World’s Famous Benton’s Bacon is Served Here!

If you are traveling through the Smoky Mountains and suddenly feel the craving for a nice BLT sandwich or an early morning breakfast plate of farm-raised eggs and sizzling thick strips of bacon, keep in mind the word Benton’s. Why? Because in Tennessee, the best country bacon comes from Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams in Madisonville.

Allan Benton, also known as a Bacon God and a Ham Hero, has been curing bacon and country hams since 1973. Today, his famous products compliment some of the most extravagant dishes in restaurants across the entire country, from New York City’s Momofuku Noodle Bar to Charleston’s legendary Husk.

Here, at Elvira’s Cafe, you may request Benton’s bacon as a perfect addition to your breakfast, lunch or dinner. And we definitely recommend trying our staple Benton’s Bacon BLT Sandwich (hint: add a crispy fried green tomato for a tangy-sweet flavor).

So what makes Benton’s bacon so irresistible? Let’s take a look at history.

Raised in rural Virginia, Allan Benton and his family grew everything they put on the table. The cure recipe he learned from his grandparents became Benton’s secret to success.

"We constantly refer to ourselves here as hillbillies,” says Benton. “We wear that moniker proudly. The food I make was literally sustenance food for the poor Appalachians. The recipe came straight from the log smokehouse behind the house I was born in."

Benton’s recipe uses some of the oldest pig breeds like Berkshire, Tamworth and Duroc. All of the pork is aged for at least one year then cured with a mixture of salt and brown sugar for 10 days, then aged for another 10 days, and smoked with an intense hickory flavor from small wood-burning stoves.

But the real reason why Benton’s bacon and hams are sought-after by World’s top restaurants is in its simple and natural ingredients.

"My bacon is made with only salt and brown sugar,” Benton explains. “No nitrates, no nitrite, no nothing you can't pronounce. It's a very natural product, very intense in flavor and we're blessed that people like that big, bold flavor we produce."

Allan Benton himself will tell you there’s no trick to making his bacon and that the little smoker he’s used for many years in his backyard is nothing remarkable. If you compare his bacon to what you can buy at the grocery store, you will soon realize that the conventional process uses chemicals to cure the meat in a few hours so it can get to the grocery shelves fast. Benton’s curing process is quite the opposite and his hams can take years to cure. Time, in addition to simple ingredients, makes the true formula behind Benton’s phenomenal success.

And the best part… We serve Benton’s sensation right here, at Elvira’s cafe! If you haven’t discovered Elvira’s cafe yet, come try us out or contact us to learn more, and who knows, maybe you will be the lucky one to discover a special golden slice that the Willie Wonka of smoked meats has left for you to enjoy ;)