If you buy Country Ham in the store you should soak it for a bit in warm water to take some of the salt out before frying.
I watched many a hog-killin’ and preservation during my childhood. Packed those hams & shoulders in salt for a period, then wash and bag them and hang them in the smoke house where they were Hickory smoked from the smoke pots on the floor. Fresh pork chops for a few days. Bacon also salted & smoked. Ribs mostly canned. Pickled pig feet, ears, tongue and head cheese (souse). Nothing was wasted. Yes that was because there was no refrigeration.
My grandmother used to can fresh ground pork sausage seasoned with pepper and sage in Mason jars. While it certainly wasn’t appealing to look at while in the jar, with a thick layer of fat congealed on the top, it was the best sausage I’ve ever eaten. There were quite a few nice hams hanging in her smokehouse in my childhood. They used salt with a little brown sugar, then smoked them hanging in cheesecloth.