately in Method 3.

[Image 2: Side-by-side comparison of three hams. A pink wet-cured city ham on the left, a dark red dry-cured country ham in the middle, a pale pink fresh ham on the right. Alt text: “Three ham types side by side: wet-cured city ham, dry-cured country ham, and fresh uncured pork leg from Circle 7 Meats.”]

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Cured vs Uncured: What the Label Actually Means

The “uncured” label confuses more customers than any other phrase in the meat case. Here is the truth, drawn directly from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service labeling rules.

A “cured” ham contains synthetic sodium nitrite (curing salt, often pink salt #1). An “uncured” ham contains nitrites from a natural source, almost always celery powder or celery juice, which is rich in naturally occurring nitrate that bacteria convert to nitrite during processing. Chemically, the nitrite in your “uncured” ham is the same compound as the nitrite in a “cured” ham. The USDA requires the “uncured” label to add “no nitrites or nitrates added except those naturally occurring in celery powder” or similar wording.

The functional difference is small. The marketing difference is huge. If you want a ham with no added nitrites of any kind, you need a fresh (uncured, uncooked) ham, which is a different product entirely. For the deeper breakdown on heritage pork sourcing and label honesty, see our heritage pork versus grocery store guide.

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Is Your Ham Already Cooked? (The Safety Question)

Before you do anything else, read the label. This single question determines your entire cooking plan.

Fully cooked / ready to eat / heat and serve. The ham was cooked to a safe internal temperature at the processor. Your job is to reheat to 140 degrees Fahrenheit internal. The USDA FSIS allows fully cooked hams to be eaten cold straight from the package, though reheating improves flavor and texture.

Cook before eating. The ham has been cured and possibly smoked but not fully cooked. You must cook it to 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal with a 3 minute rest.

Fresh ham. Raw pork leg. Cook to 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a 3 minute rest, exactly like a pork roast.

Country ham. Dry-cured and shelf-stable. Soak first, then cook to 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal. The cure has done much of the food-safety work already.

If the label is unclear, default to cooking it as raw. There is no downside to cooking a fully cooked ham to 145 degrees, only a small loss of moisture. There is significant downside to undercooking a raw one.

Expert quote placeholder #1. [INSERT QUOTE from a USDA FSIS food safety specialist or a Cooperative Extension meat scientist on the importance of identifying ham cure type before cooking. Source: direct interview or published guidance document.]

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Internal Temp Targets

A reliable instant-read thermometer is non-negotiable. Insert it in the thickest part of the ham, away from the bone, since the bone conducts heat differently than the muscle and will read higher than the meat actually is.

Ham Type	Pull Temperature	Final Temperature	Rest Time
Fully cooked city ham (reheat)	135 degrees F	140 degrees F	15 minutes
Spiral-sliced fully cooked ham	130 degrees F	135 to 140 degrees F	10 to 15 minutes
Raw or partially cooked ham	140 degrees F	145 degrees F	3 minutes minimum
Fresh (uncured raw) ham	140 degrees F	145 degrees F	3 minutes minimum
Country ham (after soaking)	140 degrees F	145 degrees F	15 minutes
Smoked from raw (whole muscle)	140 degrees F	145 degrees F	15 minutes

The 140 degree reheat target for fully cooked hams comes directly from USDA FSIS guidance for previously-cooked, processor-packed product. The 145 degree target with a 3 minute rest for raw pork was updated by USDA in 2011 (down from the historic 160 degree target) based on improved knowledge of trichinella reduction and salmonella thermal kill curves.

Carryover cooking on a 10 to 14 pound ham is real. Expect 5 to 8 degrees of additional rise after pulling from the oven. Plan for it.

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Cook Time by Weight

Cook times assume a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven, the ham placed cut-side down in a roasting pan on a rack, and no foil tent unless noted. Add 15 minutes if you are cooking straight from the refrigerator without tempering.

Ham Type	Weight	Cook Time	Cook Time Per Pound
Bone-in fully cooked, whole	10 to 14 lb	2 hr 15 min to 3 hr	~13 min/lb
Bone-in fully cooked, half	5 to 7 lb	1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 45 min	~15 min/lb
Spiral-sliced fully cooked	7 to 9 lb	1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 40 min	~12 min/lb
Boneless fully cooked	6 to 8 lb	1 hr 30 min to 2 hr	~15 min/lb
Raw bone-in (cook before eating)	10 to 14 lb	3 hr 30 min to 4 hr 30 min	~22 min/lb
Fresh bone-in ham (uncured raw)	12 to 16 lb	4 hr to 5 hr 30 min	~22 min/lb
Country ham (after soaking)	12 to 15 lb	4 hr 30 min to 5 hr 30 min	~22 min/lb

These ranges align with USDA FSIS ham cook-time charts and National Pork Board home cooking guidance. Always finish on temperature, not on time. A thermometer trumps a clock every time.

[Image 3: A bone-in ham scored in a diamond pattern, raw and ready for the oven, on a rack inside a roasting pan with water in the bottom. Alt text: “Bone-in heritage pork ham scored in a diamond pattern, ready for the oven on a rack in a roasting pan.”]

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Method 1: Oven-Roast with Glaze (City Ham, Standard Approach)

This is the method you will use for 80 percent of ham occasions. It works for fully cooked bone-in and boneless hams.

Equipment. Heavy roasting pan, wire roasting rack, instant-read thermometer, sharp paring knife, basting brush, aluminum foil.

Step 1. Temper. Remove the ham from the refrigerator 90 minutes before cooking. A cold ham takes 30 to 45 extra minutes to come up to temp, which means dried-out edges.

Step 2. Score the fat cap. Use a sharp paring knife. Make parallel cuts 1 inch apart, about 1/4 inch deep, in one direction, then crosswise to form a diamond pattern. Do not cut into the muscle. Scoring opens the fat cap so the glaze penetrates and the surface area for browning increases. See the scoring section below for technique detail.

Step 3. Preheat. Oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Position rack in the lower third.

Step 4. Set up the pan. Place the ham fat-side up on a rack inside the roasting pan. Pour 1 to 2 cups of water, apple cider, or unsalted stock into the bottom of the pan. The liquid generates steam that keeps the surface moist and prevents drippings from scorching.

Step 5. Cover for the first stretch. Tent loosely with foil for the first two-thirds of the cook. This protects the surface while the interior catches up.

Step 6. Glaze and finish uncovered. When the internal temp hits 110 degrees Fahrenheit (about 25 to 30 minutes from done), remove the foil, brush on one third of the glaze, and return to the oven. Glaze again at 120 degrees, and a final time at 130 degrees. The total glaze window is 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 7. Pull and rest. Pull at 135 degrees internal. Rest, loosely tented, for 15 minutes. The ham will climb to 140 degrees and the juices will redistribute.

Step 8. Carve and serve. See the carving section below.

For a complementary main, our how to cook pork chops guide uses the same temperature science applied to a smaller, faster cut.

[Image 4: A glazed ham, mid-process, with the glaze being brushed on in the oven, the diamond-scored fat cap visible. Alt text: “Bourbon-maple glaze being brushed onto a diamond-scored ham fat cap during oven roasting.”]

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Method 2: Smoke at 225 Degrees Fahrenheit (Cold-Smoke Lover’s Method)

A smoked ham, finished on a home smoker, picks up another dimension of flavor that no oven can replicate. This method works for raw bone-in hams (cook before eating) and fresh hams. It is not the right method for spiral-sliced (the cuts dry out) or country ham (already too intense).

Equipment. Pellet, electric, charcoal, or offset smoker. Fruit wood (apple or cherry) or hickory chunks/pellets. Water pan. Probe thermometer.

Step 1. Brine, optional but recommended. For a fresh ham, brine in a solution of 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons pink curing salt #1 (if you want a pink, cured-looking finish), and aromatics (peppercorn, bay, clove, allspice) for 5 to 7 days, refrigerated. Without pink salt, the meat will cook gray, taste like a roast, and not look like the “ham” most guests expect. The decision is yours.

Step 2. Preheat the smoker. 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Stable temp matters more than the brand of smoker.

Step 3. Set up the wood. Apple or cherry for a sweet, mellow smoke. Hickory for a more assertive, traditional Southern smoked-ham profile. Avoid mesquite. It is too aggressive for a ham this long on the smoker.

Step 4. Place the ham fat-side up. Add a water pan to the smoker chamber to buffer humidity.

Step 5. Smoke low and slow. Expect 30 to 40 minutes per pound at 225. A 10 pound ham takes 5 to 6.5 hours.

Step 6. Glaze in the final 60 minutes. Brush on three coats, 20 minutes apart. The glaze will set tacky, not lacquered, at smoker temps. That is correct.

Step 7. Optional crank-up. For a glossier, more caramelized finish, move the ham to a 400 degree oven for the final 10 to 15 minutes. Watch it closely. Sugars burn fast at 400.

Step 8. Pull at 140 degrees, rest 15 minutes, carve.

Expert quote placeholder #2. [INSERT QUOTE from a competition BBQ pitmaster or smoked-meats authority (Aaron Franklin, Meathead Goldwyn, or a regional country-ham producer) on the role of low-and-slow smoke in ham flavor development. Source: direct interview or cited publication.]

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Method 3: Spiral-Sliced Hot-Hold (Anti-Dry-Out Method)

A spiral-sliced ham is the most popular holiday format and the easiest to ruin. Every cut surface is a route for moisture to escape. The fix is a low oven and a tight foil seal until the final glaze.

Step 1. Wrap tightly in foil from the start. No scoring. The ham is already cut. Double-wrap if the ham came spiral-sliced with no juice in the package.

Step 2. 275 degrees Fahrenheit, not 325. The lower oven temperature is the single biggest difference between a juicy spiral ham and the dry one your aunt brings every Easter.

Step 3. Add liquid. Pour 1 cup of water, cider, or stock into the bottom of the foil before sealing. The steam keeps the cut surfaces from drying.

Step 4. Cook 12 to 14 minutes per pound to 125 degrees Fahrenheit internal. Yes, 125 not 135. The carryover after foil-wrapping is more aggressive than open-roasting.

Step 5. Open the foil, glaze, and crank. Once internal hits 125, open the foil, brush on the glaze, raise the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and roast uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until the glaze is set and lightly bubbling. Final temp will land around 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6. Rest 10 to 15 minutes, tented loosely. Carving a spiral ham is no carving at all. Just lift slices off the bone.

[Image 5: A spiral-sliced ham, foil opened, with a glossy glaze caramelizing on the cut edges. Alt text: “Spiral-sliced ham with bourbon-maple glaze caramelizing on the cut edges after the foil is opened in the oven.”]

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Bourbon-Maple Glaze Recipe

This is the house glaze at the Timpson dinner table. The bourbon adds depth and a hint of bitter that balances the maple and brown sugar. The Dijon and apple cider vinegar keep it from going cloying.

Yield. Glaze for one 8 to 12 pound ham.

Ingredients. - 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A Dark, not pancake syrup) - 1/2 cup bourbon (Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey 101, or a similar straight bourbon) - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed - 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon kosher salt - 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon ground clove (optional)

Method. 1. Combine all ingredients except butter in a small saucepan. 2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking. Reduce heat to low and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and reduces by roughly one third. 3. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until emulsified. 4. Cool 5 minutes before brushing on the ham. The glaze will thicken further as it cools.

The alcohol cooks off in the simmer and the subsequent oven time. What remains is the woody, caramel-vanilla note that defines a good bourbon.

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Pineapple-Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe

The classic Easter ham profile, no nostalgia tax. This recipe goes lighter on the brown sugar than the maraschino-and-canned-rings version most of us grew up on, and uses fresh pineapple juice for a brighter top note.

Ingredients. - 1 cup fresh pineapple juice (or 100 percent juice from a carton) - 3/4 cup dark brown sugar - 1/4 cup honey - 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon ground ginger - 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice - Pinch of kosher salt

Method. Combine in a saucepan. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes until reduced to a syrup that coats the back of a spoon. Cool slightly. Brush in three coats during the final 30 minutes of cooking.

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Honey-Mustard Glaze Recipe

The savory option. Lower sugar, more tang. Best on a smoked ham where you do not want the glaze fighting the smoke flavor.

Ingredients. - 1/2 cup honey - 1/3 cup Dijon mustard - 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons brown sugar - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt - 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Method. Whisk together in a bowl. No simmering required, but you can warm gently to thin if needed. Brush on in three coats during the final 30 minutes.

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Scoring the Fat Cap

Scoring the fat cap is the difference between a glazed ham and a glaze-coated ham. The cuts open channels for the glaze to penetrate and dramatically increase surface area for browning.

Tool. A small, sharp paring knife. A boning knife also works.

Pattern. Parallel cuts in one direction, 1 inch apart, about 1/4 inch deep. Repeat perpendicular for a diamond pattern. The classic decorative move is to push a whole clove into the center of each diamond before glazing. It is visual and aromatic, and clove pairs beautifully with bourbon and maple.

Depth. Cut through the fat and just into the very top of the muscle. Going deeper does not help the glaze and does cause the ham to dry out faster.

Skip scoring on a spiral-sliced ham. The slices have already done the job.

[Image 6: Close-up of hands scoring the fat cap of a bone-in ham in a diamond pattern with a small paring knife. Alt text: “Hands scoring a bone-in ham fat cap in a diamond pattern with a paring knife.”]

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How to Carve

Carving a whole bone-in ham looks intimidating until you understand the shape. A ham is built around two bones (the leg bone and the aitchbone) joined at an angle. The flat side of the ham is the side that sat against the cutting surface at the processor. That is your starting point.

Step 1. Place the ham flat-side down on the cutting board. Fat cap up, leg bone pointing away from you.

Step 2. Make a wedge-shaped cut. Take a small wedge from the shank end (the narrow end) so the ham sits stable.

Step 3. Slice down to the bone. Using a long, sharp slicing knife, make vertical slices about 1/4 inch thick, working from the shank end toward the wider butt end, cutting straight down to the bone with each pass.

Step 4. Release the slices. Run the knife horizontally along the bone, parallel to the cutting board, to release all the slices at once.

Step 5. Rotate and repeat on the other side.

For spiral-sliced, lift each slice off the bone with a fork. The work was done at the processor.

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What to Do with the Bone (Stock!)

The ham bone is the most undervalued ingredient in the American kitchen. Do not throw it away. A meaty ham bone makes one of the great pantry stocks, and it will run you exactly zero additional dollars.

Ham stock method. 1. Place the bone in a stockpot with 8 to 10 cups of water. 2. Add 1 yellow onion (halved, skin on), 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 6 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, and a handful of fresh thyme. 3. Bring to a gentle simmer, never a hard boil. Skim foam. 4. Simmer 3 to 4 hours, partly covered. 5. Strain. Cool. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze in 2-cup portions up to 6 months.

Uses. Split pea soup, white bean soup, collard greens, ham and potato soup, red beans and rice, lentil soup, navy bean stew. Any place a recipe calls for chicken stock and pork would be welcome, ham stock is better.

Do not add additional salt to the stock pot. The cured ham bone is already salting the water. Adjust seasoning at the soup stage.

Expert quote placeholder #3. [INSERT QUOTE from a chef or food writer (Edna Lewis estate, Sean Brock, Nathalie Dupree, or a regional Southern foodways authority) on the cultural and culinary value of using the entire ham, bone included. Source: published cookbook or direct interview.]

[Image 7: A simmering pot of ham stock with the bone visible, aromatics floating, steam rising. Alt text: “A pot of homemade ham stock simmering with the bone, onion, carrot, celery, and herbs.”]

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Choosing Your Ham at Circle 7 Meats

Circle 7 raises heritage Berkshire and Berkshire-cross pigs on pasture in Texas, processed at a USDA facility, no antibiotics, no growth promotants, no muddled “natural” claims. We sell fresh hams (uncured pork legs) by the half or whole, and we are the source for our heritage pork bacon and a deep cut list of pasture-raised pork.

The Heritage Pork Share is the easiest entry point. One quarter or half hog delivered, butchered to your spec sheet, includes a fresh ham (or two split hams), shoulders, loin, belly (for bacon), ribs, and trim. Per-pound cost lands well below per-cut grocery pricing on equivalent quality. See the pork share page for current pricing and the order window.

[Image 8: A Circle 7 farm photo. Heritage Berkshire pigs on pasture, oak trees, late afternoon light. Alt text: “Heritage Berkshire pigs on pasture at Circle 7 Meats Texas ranch in late afternoon light.”]

For background on why heritage pork tastes meaningfully different from commodity pork, our Kurobuta pork guide digs into the genetics and the science.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to cook a 10 pound ham?

A 10 pound fully cooked bone-in ham takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, finishing at 140 degrees Fahrenheit internal. A 10 pound raw or fresh ham takes approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes at 325 degrees, finishing at 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal with a 3 minute rest. Always use a thermometer.

What temperature should ham be cooked to?

A fully cooked ham should be reheated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit internal. A raw, partially cooked, or fresh ham should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit internal with a 3 minute rest, per USDA FSIS guidance. Pull the ham 5 degrees below your target to account for carryover cooking.

Can you eat a fully cooked ham without heating it?

Yes. A fully cooked, USDA-inspected ham can be eaten cold straight from the package. The USDA FSIS confirms this is safe. Reheating to 140 degrees Fahrenheit improves flavor and texture but is not required for safety.

How do you keep a ham from drying out?

Four moves. One, cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit or lower (275 for spiral-sliced). Two, add liquid to the bottom of the roasting pan to generate steam. Three, tent loosely with foil for the first two-thirds of cooking. Four, pull from the oven 5 degrees below target temperature and rest, tented, for 15 minutes.

What is the best glaze for ham?

There is no single best glaze. The bourbon-maple glaze in this guide is balanced and works on almost any ham. Pineapple-brown sugar is the classic crowd-pleaser. Honey-mustard is the savory option, best on smoked ham. Match the glaze to the ham, not to a recipe ranking.

How long does ham need to rest after cooking?

A whole ham should rest 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil, before carving. Spiral-sliced needs 10 to 15 minutes. Resting allows juices to redistribute and finishes the carryover cook. Skip the rest and you will lose moisture to the cutting board.

Should ham be cooked covered or uncovered?

Both. Cover loosely with foil for the first two-thirds of cooking to protect the surface. Uncover for the final 20 to 30 minutes to allow the glaze to caramelize. Spiral-sliced hams stay tightly wrapped in foil until the final glazing window.

How do I cook a country ham?

Soak the country ham in cold water for 12 to 24 hours to draw out salt, changing the water once. Scrub the surface. Place in a roasting pan with 1 to 2 cups of water or cider, tent with foil, and roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Slice paper-thin against the grain.

What is the difference between cured and uncured ham?

Cured ham contains synthetic sodium nitrite. Uncured ham contains nitrite from a natural source (typically celery powder), which is chemically identical. Fresh ham is genuinely uncured and uncooked. The label “uncured” is a USDA labeling category, not a meaningful chemical difference.

Can I cook a frozen ham?

Yes, but allow 50 percent more cooking time and check internal temperature with a thermometer, not the clock. The USDA FSIS notes that ham cooked from frozen will be safe but may not heat evenly. Thawing in the refrigerator (24 hours per 5 pounds) is the preferred method for best texture and even cooking.

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Sources and Further Reading

1. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. “Ham and Food Safety.” fsis.usda.gov.
2. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. “Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.” fsis.usda.gov.
3. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. “Pork from Farm to Table.” fsis.usda.gov.
4. National Pork Board. “Pork Cooking Temperature.” pork.org.
5. National Pork Board. “Ham 101.” pork.org.
6. USDA FSIS. “Cured vs Uncured Bacon and Ham Labeling.” fsis.usda.gov.
7. Cornell University Department of Animal Science. “Curing and Smoking Meats for Home Food Preservation.”
8. North Carolina State University Extension. “Country Ham Production and Cookery.”
9. Penn State Extension. “Home Curing and Smoking Pork Products.” extension.psu.edu.
10. Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension. “Country Ham: The Kentucky Tradition.”

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Ready to Cook a Real Ham?

The hardest part of cooking a great ham is starting with one that deserves the effort. We raise heritage Berkshire and Berkshire-cross hogs on pasture, finish them on a clean grain ration, and process at a small USDA facility. The fresh hams we sell taste like pork did before commodity production flattened the flavor.

Reserve a Heritage Pork Share for the upcoming harvest window. Order an individual bone-in fresh ham for the holidays. Or stock the freezer with our heritage pork bacon while you plan the bigger order. Every cut ships direct from the ranch to your door.

If you have questions about how to spec your share, reach out. We answer the phones, we know the animals, and we will help you cook the ham you actually want.

Browse Circle 7 Heritage Pork

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