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Up here in Claremont, New Hampshire, we roll steadily through the year with four very distinct seasons: Short green summers, even shorter autumns, long white winters, and unpredictable springtimes. Given how long our winters can be, we tend to treat “the holidays” as an unofficial fifth season when we dig out candles and hang lights pretty much everywhere.

Straight out of a storybook, the holidays in New England are jolly and jammed with sights, smells, and tastes that cannot be imitated during any other time of year. When it comes to home cooking, you can’t beat the tried-and-true recipes of the season. 

Unless, you add bacon.

Call us predictable, but here at the smokehouse we’re dreaming up ways to make our holiday feasts just a smidge tastier and that exploration led us right here, to three smoky spins on our favorite holiday side dishes.

Here’s hoping tha

As trends towards better-for-you foods continue, foodservice professionals are responding by adding antibiotic-free proteins to their menu. Whether replacing traditionally cured meats entirely or peppering their plate with alternative options, North Country Smokehouse is here to help customers leverage the sustainable food movement by offering savory, smoked meats that are free from antibiotics, added growth hormones, nitrates, and nitrites. 

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey the “no antibiotics” claim has become a selling point for many restaurant brands—and for good reason. Nearly 6 out of 10 people surveyed said they would be more likely to eat at a restaurant if the meat is raised without antibiotics, and would pay more for an “antibiotic-free” option.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Football Season. What’s not to love? You get to invite family & friends over and fill up on snacks. But that bowl of greasy chips and jar of queso dip just isn’t going to cut it if you’re a true flavor guru, and you don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen because, hello, the game is ON!

Upping your munchie game doesn’t have to require much effort. We spend hours handcrafting our meats and smoking them low and slow for big, intense flavor, so you can spend more time cheering on your favorite team. Our ideas all pass the Sports Snacking Golden Rule: Easy to grab, share, and savor. Check out some of our favorite ways to take Football Sunday classics and make them bold, smoky MVPs. 

Pizza with a Punch

There’s nothing better than a well-made sandwich, loaded up with all the good stuff. The perfect condiment, maybe a slice or two of cheese, and most importantly, stacked high with delicious ham or turkey.  We believe in going beyond “good” and stand behind our commitment to quality by crafting the best tasting organic deli meats available, in the best possible way.

Label claims can be confusing and make picking the best for your family a real challenge. Our advice to you? Look for third-party certifications on your labels - they substantiate the claims being made. When you see them, you know the farms are being audited for things like GMOs and animal welfare, and you can be confident that you’re bringing the best taste and quality into your kitchen. 

Certified Organic

The certified organic s

It happens every year. Back-to-School season sneaks up and brings with it lots of time-consuming activities, like forms for filling, clothes for buying, and sports practices for shuttling to and from. After the slower days of summer, it can be hard to adjust. When it comes to  question, “What’s for dinner?” are you fighting off the temptation to yell “Every man for himself!” in response? The answer is simple: Snack Dinner.

You heard right. Here’s our take: 

Step 1: Prepare a few simple snacks. Make them delicious. Ingredients are the key here. 

Step 2: Set everyone loose to fill their plates with what they want. 

Step 3: Bask in the bit of extra time you have from no cooking and way fewer dishes.

The beauty of snack dinner is

Business partners Mike Hammond and John Kelley describe it as a kitchen on four wheels, and that's just what it is. Detailed with white and gold

Paleo is one of the biggest diet trends at the moment and for good reason: people are getting great health benefits while eating really good food. The paleo philosophy and diet plan revolve around the idea that our bodies have evolved to handle certain foods: namely vegetables, healthy fats, and animal protein. (Read: Fantastic! All the bacon you want!) Who wouldn’t love this diet? Bring on the meat tornado. 

Before you jump on the bandwagon, though, you should know about the flip side. The diet guidelines also suggest that our bodies haven’t adapted to digesting certain food groups and should be eliminated. On this list are: grains, dairy, sugar, and processed oils, just to name a few. If you’ve tried the Paleo lifestyle before, you know those restrictions can make it tough to pick healthy foods that are still delicious and packed with flavor

With Father’s Day fast approaching, it’s only right that we pay homage to the ultimate grill master. We’d bet that what he really wants is a relaxed day spent with his family, preferably in the backyard standing over a charcoal grill. Most definitely, he wants to be consuming the greatest, most delicious grilled meats he can get his hands on. To make it simple for you, we spend hours slow-smoking our meats and infusing them with deep, rich flavor.

What better way to show dad how much you love him than with juicy, slow-smoked sausage? We’re dishing out ways to make your Father’s Day meal extra special, so Dad knows how much you care.

Go for the Gold

The shift towards locally sourced ingredients is real. Our customers want to know where their food comes from and trust the people who produce it. Enter - North Country Smokehouse.

We’ve been smoking meat for a long time, and we pride ourselves on the diverse flavors our products bring to the table. We live in a region that’s made a name for itself with the local flavors of sweet maple syrup, creamy cheeses and the very best in craft beer. It’s only right we partner with other local purveyors to develop two, all-natural, certified humane links; just in time for Memorial Day.

We began collaborations with Harpoon Brewery and Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company as part of our ongoing commitment to the local food movement, crafting recipes with fresh ingredients from our own backyard. These partnerships were made in sweet, meaty heaven – pairing our savory sausages with these regional, fan favorites was a no-brainer.

A New England staple with locations in Windsor, VT., an