Pressed Ham

Pressed Ham

Pressed ham is a formed cold cut made by curing and cooking pieces or off-cuts of pork, then packing them into a mold and compressing them into a dense, sliceable loaf. The gelatin released during cooking binds the pieces together, so the loaf holds together when sliced thin, even though it was never a single intact muscle.

Pressed ham is not the same product as country ham or Virginia ham, despite both being pork products associated with curing. Country ham and Virginia ham are dry-salt-cured, aged for months to years, and made from a single, intact cut, typically the hind leg, that is never reformed from separate pieces. Pressed ham, by contrast, is a cooked product assembled from smaller cuts and sits closer in category to other formed deli meats, such as ham loaf.

The curing brine for pressed ham typically includes salt, sugar, and curing salts, and the pieces are cooked under pressure in their mold rather than smoked or air-dried for an extended period. This gives pressed ham a softer, more uniform texture than dry-cured country ham, along with a milder, less concentrated flavor.

In the kitchen, pressed ham is used much like other deli hams: sliced thin for sandwiches, added to charcuterie boards, or served cold as part of a platter. It is a common product in British, Polish, and other European delicatessens, where it is typically sold as a rectangular block for slicing to order.