Country Ham Trail

A culinary tradition dating back to Kentucky’s pioneer days, country ham has been elevated to a fine art in the Bluegrass State. Salt-cured for several months and then aged for up to two years, this Kentucky specialty takes a lot of patience before it can hit your plate.

On the Country Ham Trail, you’ll find tried-and-true producers who have been in the ham business for more than 100 years. There’s fine-dine country ham, hole-in-the-wall ham joints, and in true Kentucky fashion, ham that’s cured inside bourbon rickhouses.

There are even entire festivals dedicated to it, including Ham Days in Lebanon and the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast at the Kentucky State Fair, which is known as the most prestigious ham show in the nation (yes, ham shows are a thing). Whether you like it sliced, shaved or piled on a biscuit, put on your stretchy pants and come ham it up!