• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CooksInfo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar
×
You are here: Home / Meat / Pork / Ham / Brine-Cured Ham

Brine-Cured Ham

A Brine-Cured Ham (aka City Ham) is one that is cured either by soaking it in brine, or by having brine injected into it. Injection is a fast, reliable curing process.

In America, if a brine-cured ham says “with natural juices”, it means it hasn’t been injected, and the weight will be at least 18.5% protein. If it doesn’t, part of its weight may be up to 10% in injected water, though it must still by law be at least 17% protein.

The ham may be sold needing full cooking, or it may be sold already partially cooked, or it may be cooked and ready to eat.

It may be sold whole, or if already cooked, packaged in slices for sandwiches.

Cooking Tips

“Partially-cooked” means it was heated to an internal temperature of at least 137 F (58 C) — that being the temperature that the parasite “trichina” is killed at. Most processors cook to about 140 F (60) to be safe. But, further cooking for other nasties is still required — the absolute minimum safe internal temperature under controlled laboratory conditions for pork is 150°F (66 C.)

Most health authorities advise higher, to allow for the vagaries of our ovens and oven thermostats, etc.

Language Notes

City Ham is a southern US term for Brine-Cured Ham.

Some refer to Brine-Cured Ham as “wet-cured ham.”

This page first published: May 1, 2005 · Updated: Jun 11, 2018.

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · Information on this site is Copyright © 2021· Feel free to cite correctly, but copying whole pages for your website is content theft and will be DCMA'd.

Tagged With: American Food, American Hams

Primary Sidebar

Search

Home canning resources

Vist our satellite site Healthy Canning for Home Food Preservation Advice

www.hotairfrying.com

Visit our Hot Air Frying Site

Random Quote

‘The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.’ — Julia Child. (15 August 1912 – 12 August 2004)

Food Calendar

food-calendar-icon
What happens when in the world of food.

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe for updates on new content added.

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright enforced!
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Site

  • Recipes
  • Encyclopaedia
  • Kitchenware
  • Food Calendar

This web site generates income from affiliated links and ads at no cost to you to fund continued research · The text on this site is © Copyright.