It’s a labor of love, but trust me, it’s worth it. This tender, juicy, delicious country ham prepared using this recipe is a step back in time. It will become a Holiday staple at your house for sure. It is at ours.
 Cook Time 5 hr. |  Prep Time overnight |  Serves 10+ |
Ingredients
| 1 whole country ham 1 c. vinegar | 1 c. molasses Ice |
Directions
- Two nights before you will be eating the ham, remove it from its paper wrapping.
- Wash the ham off, notably any mold that might be on it. (Don’t fear, though, as mold is indicative of a good curing process.)
- Place the ham in a cooler with ice and covered in water.
- Replace the ice and water every four hours or so. Doing so is drawing the salt out of the ham that it soaked up during its curing process. If you don’t do this, it will be too salty to eat for most people.
- Around mid-day the day before you will be eating your ham, take it out of the cooler and put in a very large pot that is large enough to hold the ham submerged in water.
- Fill the pot with enough water to cover the ham.
- Place the vinegar and molasses in the pot.
- Turn on high heat to bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, back the heat off so it reaches a rolling simmer, around medium-low heat.
- Cover the pot and cook for four hours and 45 minutes.
- Once this time has passed, remove the pot from the heat and drain the water from the pot.
- Place the entire pot with the ham back in the cooler where it will stay overnight until you eat it the next day, as the ham will continue to cook.
- The ham is best served at room temperature.
- It will store for several days in the fridge after the day it is first served and can also be frozen.
