North Country Smokehouse

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., and Boston, Harpoon Brewery’s award-winning IPA adds a notable flavor to our newest link. The Harpoon IPA Beer Bratwurst is balanced with bold notes of caraway and marjoram. The hoppy, citrus flavor comes just-in-time for the summer grilling season, and let’s be honest – beer and sausage belong together.

“There are so many wonderful friends and neighbors in and around Windsor, and we’ve had beers with most of them over the years,” said Dan Kenary, CEO and co-founder, Harpoon Brewery. “We’ve been pairing great beer with great social occasions for years, so working with North Country on something that would bring people together around a grill or table was the natural – no pun intended – next step.”

North Country Smokehouse also worked with South Woodstock-based Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company to create a custom cheddar cheese for the new, spicy Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage. The company was the first community-owned artisan cheese and dairy facility in the state.

“We are always looking for ways to collaborate with other makers in our region to provide customers with locally sourced options for their tables,” said Kent Underwood, President, and Chief Operating Worker, Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company. “We share in North Country Smokehouse’s commitment to producing handcrafted foods. We know that consumers will be able to taste the difference.”

In true, North Country Smokehouse fashion, these new products are hand-crafted in small batches and never include artificial flavors, fillers or dyes. The new sausages are packed in natural casings and free of nitrates, nitrites, and antibiotics. They are also Certified Humane, ensuring strict animal welfare standards are being met.  

“We’re excited to partner with Harpoon Brewery and Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company as it enables us to use regional ingredients in more of our products. Today’s savvy consumers want to know the origins of their food and are especially interested in locally-produced foods,” said Aaron Corbett, COO, North Country Smokehouse. “These two new sausages honor the craft of each of our neighbors’ businesses and provide our customers with homegrown options.”

The two products are now available for sale and can be found at Whole Foods Market and Hannaford Supermarkets. Search locations near you on the store locator. 

Time-Honored Traditions

Here at North Country Smokehouse, we’re practical people. We know there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken: That’s why we use traditional, family recipes passed down through generations. Another thing we know is that time is precious, and the more of it we can spend with our families and loved ones, the better. With that being said, we’ll keep this brief.

With a low and slow smoking process for all of our products, North Country’s focus is on timeless flavor above all else. While we craft our recipes the old-fashioned way, that doesn’t mean we’re afraid of efficiency. If we can prepare one meal and take away a week’s worth of leftovers, we’ll do it every time. After all, our products are hand-crafted to be the backbone for countless recipes.

Take our Spiral Sliced Ham, for instance. It’s well known for its classic, smoky-sweet flavor, glazed with a swirl of New England maple syrup and brown sugar. One of our most popular products, this cut is juicy, tender, smoked to perfection, and we’re always left wanting more once it’s gone. The message here? Don’t shy away from buying the 18-pound package, because we have three recipes to make the most out of this ham, and each one rivals the others.

Let’s Start with Dinner.

Begin by Cover the spiral ham with tin foil to prevent the meat from drying out. Place the ham in a preheated 325-degree oven for approximately 12-minutes per lb. A whole spiral ham will take approximately 3 hours to cook. After the ham has been removed from the oven, let sit for several minutes prior to serving. Don’t be afraid to toss in your favorite vegetables alongside the ham, they will take on the savory sweetness of the meat for a perfect accompaniment. 

The Sammy: Breakfast of Champions 

After a night’s sleep, you’ll wake up the next morning ready for another delicious meal. Take the Spiral Ham out of the fridge and fry up a few slices on the griddle for a tried-and-true breakfast sandwich. Fresh eggs, cheese, and a flaky croissant complete the picture. This is what we call the extra hammy breakfast sammy. It’s the breakfast of Champions and doesn’t take much time so you can move on with your day. 

Lunchtime: Saving the Best for Last

Now, lunch is quickly approaching and you’ve worked up an appetite. Lucky for you, we’ve saved the best for last. Use what’s left of the spiral ham for a world-class Cuban Sandwich.
Pile it high on warm bread with swiss cheese, dill pickles, and toast it to perfection. It’s gooey, crunchy, and pretty much perfect. Nothing says comfort food quite like this.

There you have it: three ways to eat our spiral sliced ham. No drab leftovers here, each one of these delicious recipes is fit to be the hero.