A North Carolina tradition hits menu boards across the state Oct. 15-25 for Country Ham Restaurant Week. The event will bring together 11 restaurants from the mountains to the coast, pairing some of the state’s most creative chefs with country ham producers to celebrate an ingredient that has been part of North Carolina tables for generations.
The event coincides with the return of the N.C. State Fair Country Ham Competition, connecting the farmers, curers and cooks who built the tradition with the chefs carrying it forward today.
Salt-cured, slow-aged and sometimes kissed by smoke, country ham has long been a staple of Southern kitchens. During Country Ham Restaurant Week, chefs are taking that familiar flavor beyond the biscuit, using country ham in dishes ranging from carbonara and tortellini to croquettas, tartines and shrimp and grits.
“Country ham is one of those foods that immediately connects you to North Carolina traditions and time-honored curing processes that brings together families and communities,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Country Ham Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to celebrate that history while seeing how a new generation of chefs is finding creative ways to put country ham on the plate.”
Participating restaurants and featured pairings include:
- Ashten’s Restaurant & Bar, Southern Pines — Chef Matthew Hannon pairs with Goodnight Brothers Country Ham for a foie gras toast featuring seared foie gras, country ham, green tomato chutney, smoked trout roe, local honey and aged balsamic.
- Beaufort Grocery Co., Beaufort — Chef Wendy Park pairs with Broadbent’s Country Hams for several dishes, including Welsh rarebit with country ham and tomato, chicken saltimbocca and a Carolina Benedict.
- Cast Iron Kitchen, Wilmington — Chef Josh Petty pairs with Sugar Grove Country Hams for a country ham “prosciutto” and bone marrow board with country ham fig jam, red-eye tomato chutney, pickles, local salami and crusty bread.
- Figulina, Raleigh — Chef David Ellis pairs with Lady Edison Pork for country ham carbonara with fresh mafaldine, egg yolk, Pecorino Romano and black pepper.
- Nanas, Durham — Chef Matt Kelly pairs with Westwater Country Ham for gnocchi fritto with mascarpone, pepper jelly and thinly shaved country ham.
- Poole’s Diner, Raleigh — Chef Ashley Christensen pairs with Tripp Country Hams for an autumn tartine with fromage blanc, red mustards, pickled kumquat and thin slices of country ham.
- Rada, Charlotte — Chef Callan Buckles pairs with Tripp Country Hams for country ham croquettas with sauce gribiche.
- Reid’s Cafe & Catering, Sugar Mountain — Chefs Tina Houston and John Ortiz pair with Goodnight Brothers Country Ham for country ham scarparella tortellini with banana pepper, caramelized onion and ricotta filling in country ham brodo.
- The Hackney, Washington — Chef Jamie Davis pairs with Penn Country Hams for North Carolina shrimp and grits.
- Voyce Bistro, Wilmington — Chef Keith Rhodes pairs with Lady Edison Pork for sweet corn carbonara with country ham, tomatoes and spring onion crumble.
- Whiskey Kitchen, Raleigh — Chef Kyle Teears pairs with Penn Country Hams for a bourbon- and sorghum-molasses-soaked country ham biscuit with caramelized onions, blackberry jam and herb-and-fig goat cheese.
“Country ham is uniquely American, and North Carolina has an important place in its story,” said Sam Suchoff, president of the National Country Ham Association and owner of Lady Edison Pork and The Pig Restaurant in Chapel Hill. “What’s exciting about Country Ham Restaurant Week is seeing chefs take something with such a long history and make it feel new. These dishes showcase the craftsmanship of the people who cure country ham while introducing its incredible flavor to a new generation of diners.”
Country Ham Restaurant Week is supported by Broadbent’s Country Hams, Goodnight Brothers Country Ham, Lady Edison Pork, Penn Country Ham, Sugar Grove Ham, Tripp Country Ham, Westwater Country Hams. the National Country Ham Association and NCDA&CS’s Got to Be NC program.
The celebration comes as country ham makes its return to one of North Carolina agriculture’s biggest stages. After a 27-year absence, the N.C. State Fair Country Ham Competition, sponsored by the N.C. Farm Bureau, returns Thursday, Oct. 15, with judging beginning at 1 p.m. in Dorton Arena. Country ham curing and cooking demonstrations will also be held during the fair, including demonstrations Oct. 15 in Dorton Arena and Oct. 19 in Heritage Circle in cooperation with Goodnight Brothers Country Ham. There will also be a Country Ham Trail available to download, highlighting the vendors with country ham dishes on their menus.
Country Ham Restaurant Week runs Oct. 15-25, the same dates as the 2026 N.C. State Fair. For participating restaurants, featured dishes and additional information, visit the Country Ham Restaurant Week website.
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