Ham

Ham is the cured hind leg of a pig, smoked, or salted and smoked to preserve it. Hams that are dry-salted have the best flavor and are the most tender, but other hams are plunged straight into brine, or cured in a way that combines both methods. Curing time can be as long as two months, so commercially produced hams are often injected with brine to accelerate the process (with predictably inferior results). Salt used for curing is usually mixed with sugar, an assortment of spices, particularly pepper, and with nitrite preservatives that add pink color and protect the meat from botulism toxins. For health reasons, the traditional curing agent, saltpeter (potassium nitrate) together with sodium nitrate, is no longer used.