You’ll find sodium nitrate in meats such as country ham and bacon, though sodium nitrite is more commonly used. While bacon is more commonly fried, boiling is a good cooking option in some cases, such as when cooking a bacon-and-greens dish. Uncooked country ham is boiled prior to baking, whereas pre-cooked hams more commonly found in stores can be baked directly.
Country Ham
Step 1
Scrub your ham and scrape off any mold you find. Mold is common on uncooked country hams and does not indicate spoilage, according to “The Gift of Southern Cooking,” by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Step 2
Soak your country ham for three days. Place it in a lidded container, cover it with cold water and place it in your refrigerator. Change the water once every 24 hours. Soaking rehydrates your ham and removes some of the salt it contains.
Step 3
Place your ham in a large pot and fill the pot with water so the ham is totally covered. Bring the water to a simmer.
Step 4
Add the peppercorns, allspice berries, onion and molasses. Cover the pot and adjust your burner temperature so that the water is just percolating.
Step 5
Check your ham often for the first half-hour to ensure you maintain a slow boil. Check it hourly after that. Expect your ham to take four to five hours, on average, to cook.
Step 6
Check your ham for doneness. The ham is done when its skin appears blistered, according to Lewis and Peacock. It also will be fork-tender. You can cut and eat the ham at this time, keep it for up to two months, or trim the ham and bake it according to the recipe of your choice.
Bacon
Step 1
Place bacon in a stockpot. Cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat so that the water remains just at the boiling point.
Step 2
Skim the water with a ladle occasionally to de-grease.
Step 3
Boil gently for 20 minutes or until the bacon is fully cooked. Add greens such as kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard or collard greens, as well as onions and shredded carrots. Add vegetable stock, ensuring the greens are fully covered. Add okra and garlic to taste. Simmer for one hour.
Things You'll Need
- Country ham
- Large covered container
- Large cooking pot
- One small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
- Bacon
- 6 cups greens of choice
- Vegetable stock
- One large onion, chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- Garlic
- Okra cut into half-inch slices
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