Only fresh ingredients are used to make a Smith’s wiener:  fresh pork and beef, and natural spices from all over the world.  The meats used are locally and regionally sourced from reliable suppliers that consistently meet our high standards.  This is skeletal meat only--no yucky parts used here!  We use lean, fresh, boneless beef and fresh, boneless pork, and, more importantly, we do not use “variety meats” (another name for, tongues, snouts, navels, heart meat, cheek meat, etc.) or poultry ingredients (we believe they are far too high in bacterial loads) .
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Our meat plant is visited by a United States Department of Agriculture inspector on a daily basis.  ( Contrast this with non-meat food plants inspected by the FDA—they may be visited as infrequently as once a year!) This is in addition to our own, extensive and detailed, food safety plan.  We are trained and certified to apply HACCP principles to our operation (considered to be the most effective and advanced food safety system), and the USDA is there to assist our own Quality Assurance people that our equipment, ingredients, people and plant are working together to produce safe, nutritious and properly labeled meat products.  And just as important, every employee at Smith’s has the authority to stop operations if they feel there may be a food safety or quality issue.  We feed our own families the same products we are proud to make for your family.
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USDA regulations allow meat processing companies to inject up to 49% added water to smoked hams – which means that for every ten pounds of ham, you may be getting up to five pounds of water.  At Smith’s our hams are “NOT WATER ADDED”.  We have been determined to not water our hams down, as we our proud of the natural quality and flavor of our hams, as well as not diluting the essential nutrients of the ham.  You get what you pay for, and if you are paying for ham, don’t be fooled by “Water Added.”
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Yes and no.  We produce two bone-in hams: a whole semi-boneless, and a half semi-boneless ham.  These semi-boneless hams contain the leg bone only, and are ideal for people who are looking for a traditional ham to be served as a “center of the plate” heated meal.  They contain a small amount of intramuscular fat, which adds to the flavor of the ham.  The leftover bone also makes a great base for soup, or other dishes that use a ham bone as ingredients.   All of our other hams are boneless hams, of various sizes, 97% percent lean, fully cooked and ready to be served warm or cold.  Also excellent as a hot meal, these hams are simple to carve and slice, and delicious.
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No, we do not.  After investigating the spiral sliced product, we have found that the process does not meet our high standards for protecting the superb flavor of our product.  Slicing any food far in advance of its consumption, only deteriorates its flavor and palatability.  Our boneless hams are so easy to slice, there is no need for a pre-sliced ham!  If you must have a spiral sliced ham, look for a local meat market that will custom slice the ham for you, no more than a couple of days before you serve it.  And be very careful not to overheat the ham—remember, it is already cooked, it just needs to be reheated.
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You can find nutritional information, as well as ingredient information on our product packaging.  If you need additional information about any of our products or processes, please call us, toll free, at (800) 334-9151. Product labels with nutritional information on them can also be view on our Products page by clicking here.
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They are USDA and FDA regulated ingredients listed on the product label ingredient statement.  They are very important ingredients that prevent the growth of the botulism bacteria, and also create “cured” meats.  Curing is the difference between a roast beef and corned beef, between a pork roast and a ham, between salt pork and bacon.  The USDA strictly controls precisely how much nitrite can be added to processed meat products.
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Natural casings are the cleaned, sanitized, salted intestines of either sheep or pigs.  Typically hog casings would be used for sausage items, while sheep or lamb casings, being of smaller diameter and inherently more tender, would be used for wieners or Cheddarbest Sausages.    These casings have been used for centuries, throughout the world, are completely edible (basically protein), and provide a distinctive snap and bite that make a Smith’s Natural Casing wiener the great tasting hot dog that is!
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When you see “fully cooked” on the label of a smoked, cured or cooked meat, it means that the product has been heated to a minimum internal temperature of at least 148 degrees Fahrenheit, and is safe to eat without additional cooking.
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Fresh beef and pork is ground up in industrial sized meat grinders, and mixed with an array of spices.  The finely chopped mix is then stuffed into a casing which gives it the characteristic shape of a hot dog.  The hot dogs are then hung on a stainless steel rack, which is taken to our computer controlled smokehouse, where the wieners are cooked and naturally smoked using sugar maple wood chips.  Once the cooking process is complete, the dogs are chilled, packaged, and promptly delivered to retail stores, restaurants, snack bars,or you!
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At this point and time, our shipping capabilities are limited.  We currently use Fed Ex 2nd day air to ship hot dogs.  Not all of our products can be shipped, as some items do not freeze well.  Because the 2nd day air costs are high (frequently more that the cost of the product itself), we do not profit in any way from shipping costs, and we are working as quickly as we can on developing a more efficient, and cost effective way to ship!  Please contact us directly at (800) 334-9151 and we can discuss the specifics of shipping you Smith products.  Our minimum amount to ship is approximately 10 pounds of product. More information on shipping can be accessed on our Shipping Information page or you can buy Smith's product ONLINE by clicking here.
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A complete list of our products:
SKINLESS WIENERS
NATURAL CASING WIENERS
BOLOGNA GARLIC BOLOGNA
HEADCHEESE
SOUSE
HOT SOUSE DUTCH LOAF
PEPPER LOAF
PICKLE LOAF
OLIVE LOAF
BRAUNSCHWEIGER
COOKED SALAMI
DELI HAM
GOURMET ROAST BEEF
RING BOLOGNA
GARLIC RING BOLOGNA
KIELBASA
ITALIAN SAUSAGE
BRATWURST
CAJUN ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE
POLISH SAUSAGE
KNACKWURST
SMOKED SAUSAGE
CHEDDARBEST SAUSAGE
RING LIVER PUDDING
SEMI BONELESS HAM
GOURMET BONELESS HAM
DINNER HAMS
SUGAR MAPLE SMOKED PORK LOIN
SUGAR MAPLE SMOKED SLAB BACON
SMOKED HAM SHANKS
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None of our products contain glutens.
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Most of our products do not contain dairy.  The following items do, and should be avoided by those with dairy allergies:  Skinless Wieners, Cheddarbest Sausage, Braunschweiger, Ring Liver Pudding, Dutch Loaf, Pepper Loaf, Olive Loaf, Pickle Loaf.
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Sodium Erythorbate is the sodium salt of erythorbic acid, a highly refined food-grade chemical closely related to vitamin C, synthesized from sugar, and used in combination with sodium nitrite to complete the curing of meats.  (Note: Erythorbate is NOT earthworms.  Perhaps the spelling or pronunciation has contributed to this misconception, but it is absolutely not true. )
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While we build in a “safety margin” into our “sell by” dates, we cannot recommend use past that date.  This is because there are so many variables that affect the useful life of perishable products.  The temperature the products are stored at is probably the most significant factor in determining its useful life.  Product stored at 34 degrees will have a much longer life than product stored at 40 degrees.  There is simply no substitute for your own good judgement in judging the edibility of perishable products.  If the product has a strange color, odor, slimy, or sticky texture, do not consume it, regardless of the “sell by” date. If you have specific questions, call us at toll-free at (800) 334-9151.
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Once the package is opened, keep our products in the coldest area of your refrigerator no more that 5-7 days.  The product should be consumed or frozen before that time, regardless of “sell by”dates.  “Sell by” refers only to an unopened package.
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“Naturally Smoked” refers to the process we use to add unique color and flavor to our products during the cooking process, by heating real wood chips and creating an aromatic smoke that surrounds our products.  Most commercially produced meat products have smoke flavoring added, or dip products into a chemical solution called “liquid smoke”.  We believe our traditional method of slow smoking our products, using sugar maple wood sourced locally, results in far superior flavor and color than our competition.  We can tell the difference, and we think you can too.
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