What I had for breakfast today

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PolyTech
Posts: 818
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:05 am

What I had for breakfast today

Post by PolyTech »

There was some bacon discussion on here a couple of months ago - I think it was swabbie who brought up Benton's bacon. I was intrigued, and when I was near Madisonville through the holidays, I stopped in and picked up a few pounds for myself and family to try. Also picked up a half ham for Christmas.

Hadn't gotten around to trying the bacon until just now. The bacon is incredibly meaty (I picked out the meatier packs when I was down there, but they were all pretty good). Crazy thick - if you want crispy, it's gonna be tough to get it that way - this stuff is like 3/16" thick. Eating it now; it's very smoky, rather salty, not much perceptible sweetness (I understand they cure their ham with sugar and salt, but they could do the bacon differently). Have to say, it had a rubbery kind of flavor; not texture, but flavor. Is not bad overall, but maybe just not my cup of tea.

Here's my recommendation: Stoltzfus meats in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of Pennsylvania. I've now had the opportunity to run the A/B comparison with Benton's, and at least IMHO, the Stoltzfus is a runaway winner. Parents head there a few times a year, and they've been keeping me in it for a couple of years.

Stoltfus bacon link

The ham is a different story. Haven't tried anything from Stoltzfus, and I'm not even sure they make anything like a country ham (haven't looked into it). Benton's ham was very good. I've grown up on Smithfield region country hams (mostly Edwards and Peanut City) and the Benton's ham was pretty different. I did buy a half, and ended up soaking it for three days. Made sure not to overcook it (aiming for 160 degrees, but it hit around 170 before I got to it). It was moist, tender, mild, and delicious - the right smoke, the right salt (much less salty than anything I've had from Smithfiled). Very good and highly recommended if you like country ham.
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