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Order a box of bacon, ham or prosciutto from Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams, and you'll be hit with an intense whiff of hickory smoke before you even unwrap the package.
38 years ago, Allan Benton was making smoked country hams out of a shack in Eastern Tennessee, selling to "a few greasy spoon restaurants scattered throughout the Smokies and the local hillbillies that just walked in my front door."
Today, Michelin-rated chefs proudly brag about using Benton's porky products on their menus. Celebrity chefs like Thomas Keller, Tom Colicchio, Jose Garces and David Chang have long been Benton's groupies. His bacon has been used in everything from brussels sprouts to ice cream. Chef Sean Brock makes a bacon cotton candy and mixologist Jim Meehan infuses the bacon grease into bourbon for a Benton's Old-Fashioned.
Why do you chefs love his products so much? Quality heritage hogs, no antibiotics, slow curing and the smoke. As chef Brock says, "If you put the tiniest amount of Benton's bacon into anything, it's like MSG, it just makes it incredible."
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