Today is the third anniversary of Bacon Unwrapped. Yep, that’s right – I’ve been sharing my bacon obsession with the interweb for three years. I’ve written almost 500 entries. I’ve eaten A LOT of bacon and I am still miraculously Lipitor-free. So what better way to celebrate this event than spending it touring smokehouses in Western Kentucky, Bacon Capital of the World?
My first stop this morning was at Scott Hams in Greenville. Owner June Scott generously spent over an hour giving me a tour of the facility and telling me about the history of their operation. Scott Hams produces a nitrate-free country bacon that is cured in a traditional manner using brown sugar and salt. Their humble operation is located in a beautiful area blessed with rolling green hills and forests that give way to peaceful pastoral views. The love that goes into the production of their hams and bacon is obvious the second you walk in the door. My favorite part of the tour was being able to take a peek into the smoke room – I could still smell the delicious smoky scent hours after leaving the facility. While the Scott Hams store is located a bit off the beaten path for most people, fortunately you can order their products over the internet by clicking here. Their gift boxes are particularly popular around the holidays.
My second stop of the day was at Newsom’s in Princeton. Newsom’s has been run by three generations of the Newsom family and is currently under the tutelage of Nancy “The Ham Lady” Newsom Mahaffey. The family has been curing ham and bacon for commercial purposes since 1917. Newsom’s hams are extremely popular and can be found in several top restaurants around the country.
I spent the better part of the afternoon with Nancy learning all about the history of Newsom’s and their approach to curing hams and bacon. Nancy isn’t curing any bacon at the moment, but I was able to look inside the room where the hams are hung to dry and was thoroughly impressed by the thousands of hams occupying every corner of the compact space. Nancy was a lot of fun to hang out with, and if you’re ever able to make it to Princeton you should definitely stop by the Newsom’s store and say hi. Downtown Princeton has a cute little historic district with several interesting shops, so it’s a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. If you can’t make it to Princeton, you can order Newsom’s products over the internet by clicking here.