Deli meats that are a cut above the rest - Page 2

Boar's Head is just a cut above supermarket dreck - it's not bad, and I've enjoyed their products for many years.  However, over the last few years many, many smaller, more local, producers are cranking out products that leave Boar's Head in the dust.  Someone mentioned Fra Mani - great stuff.  However, you better get it before Bertolli goes big time and quality suffers.  Mario Batali's dad is producing some great provisions in the Pac NW.  Look for it and get ready for a treat.
 

Niman Ranch - average to a cut above average.  Bill sold the business and the new owners are much more corporate, and quality is beginning to suffer.  Still, it beats Safeway's private label.  I've been eating Niman Ranch since before it was Niman Ranch, back in the days when Orville Schell and Bill Niman were partners.  The quality is not as good as it was when Bill was running the operation at its peak.  Look for Bill's new products to come on the market soon.  He's been bringing in heritage pork from around the country, and the stuff is far tastier than the current Niman product.

LaQuercia has an excellent reputation, and the quality lives up to it.  I've only had a small amount about six months ago, but it was an enjoyable and pleasurable experience.

Hebrew National - <sigh>  Some time ago I did a hot dog taste test and HN came in last compared to Boar's Head, Saags, and even some of Niman's stuff.  HN is just another supermarket brand marketed by Con Agra, a company with a questionable reputation.  HN salami is fatty, and more so now than years ago, before Con Agra.

Molinari - not bad, but a lot of their product is way to salty.  Compare their salami with Fra Mani - no comparison.  Just as Molinari beats Safeway and other such garbage, Fra Mani beats Molinari.

I don't believe Diestel makes anything but turkey products.  Their fresh turkey is good, but their turkey products are no better than many other brands as far as taste goes.  I sometimes buy their turkey, but compared to some of the newer producers turkey, it looks like Diestel will,be up against some stiff competition. 

Well, that's all I can think of right now.

 

Boar's Head is just a cut above supermarket dreck - it's not bad, and I've enjoyed their products for many years. 

Hate to dissappoint you, Schmoozer, but Boar's Head is supermarket dreck. What I mean is that you don't go into a specialty shop to buy it, you find it in the supermarket. Even Walmart's deli counter sells it, side-by-side with the JeanieO.

I used to like the Boar's Head products, for mass-produced stuff. But lately they seem to have gone downhill. Their Black Forest Ham, which used to be a staple in this house, lacks flavor, for instance. And virtually all of their products turn quickly once they are sliced.

Given their price point, I can often find much better imported products for very little premium. For instance, at one specialty deli I shop at, several imported Westphalian hams are available at about a buck or a buck and some pennies more per pound than the Boar's Head Black Forest. For that little difference, I'll go with the good stuff.