what ingredients are used on a cured country ham before smoking?

Answer 1

Mostly salts, sugars and some mild spices like allspice, pepper, cloves or in Italy they will use garlic and rosemary with cooked hams and fennel seeds with the raw type for Proscioutto.

I was a former chef in Canada did some sausage and meat curing in my 20 yrs of work in the trade, alot to is what type of ham it is, American ham is generally hickory smoked, where as European hams may use juniper, ash, maple or linden wood.

Answer 2

Cure Application
The cure mix to use depends upon personal preference. Salt alone is acceptable. However, the dry sugar cure is preferred by most people. For each 100 lbs. of fresh meat, use:

8 pounds salt
2 pounds sugar
2 ounces of saltpeter*

Mix these ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 equal parts. Apply the first half on day 1, and the second portion on day 7 of the curing period.
Rub the curing mixture into all lean surfaces of the ham. Cover the skin and fat, but little will be absorbed through these surfaces.

*Obtainable from a drug store.
Allow the hams to cure 2-1/2 days per pound of ham. If the hams freeze during curing, allow one additional day for each day they are frozen.
Hams should be aged for three to six months to acquire their characteristic flavor. The variation in temperature during the spring and summer enhances the flavor. You can leave the hams wrapped for aging. If the area is well-ventilated, you can leave them where they were cured for the aging period.