Country Ham Salad

This is my take on an old recipe that isn’t as common as it once was, but one I believe we should make popular again. It’s the perfect way to use up the last trimmings of a whole country ham that’s delicious all the way to the bone. I usually refer to this recipe as a spread since that’s how I serve it, but others call this ham salad or deviled ham. Call it what you will, it’s good stuff. 

Let’s talk ham: Some country hams are intensely salty, smoky, and firm, which is delicious on a hot biscuit, but can overwhelm this spread and make it too dry and chewy. Give your country ham an honest taste-test assessment and if necessary, replace at least half of the country ham with chunks of milder and moister baked city ham, such as a slab of high-quality baked ham from the deli. That’s what I almost always do, and it’s what I call for in this recipe. 

My grandmother ran her ham through a hand-cranked sausage grinder when she made ham salad, but I use a food processor, which makes quick work of this recipe. 

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 ounces well-trimmed country ham
• 4 ounces city ham (such as high-quality baked ham from the deli), dark edges trimmed away
• 3 tablespoons sweet-hot pickle relish (such as Wickle’s)
• 3 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard or grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon bourbon or dry sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup mayonnaise, or as needed
• Serve with crackers, good pickles & more mustard

Directions

Cut the ham into small chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse the ham until coarsely chopped. 

Add the relish, scallions, parsley, mustard, bourbon, and cayenne, and pulse until finely chopped. 

Transfer into a bowl and add only enough mayonnaise to bind the spread salad. Taste for a good balance of bright, pungent flavors, and adjust as you see fit. 

For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature. 

Make-Ahead: Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. 1

Sheri Castle, award-winning food writer and cooking teacher, is known for melding culinary expertise, storytelling and humor, so she can tell a tale while making a memorable meal. Her creative, well-crafted recipes and practical advice inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She's written a tall stack of cookbooks and her work appears in dozens of magazines. In 2019, the Southern Foodways Alliance named Sheri among Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food, calling her The Storyteller.

Sheri says that she's fueled by great ingredients and the endless pursuit of intriguing stories, usually about the role that food plays in our lives, families, communities and culture.

When she steps away from the kitchen or a local farm, Sheri enjoys spending quiet time at her home near Chapel Hill. She hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.