Country ham isn’t sold up north. It’s made and appreciated in Dixie. It’s an intentional food that means something to southerners — it’s one of those foods that holds within it so many memories.

Country ham is not as easy as to appreciate as its cousin, the city ham (piled high on white bread). It takes patience to cook a country ham — like a high-maintenance girlfriend — you’ve got to really want it to spend the hours needed to enjoy it.

Like its cousins, Prosciutto in Italy or Serrano in Spain, country ham is an artisanal, handcrafted product — you can taste that.

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– Jennifer Brule