Here at Dardens, we've been smoking hams since the early 1950s. We smoke about 1,000 hams a year. If you visit the smokehouse, you'll remember your visit with every bite of our ham. Darden hams throw a flavor party with every bite. It's addictive. It's irresistable. It's a thin slice of hog heaven.

    End of January, Beginning of February - The day starts off when the hams are brought back to the smokehouse from the Smithfield Hams Plant. Temperatures need to be not too warm or too cold, just right is critical to the success of the curing process.

Hams arrive at the Smokehouse

    Johnny, Bill and other neighbors unload and move the hams into the smokehouse; each ham weighs between 18-25 pounds.

    Johnny and Bill roll the hams in a box full of salt, rubbing and coating the entire ham evenly with salt. Salt draws the water from the ham and reduces the weight of the ham approximately 20%.

Salting the Hams

    The hams are laid very carefully on their sides on a pallet. The position of the ham determines the shape, a perfect ham is shapely, not too round, not too flat. It should have a little bit of fat and a nice pink color when sliced.

    Country bacon comes from cured sidemeat. These pieces have twine attached for hanging after the seasoning. Gotta get that twine just right to keep the ham from slipping from the rafters.

Salted Sidemeat

    The most labor intensive part of the ham business is the washing the hams and pepper coating them. They are scrubbed in hot water and all the salt is washed off. It's a messy operation, we don't take pictures.

    Sidemeat that is going to become bacon is covered in black pepper and then hung to age.

    After the salt is washed off, Tommy Darden ties a loop of string to the end of the ham hock so that it can be hung from the rafters.

    The hams cure as they hang from the rafters for about 40 days and nights.

Hams hanging out

    Next, the hams are smoked with hickory and apple wood during the rainy days of April and May. After the smoking, the ham ages to perfection.... "We don't like to slice, sell or cook any hams until after July 4th." says Tommy Darden.

    The Ham Biscuit, a quintessential Southern staple and treat; tender slices of hickory and apple wood smoked Darden ham resting comfortably in a proper biscuit.

    If you are interested in serving Darden ham for special holidays, celebrations or feasts, call early to reserve. Call in October to reserve a Thanksgiving or Christmas ham; reserve Easter hams in March. We don't ship yet, but we'll get there sometime.

For the folks that like to be dressed in style, we have a fantastic selection of Darden Country Store logo t-shirts, sweatshirts, ball caps and aprons. Perfect gifts anytime. Just like our ham. Perfect - anytime.