Benton’s Smokey Mountain Country Hams

Great bacon and country ham. We usually get a couple of pounds of bacon and a country ham each year.

We kept hearing about Benton’s bacon so we decided to do a trip there. Well, it was kinda disappointment. The shop is very authentic and full of smoke. They have board displaying products and prices, on display there is few cheeses and that’s about it. There were two baskets full of bacon in room temperature. All bacon packages were 90% fat 10% meat — really? Why would I want to buy such a poor quality, no matter how much the other reviews rave about their bacon. At the same time there was a customer picking up baby back ribs and he was handed over Smithfields baby back rib packages. I would have expected them to have their own.

The best bacon and country ham on the planet. Period. They do things the right way. The negative reviews on this site are blasphemy. Allan Benton is truly an American treasure.

I’ve read several articles & seen Benton’s on several food shows. We’ve been blessed to have had a chance to stop here after visiting the smokey mountain national park. Actually the original plan was to visit Benton’s & since the smokey Mtn was on the way, plans were rearranged.
I’ve ordered bacon & ham from Benton’s twice in the past to ship to Seattle & finally had a chance to visit here. They ship their products all over the world.
It was a privilege & pleasure to meet Mr.Benton. He kept saying how honored & how appreciative he was that we went out of our way & took time out of our vacation to stop by his store. He is the most humble person, very genuine!
We will definitely return on our next trip to Tennessee!

Benton’s products are in a league of their own and the team is friendly and passionate about their craft. Visited in February 2015 and had a lovely chat with Allan himself, who was flattered that we’d made the trip down from DC to visit Benton’s. The pleasure was all ours. I’ve mail ordered a bunch of bacon and ham since then and always had a great experience.

Wow, what in the heck have I been waiting for?! Benton’s Bacon shop has practically been in my backyard and I have never taken advantage of it. Man am I glad I went to check this place out. Literally in the middle of no where sits this little country ham & bacon shop that is so admired by so many people.
We arrived in the afternoon with quite a few cars in the parking lot and a bit of a line on the inside. Everyone was waiting to order a variety of hams, bacons, Bologna, prosciutto, ground sausage, steaks, cheeses, etc.
When it came upon our turn, I stated that we had never been there and would they mind if I looked around the corner, our friendly host, Tommy said, «I’ll give you the full tour if ya want it.» Of course I was in!
Tommy was extremely pleasant and very educational about the processes the hams and bacons go through here (some hams will be there aging for 2 years before they are sold). He said the hams are the longest process. He took us in all the different rooms (aging steps) of the hams and also showed us the smoker (which was at the time smoking the bacon = YUM!). The last room we saw was a guy grinding up sausage.
All I have to say is that if you haven’t been here you should definitely check it out. For some reason I was a little scared and thought it was like a slaughter house for pigs, well the good news is they don’t actually kill the pigs. They come to them already slaughtered, if that gives you a little peace.
I wish I could have met Mr. Allan Benton himself as he seems like an incredible individual, but he was out of town in Charleston for the Food festival down there. No big deal I will definitely be back!
Overall a wonderful experience and a big thank you to Tommy for his hospitality and educational info I walked away with a big grin like a kid in a candy shop, all because I learned the processes of how they do things there. Again thank you Tommy & Mr. Benton for having such a wonderful staff.
Oh yes we left w/​a couple packages of bacon, ribeyes & prosciutto. All delicious!
NOTE TO SELF: Wear clothes that you don’t mind if they smell like a smokehouse afterwards. Seriously they will smell for 2
weeks, so I’ve been told. I’m on Day 2 and I’m still airing them out :)
Cheers & Enjoy!

Delicious ham, shady business practices. Charged me over $ 20 for shipping (more than the ham steaks themselves), but they only paid $ 6 according to the postage. Shame on you, Allen.

Love Benton’s, they have the best bacon and ham. The steaks are also good and at a good price.

Absolute best Bacon ever!!! You only live once!!! You must try this Bacon before you die!!! Go to
and order it!!! You can thank me later!!! :-)

After years of ordering Benton’s bacon I decided to order one of the smoked country hams. My advice: don’t bother. One other review described it as salted shoe leather. I agree. I sliced it into 3/​16″ slices as instructed and cooked it according to the instructions and that reduced the saltiness somewhat but it was still tough as shoe leather.
Oddly enough I like the bacon, although it too is excessively salty, but the smoke flavor is wonderful.

Benton’s ham products are simply the best. My wife and I were in Knoxville at Blackberry Farms where we first tried this product. On our return visit we decided to tour the facility.
Tommy gave us an amazing tour and spent over an hour showing us how they prep their hams and bacon. They use a method going back to 1947 with a simple rub and curing process that doesn’t rush. They just know when it is ready.
I didn’t even know they had prosciutto and when I tried it I was seriously in heaven. It is the best prosciutto I have ever tried and the bacon and country hams are second to none.
After gouging on ham for three days, my wife came downstairs only to find me cutting into another pack of the prosciutto.
I love this place, the product, and the people. I will trumpet this place every chance I get to anyone who loves amazing products created with love.
Go Bentons!

Just received my Benton’s Country Ham and cooked some for breakfast this morning. It is wonderful! This is the first time I have purchased a whole country ham in years and I am so glad I purchased this one! I got the whole smoked country ham, deboned. I did not get the pre-​sliced, so I can cut my own slices to get the thicker slices I prefer. Excellent choice! Can’t wait to try the bacon I purchased along with the ham.

Would love to try your products but your website is horrible! I gave up and canceled my order.

The people that work here are so sweet and really know their pork products! It is a simple no-​nonsense shop that only sells a hand full of items. Their bacon is what they are known for all over the South but today we also purchased prosciutto and breakfast sausage.
I can’t wait to try these, we already love their deep smoked bacon! By the way, the bacon is about ½ the price here compared to local super market Benton bacon.

Let’s clear the air on this product. Yes, it is salty. When I have house guests from out of The South I almost always serve ”country ham” for breakfast and usually have wide eyed push back from it. Then I send it to my guests for Christmas. 90% of the time they get hooked and can’t wait for the next opportunity. Worried about shipping? My father cured country ham in an old warehouse we had with the family business. Those hams might hang in the hot rafters for 2 – 3 years as one might get lost or forgotten. We would take it down and boil it or just eat it like jerky, uncooked. Benton’s hams are artisanal gold.

I have purchased countless pounds of bacon from Benton’s and several hams (both their holiday and country hams). It’s by far the best bacon and ham you can get in the state and is widely recognized as the best bacon in the world. Seriously, just google it. I can not say enough good things about the flavor. The ham and bacon will literally melt in your skillet. We are fortunate to have them in our backyard. Take a step in to Benton’s and have a conversation with Allan Benton. You will realize the care, passion, and patience that goes in to his products. And you can get some terrific advice on preparing whatever it is you’re purchasing.

On online banking acquaintance suggested Benton’s country bacon a few weeks back, and after looking at their website I decided an order of their bacon was a necessity. After a little over a week, I received notice that my package had shipped. Daily, I would track my precious package and the day it arrived was like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one! I tore open the box and was shocked by what I didn’t find: Ice. On my meat. That shipped from Tennessee to Phx. In the summer! My heart sank as I imagined this delicious, smoky smelling meat had spoiled on its trip to my tummy. But then I read the packing papers. Turns out, the old-​fashioned way of making bacon allows it to be un-​refrigerated during the shipping period. You know, because people who originally cured meat didn’t have modern fridges. Whew!
Because I’m a little piggy, I had to cook up half a pound that night, using the included suggestions. Benton’s states pan frying over medium heat is the recommended frying method. So that’s what I did. Turned out amazing. I noticed there wasn’t a lot of fat rendered. A few nights later, I used my preferred bacon cooking method (in the oven) and it was even better. Benton’s cautions against cooking to the overly crispy level, which is just the way I like my bacon. I brought some to work and after heating it up on the microwave (I know, sounds gross but it worked), the office smelled of heavenly smoked bacon. And my coworkers agreed, this was a fine bacon.
Other posters have pointed out this bacon is overly salty. I didn’t think so. And who in the world would want to eat lower sodium bacon!!! I’ll admit it was a bit pricy, but high quality bacon has a cost. And an occasional spurge for Benton’s seems perfectly logical.

We just left the show room. And it just looks like you stepped right into the 1950s. Everything is done hands-​on racks of smoked meat hanging around. We’ve had both the bacon and the country ham. Our first order was mail-​order.
This time we picked it up at the store. We went out of our way because the center cut country ham is spectacular. Not just good… spectacular

First of all, you should know I’m obsessed with bacon. If it wasn’t for bacon, I could be a vegetarian, but alas… Benton’s…
I grew up in Madisonville eating Benton’s Bacon on Sunday mornings or special occasions and Benton’s Country Hams for holidays, so perhaps my review is a little biased due to associating it with my childhood. However, I still consider this bacon to be the best in the world (although, I’ll admit, I still prefer my grandfather’s smoked ham to theirs).
This is true country bacon. It’s quite salty (as can be expected with salt– cured meats), and will make your house smell like a campfire for hours after you’re done eating. It’s thickly cut at about 10 slices per pound. It is delicious.
When I’m away from home, I do settle for other bacon companies and tend to lean toward other thickly cut types, but Benton’s is still the best. I would certainly recommend it to anyone NOT on a diet or trying to restrict their sodium intake.
As for customer service, I will admit that I have never ordered it online or in a different store, so I cannot comment on the ordering process. I’ve only purchased from the Benton’s physical store in Madisonville. I’ve always had prompt service. Once, when they were experiencing some technical difficulties and didn’t have any bacon ready Mr. Benton went out of his way to go cut enough for a couple packages specifically for me.
In the years that I have consumed this food I have never had a bad experience.

Benton’s has the best bacon I’ve ever had in my entire life. When you open the package the smokiness of the bacon hits you in the face. You can tell it’s gonna be something special.
Get the bacon.
The End.