From 1905:
For hams averaging twelve pounds each, have ready one and a half gallons of best salt, one pound of good brown sugar, one eighth pound of powdered saltpetre, one ounce of black pepper, and one half ounce of cayenne. Cut the joints into proper shapes, without unnecessary bone and fat, and lay them on a board or table. First rub the skin well with salt, and lay each joint aside; then begin over again and into the fleshy side of each ham rub two tablespoonfuls of saltpetre and a tablespoonful of brown sugar mixed together. Rub the pepper, particularly, about the hock and under the bone, and give the whole ham a good application of salt. Now pack the hams, one upon another, the skin side downward, with a layer of salt between, into a tub, box or barrel, the bottom of which has also been covered with salt. The process of salting will be complete in five weeks. At the end of that time, have ready a peck of hickory ashes; clean the hams with a brush, or dry them with a cloth, and rub them well with the ashes.
To smoke the hams, the joints should be hung from joists beneath the ceiling, and a slow, smothered fire kept up for five or six weeks, so as to smoke them thoroughly, but not overheat the hams. Hickory chips or corn cobs is the best fuel.