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Arkansas food bloggers unite in the name of ham!

This past Saturday, a group of Arkansas food bloggers gathered at Hillcrest Artisan Meats to try out some Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, a pricy Spanish cured meat that apparently has the ability to attract a crowd. Brandon Brown, owner of H.A.M., prepped the meat and brought it to the back of his shop for us eager carnivores. Joining me in this endeavor were Christie Ison of Fancy Pants Foodie, Joel DiPippa of Southern Ash, Daniel Walker of Eat Arkansas, and Jess Miller and Michael Roberts of Arkansas Foodies (Michael also writes for Eat Arkansas).

How did it all turn out? You’d probably be best served by reading Christie’s post…or any of the other event members. In short, it was wonderful…ranking up there with some of my best food experiences. The smooth and subtly salty meat just melted as it hit the tongue (“with the consistency of a dissolvable breath strip.”-Sara Shalin). I loved it and would not hesitate to order a few slices again for a special occasion.

The jamón is best eaten without accompaniment. You wouldn’t mix one of the world’s finest vodka’s with orange juice, would you? That said, with all the glorious food challenges/gimmicky items out there right now, H.A.M. might best be served putting a sandwich on its menu that included the jamón. Heck, just charge $50 and call it the Most Expensive Sandwich West of the Mississippi.

The Crew at H.A.M.

All kidding aside, as much as I enjoyed the jamón, the company was even better. I love meeting new and interesting people. In truth, it’s my favorite part of food blogging. I’ve been fortunate enough to reside in three vibrant food communities (Houston, Boston, and Little Rock) over the past two years. I’ve made life-long friends from attending events like the one yesterday. To me, that’s what it’s all about. Hopefully, the our H.A.M. escapade was the first of many, as I’ve found the Little Rock food bloggers to be extremely knowledgeable, insightful, and above all…genuine.