CLAREMONT, NH. – North Country Smokehouse recently added Applewood Smoked Ham Steak and Petit Ham to the company’s retail lineup of organic meats.

The ham steak is sold in a 6-oz pack and serves two, and the Petit Ham is a little over a pound and serves four. The pork is maple-cured using syrup from a local sugar maker, the company said. The hams are smoked low and slow over embers of hardwoods.

“Consumers want convenient, modestly portioned pack sizes and that's hard to find in the ham category,” said Mike Kelly, vice president of business development and national sales. “Couple that with the limited options available in the non-GMO organic and certified humane protein category and it was clear to us, we had a winner.”

In addition to the organic attribute of the products, North Country Smokehouse noted that the portion sizes were well received by consumers when organic Applewood Smoked Ham Steak launched in six regions of Whole Foods Market in September and the Petit Ham was featured as a limited time holiday offering.

“People often say our ham is the best they’ve ever eaten, and they want to enjoy it year-round but find purchasing a whole or half ham to be too much,” Kelly said. “They might have a small family, or adult children, and they don’t want to be wasteful, especially organic shoppers who tend to be more conscious about their impact on the land and environment when making buying decisions.”

Last year, MEAT+POULTRY interviewed North Country Smokehouse executives about its vertically integrated system of vegetarian animals fed with no animal byproducts.