Kuttawa, KY (April 6, 2014) – “Taste the Tradition” is the slogan for the National Country Ham Association that held its Annual Convention in Paducah, Kentucky last week. A competition is held in conjunction with the Annual Convention each year, and it is composed of two categories: Smoked Country Ham and Unsmoked Country Ham. National Champion and Reserve National Champion Awards are given in each category. Broadbent B & B Foods entered hams cured in traditional Broadbent fashion, walking away with a National Champion Award in the Unsmoked Category.

What might be called the “Country Ham Belt” of the country was well represented in this competition. Fourteen producers were in attendance representing North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. Hams were judged on appearance and taste. A slice of ham was taken from the center of the ham, cooked and tasted by a panel of judges made up of meat scientists with Dr. Greg Rentfrow representing the University of Kentucky, Dr. Dwight Loveday representing the University of Tennessee, Dr. Wes Schilling representing Mississippi State University and Dr. Benji Mikel.

The National Country Ham association was organized in 1992. Its primary goal is to promote, develop and improve the business of Country Ham curing. The agenda for this year’s convention included a tour of Harper’s Country Ham in Clinton, KY on Friday. Saturday started with a seminar on current issues impacting the industry, then the announcement of the competition winners and ended with a tour of Broadbent’s.

“Most of the guys attending this convention represent companies much larger than Broadbent’s,” said company owner Ronny Drennan. “It’s always fun to get together with them. They represent a wealth of country ham knowledge and I always learn a thing or two from them.”