Bad Day for Broadbent’s

Back in 2023, I ordered samples from Benton’s and Broadbent’s, two of the leading producers of real country ham. I was going to compare them.

I used to order hams from Father’s Country Hams in Bremen, Kentucky, but they closed up. Then I started ordering from Scott Hams. They went out of business, which is not surprising, because they were not sufficiently competent to answer the phone or answer emails.

I went to the trouble of comparing Benton’s and Broadbent’s, and then I forgot to take notes. Whatever conclusions I drew are forgotten.

Now I’m doing it all over again. Somewhere, George Santayana is smirking.

Last week, I ordered a whole ham from Colonel Newsom’s in Princeton, Kentucky. I had never had their product. It’s expensive, and I am cheap. My late cousin Wade swore by it, and based on the company’s reputation and his recommendation, I was confident enough to give in and pay for one of their very expensive hams.

I also ordered more slices from Benton’s and Broadbent’s, and I followed up with an order from Meacham Ham. I have not received the Benton’s and Meacham slices yet. We have tried Newsom’s and Broadbent’s.

I don’t recall being disappointed by Broadbent’s in 2023, because I don’t recall anything about my first order, but the slices I received this time were no good. They are too thin. The ham has very little flavor. They’re tougher than they should be. The ham is so salty, it’s hard to eat.

I don’t know how one country ham can be saltier than another. You create a country ham by dumping it in a box with loose salt and other cure ingredients and packing the cure all over it, so you would think they would all come out with the same level of saltiness.

We tried two slices last week, and we did not finish them. We tried two this morning, and again, we threw a good deal out. It’s just not worth the effort to eat it.

The slices smelled very good when I opened the package. They had a strong fermented smell; almost alcoholic. I expected a lot of flavor. After cooking, all I noticed was salt.

I cooked today’s slices by putting a quarter-inch of water in a pan, boiling the slices on both sides, and then frying them. This is supposed to reduce the salt. Still, the slices were useless.

I reviewed Broadbent’s slices a few days ago, and I was more charitable. I said we preferred Newsom’s by a narrow margin. That is not how I feel today. As of now, I would turn down Broadbent’s if it were free. My wife doesn’t like it either.

I don’t know if the slices we ate today are different or what, but I take back all the nice things I said. Maybe my high hopes colored my perceptions to the point of distortion.

Maybe the first slices were better because I fried them in the same pan with Newsom’s ham. That could explain it.

I sent Broadbent’s an email asking if there might be something wrong with the ham we received. I think they deserve a chance to respond.

Their hams get very good reviews from most people, and I don’t recall having a bad experience with my first samples.

The Newsom’s ham is just about perfect. It has a strong fermented flavor. It’s very salty, but not like Broadbent’s, which tastes almost like fatback. It’s not hard to chew. I think the long curing process may have broken the meat down a little.

A 16-17-pound Newsom’s ham costs $152.83 before shipping, and curing a ham is not rocket science, so I am hoping Meacham Ham or Benton’s will be just as good at a lower price.

I did my best to butcher the Newsom’s ham, and I put the pieces in a pot of water to add moisture and draw out excess salt. I’m going to drain them and put them in vacuum bags.

Newsom’s is just about flawless, so if I never find a great ham at a lower cost, at least I’ll have one company that will come through for a price.

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Broadbent’s got back to me:

Without seeing a picture of exactly what you received, my best guess would be that the center cut country ham steaks you received might have simply been from a smaller and/ or older ham, which would have resulted in less fat (leathery texture) and a saltier taste. As you know, every ham is different in fat content, size, and even how it shrinks down and takes to the cure, so every pack of ham steaks is as unique as the ham it came from.
We stand by our products, and every customer’s order comes with a 30-day guarantee where if you are not happy with what you received, we will send a replacement or refund you the cost of your merchandise

I will try another package and see what happens. Surely my slices were not normal. No one would order them.