So I was on my way back from the Knoxville area and decided to make more of a road trip out of it than driving straight down I-75, and my wanderings took me over to Highway 411. As I headed south, I had one thing in mind: Make my way to Madisonville and get some Benton’s bacon.
If you’ve ever had Benton’s bacon, which most foodies at this point in time have, you’ll know why it’s worth taking the road less traveled to experience a visit to Allan Benton’s smoky kingdom.
(READ MORE: Prized pork: Reputation for quality puts Benton’s ham, bacon on menus across U.S.)
He’s been at it for years, having taken over the business from the late Albert Hicks, who, in 1947, began selling country hams that he’d smoked out of a nondescript cement block building along the highway. Benton and his employees have since taken the business to new heights, selling to restaurants and homes around the country. Once you’ve tasted the characteristic flavors imparted by hickory smoke and the method Benton uses to age and smoke his meats, you’ll discover why it’s so loved by chefs and bacon lovers, too.
Benton’s country hams and bacon are available either unsmoked or hickory-smoked in a small, wood-stove smokehouse behind the business, imparting that distinct flavor that so many customers prefer.
You don’t have to go all the way to Madisonville, though, to bring home the bacon. You can visit Pruett’s on Signal Mountain and pick up a pound or, as I learned during my visit, at Bleu Fox Cheese Shop on Main Street, where it is now being sold.
However, for the full experience, which would include getting a pack of his prosciutto or one of his smoked hams, you’ll need to either order it online at bentonscountryhams2.com or visit the store at 2603 Highway 411 in Madisonville.
And when you do bring it home, try making this recipe for shrimp and grits from “Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon,” a book by James Beard Award winner Ari Weinzweig. There’s just something about that incredible smoky Benton’s bacon that makes it so much better than your average shrimp and grits.
Shrimp and Grits With Benton’s Bacon
For the grits:
4 cups water (or 2 cups water and 2 cups evaporated milk)
1 cup coarse-ground grits
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons butter
For the shrimp sauce:
4 ounces (2 to 3 slices) bacon, diced
12 fresh shell-on jumbo shrimp
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the water in a large pot over high heat. Add the grits before it begins to boil, stirring well. Continue stirring while the pot comes to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add the salt and butter, stirring for a minute to melt the butter. Hold the pot at a low boil, stirring the grits regularly until they begin to thicken.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, loosely covered, for 30 to 60 minutes or longer until grits reach desired doneness. The longer you cook them, the better they’ll get. Stir fairly often to avoid clumping and sticking. You may need to add more water or milk if they get too thick.
While the grits are cooking, start the sauce.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until cooked to medium crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove half the bacon from the pan, and reserve, leaving the other half in the skillet with the fat.
Add the shrimp to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and saute briefly so that they’re very lightly cooked, but not cooked through, on each side (probably less than a minute per side). Remove shrimp to a platter, and set aside.
In the same skillet, saute the celery, onion, red bell pepper and garlic until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, shell and clean the shrimp, reserving the shells and tying them in a cheesecloth bundle.
Sift the flour directly over the vegetables, and give it a good stir until it dissolves. Slowly add the water, mixing constantly, so that it forms a smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to a high simmer, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring steadily.
Add the shrimp shell bundle, the bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Keep at a low simmer for 15 to 30 minutes or until the grits (which are cooking in the other pot) are almost ready. Add additional water if the sauce gets too thick. It should be the texture of a moderately thick pasta sauce.
Cut the peeled and cleaned shrimp into 1-inch pieces, or leave them whole if your prefer. Return to the sauce, and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove and discard the shells. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the cooked grits onto warm plates or in shallow bowls. Top with the shrimp sauce, sprinkle on the reserved fried bacon and serve hot. Makes 3-4 servings.
GET HAPPY
Carrabba’s Italian Grill has introduced a new happy hour unlike most others in town that offer specials on drinks and bites on weeknights only. Instead, the restaurant — famous for its wonderful Italian fare — offers a happy hour that runs 4-7 p.m. seven nights a week. Not only is it offering cocktails, like its pomegranate martinis and Italian Old Fashions for $7, it also has several very filling bites, such as the meatball sliders and mezzaluna frittes — raviolis stuffed with chicken, spinach and cheese — for $7, too. And when I say filling, oh my! Order two or three to split them with your dining partner, and you have a filling dinner, especially if you indulge in the wonderful bread and seasoned olive oil that begins every Carrabba’s experience.
In addition to its happy hour, Carrabba’s offers a really good deal: Order any of their made-from-scratch, regular-price entrees and get a second for $10, and that includes soup or salad. Take, for instance, the new Filet and Shrimp Pasta Toscano, an incredible mix of fettucine with spinach, steak, mushrooms and shrimp in a garlic cream sauce — enough for two people — for $26, and you can take home another for $10.
I only wish Carrabba’s would open a second location in Hixson. For those of us in North Chattanooga, happy hour at Carrabba’s would be even happier. But for now, we’ll just be happy with its one location at 2040 Hamilton Place Blvd.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.