Another casualty of the world’s Pandemic in Maine was Bisson’s Meat Market, who announced in August that they would be closing after 92 years of serving the Topsham community and beyond. The legendary butcher shop and farm cited these reasons: age and health of the principles of the farm’s butcher shop and the lack of personnel to serve the throng of shoppers who love this place. Few of these old-fashioned butcher farm shops still exist today as far-reaching retailers. Another one, Curtis Meats in Warren, is still running strong. Though when I visited last month a sign on the door said: “Closed due to Covid.” They reopened soon after, and I was there several weeks ago for my stash of beef, from cows that are pastured on their own fields.
The counter at Bisson’s with an array of meats produced at the farm: butter, cream, milk, beef, bacon, sausage, ham, salmon pie
But after much outcry from their loyal customers the Bisson’s family switched course and are now operating on a limited base, Wednesday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The store has a skeleton crew compared to the old days when a bevy of family members and long-time served the customers. Now, brothers Art and Bob Bisson and family members Priscilla Pollock and Diana Bisson attend to the store’s needs lovingly. The meat and dairy for which they are much loved is still mostly available: beef, pork, chicken, lamb and some of their prepared dishes like salmon pie. And, of course, their house churned butter, milk and cream, most of it made from raw dairy, is still a hallmark of this farm’s retail.
The cows for the dairy products and beef still graze across the road from this simple looking white-clapboard shop, plunked down a winding, hilly rural road, and some of their products like the much loved bacon (smoked and cured in house) are available at the shop as well as a few retail outlets around Maine.
Bisson’s cows grazing across from the shop
I visited the shop earlier this week, anxious to go there after not going for months. It used to be part of my itinerary on Saturdays after tending the much loved Brunswick farm markets held on Saturday, summer through the winter and spring. It’s one of the best farm markets in Maine; and puts Portland’s market in its place. With over 40 vendors at both the outdoor market held at Crystal Springs Farm in the spring, summer and fall and the indoor winter market at the Fort Andross compound on Maine Street in downtown Brunswick both remain as vital as ever with its great diversity of farm vendors.
My reason for going to Bisson’s was to get one of their hams for the holiday roast. These hams are fully cooked, cured and smoked in house. The actual pork is from Canada. You can get shank or leg cuts. The flavor is smoky and intense. They’re not like a southern cured ham, but it’s as close as we can get here. For lovers of hams, this is a fine specimen.
There was a recipe in the New York Times recently for ham roasted in root beer, to which the newspaper gave great coverage to. I’ve been making a version of this (using Bisson hams) from a recipe by southern cookbook author Martha Hall Foose in her book “Screen Doors and Sweet Tea,” a very worthwhile book whose name alone is hard to resist. Check it out for some truly great southern recipes and stories of her native south. The ham cooked in root beer is finished off with a wonderful glaze, different–and better–than that offered in the Times.
The Bisson’s Shop
Back to Bisson’s, I stocked up on some of my favorite products in addition to the 6 pound bone-in ham. I bought house cured corned beef, one of the 8-pound roasting chickens, a pork tenderloin ($5.99 per pound compared to double digit pricing elsewhere), pound of bacon, a chunk of their house-cured salt pork (good for chowders and baked beans), a pound of butter, which is widely available in Portland stores and a couple of pints of heavy raw cream.
Recent Bisson’s purchases: bacon, pork tenderloin, lamb shoulder, heavy cream and butter
I would have bought some of their beef. The usual cuts are in the meat case–to wit, boneless ribeye at $12.99/pound. But I’d have to special order other cuts such as the on-the-bone chuck roast, which is not generally available at other butchers, and makes the best pot roast. Or another favorite is a sirloin roast, which they cut 3 to 4 inches thick as a huge steak, great for roasting or grilling. Another favorite not readily available at other butcher shops, is the rib end of pork on the bone. I learned early on from co-owner/butcher Art Bisson that this was the tastiest and most tender part for roasting, with the bones cracked for easy carving
Bisson’s sirloin roast
For now Bisson’s is alive and well and serving their community–albeit on a limited basis. Their loyal customers just wont let them shut down.
Here’s my version, courtesy of Martha Hall Foose, of ham baked in root beer.
Ingredients
- 1 3- 4-pound Bisson's ham
- About 1/2 cup local root beer
- Whole cloves
- Glaze
- 1 cup local root beer
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- Grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to to 300 degrees.
- Line a large roasting pan or sheet pan with heavy duty foil. Place ham in the pan fat side up. Add the root beer or enough to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4 inch. Let ham sit for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
- Tent the ham loosely with foil. Bake undisturbed until a thermometer inserted in the center of the ham reads 110 degrees, depending on the size of the ham. It should take about 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of the ham.
- Remove the ham from the oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Pour off any accumulated pan juices to reserve for sauce/glaze. Score the ham in a diamond pattern, cutting 1/4 inch into the meat. Brush a tin layer of the root beer glazed over the scored surface of the ham. Insert whole cloves at the intersections of the cuts.
- Bake the ham until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees, about 1 hour. Let the ham rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Root Beer Glaze. Combine all the ingredients including any leftover pan juices. Note: check the ham during initial baking to be sure that liquid doesn't cook out. Add more root beef if necessary. Bring to a simmer and stir often, about 10 minutes until glaze is syrupy.
- Serve with a bevy of roasted vegetables and your favorite recipe for spoonbread.
