When we first moved to Ohio I bought a ham at BJs. They had two kinds and I decided to try the cheaper one. I cut it in half, froze half, and roasted the smaller part.

It was awful. Tough, dry, and remarkably salty. I have yet to use the other half and considered using it in dog mush if I could figure out how to get the salt out of it. It wasn’t until I got to Alabama that I learned what I have - country ham. Its popular here but I had never seen it before.

It’s dry salt cured, which is great if you want to store it a long time. I’ve seen recommendations saying to hang one in the garage for a few months before cooking it. You have to soak the thing for several days through several changes of liquid (soda pop is traditional) to get some of the salt out of it and rehydrate the meat.

I’ll try it when I get home. Any suggestions?

Country ham is a whole other animal from regular hams. When done skillfully it's American prosciutto.

When I was working in Virginia the Arby's there served a breakfast croissant with eggs, cheese and country ham. One of teh best things I ever ate, and fantastic hangover fare with all that salt.

My grandfather like the rolling hill country of Kentucky and Tennessee.
He would bring country hams back. I don't think my grandmother soaked it to lower the salt content.
I never liked it.

Paging MaryAnna…

Ms. MaryAnna…

It's not really a Florida thing. More Appalachian.

It's not a part of the cuisine I grew up with, which was more like soul food than Appalachian food. I don't remember country ham being offered in restaurants, either, so I think it wasn't eaten much in south Mississippi. I didn't grow up in Florida, so can't say for sure about local cuisine, but I don't recall seeing it in restaurants.

Regular old ham--salted and smoked, but not dry cured--like the rest of America eats, was definitely on my childhood menu, both on its own and as a seasoning for various vegetables.

Different kind of ham, but I've always wanted to try a recipe along these lines...

Coca-Cola Glazed Ham

Sounds wonderfully unhealthy...

I've had Coca-Cola glazed ham. It's tasty, although I'm more of a leave-my-ham-savory type.

My people may not be into country ham, but we are into Coca-Cola, and that includes cooking with it. I've also had it in jello salads, baked beans, cake, and barbecue sauce.

Surely I've shared this here, but I can't recall. I often put a splash of Coke in recipes like spaghetti sauce and chili. It serves pretty much the same function as wine, which I don't always have around since I'm not much of a drinker. It adds acidity, fruit, and brown-sugary sweetness at the same time but, unlike wine sometimes, you can't taste it. (I repeat--just a splash, or you will taste it and it will be gross.)

My kids thought this was hilarious, so I'd say, "I'm putting in the secret ingredient!" and they'd gather to watch. When they were older, they fought to be the one who splashed it in. No, nobody ever got too heavy-handed and ruined dinner.