2026 NC State Fair Cooking Stage Recipes: Country Ham Biscuits & Fried Chicken

Friday, October 16, was our first full day on the Got To Be NC Cooking Stage at the 2026 NC State Fair, and what a way to get things started!

We kicked off our nearly dozen days of cooking demonstrations with a celebration of Southern biscuits, award-winning North Carolina country ham, and crispy fried chicken. And, of course, we had plenty of local ingredients and North Carolina wines to go along with everything we cooked.

If you’ve been following along, you know that shopping local, eating local and getting to know the farmers and producers behind our food is what this cooking stage is all about.

This year, I’ll be sharing recipes, cooking tips and stories from the stage throughout the fair. So even if you can’t join us in person, you can still cook along at home.

Want to see what’s cooking next? Take a look at my complete 2026 Got To Be NC Cooking Stage schedule and make plans to join us in Dorton Arena at the NC State Fair.

Southern Country Ham Biscuits with Spring Council and Bill Smith

Our 2 pm demonstration brought two wonderful Chapel Hill chefs and cookbook authors to the table: Spring Council and Bill Smith.

Spring is the daughter of the legendary Mildred “Mama Dip” Council, whose Chapel Hill restaurant, Mama Dip’s Kitchen, became a Southern food institution. Spring is a talented chef and cookbook author in her own right, and she’s carrying on her mother’s legacy while making a name for herself.

Bill Smith, another Chapel Hill culinary legend, joined Spring to share a little biscuit-making wisdom and several delicious ways to dress up a Southern country ham biscuit.

And when you’ve got these two cooking together, you know there’s going to be some good eating.

How to Make Light and Flaky Southern Biscuits

We started with a recipe that comes with a little family history of its own.

Spring made Bill’s grandmother’s biscuit recipe, which uses both butter and lard to create a light, flaky biscuit that’s equally at home with a savory filling or a sweet topping.

Bill is a big fan of lard, or pork fat, and explained why it’s such a wonderful ingredient for baking. In addition to the flavor it brings to the table, lard helps create tender, flaky layers in biscuits.

Bill also noted that traditionally rendered lard is a remarkably long-lasting pantry ingredient.

The idea is to work the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the buttermilk and gently bring the dough together.

The less you work it, the more tender the finished biscuits will be.

Bill Smith’s Grandmother’s Southern Biscuit Recipe

Consider this our master biscuit recipe for this demo. I can tell you it’s a keeper. Make a batch and then have some fun, as we did on the stage, with all the toppings. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Four Delicious Ways to Serve Country Ham Biscuits

Once the biscuits were baked, Spring and Bill showed us just how versatile a good biscuit can be.

Bill served two savory-and-sweet combinations, each featuring thin slices of North Carolina country ham.

• Country Ham and Mustard Biscuits: A classic combination of the salt cured Parks Family Farm country ham and Lusty Monk Original Sin mustard.
• Country Ham and Apricot Jam Biscuits: A little sweet, a little salty and a terrific way to bring two flavors together. Bill used Parks Famy Fam Ham and Dutch Kettle Apricot Jam.

Spring took things in another direction.

She started by crisping slices of Chapel Hill’s award-winning Lady Edison country ham in a hot skillet.

Then she tucked the ham into a biscuit along with soft, creamy scrambled eggs made even better with grated Ashe County hoop cheddar cheese.

And because a biscuit can be dessert, too, Spring dipped warm biscuit halves into melted butter and served them with local sorghum syrup molasses.

If you’ve never tried sorghum syrup on a hot buttered biscuit, add it to your must-try list, for sure.

Meet the North Carolina Country Ham Champions

The country ham on our biscuits came with quite a story.

After a 27-year absence, the North Carolina State Fair Country Ham Competition returned in 2026, bringing together professional and amateur ham producers to celebrate a Southern food tradition that deserves a place in the spotlight.

The competition was presented by North Carolina Farm Bureau, with involvement from the National Country Ham Association.

Among this year’s award winners were Goodnight Brothers Country Ham from Boone, Lady Edison Pork from Chapel Hill and amateur champion Andy Parks of Kannapolis.

Sam Suchoff of Lady Edison Pork, who also serves as president of the National Country Ham Association, joined us onstage to slice country ham for Bill and Spring’s biscuits.

Sam’s Lady Edison ham earned a third-place tie in the unsmoked whole ham commercial division. Goodnight Brothers took home multiple honors, including the national and Got To Be NC grand champion awards for unsmoked whole ham.

But one of my favorite stories of the day came from Andy Parks.

A Family Country Ham Tradition More Than 200 Years in the Making

Andy Parks joined us onstage wearing his Alexander Julian-designed blue ribbon winner’s apron, and he had every reason to be proud.

The Parks family has been curing country ham for generations.

Their farm is officially recognized as a Century Farm. But Andy says family records trace their farming history back some 200 years.

He remembers watching his father and grandfather salt-cure hams, much the same way he and his family continue the tradition today.

Andy starts with fresh, uncooked pork hams, often called green hams, sourced from a local pork producer.

He salts the hams and hangs them in the family’s ham house to cure and age for nearly eight months.

The Parks family doesn’t smoke its hams. Instead, salt, time, natural air and patience do the work.

The result is a richly flavored country ham, sliced thin and absolutely delicious.

And here’s where this story gets even better.

Andy happens to be a neighbor of my friend Tommy Wheeler, co-owner and co-founder of Tidewater Grain Company, the North Carolina producer of heirloom Carolina Gold Rice.

Tommy encouraged Andy and his family to enter the competition, and nobody was cheering louder for the Parks family than the Tidewater Grain team.

During the day on Friday, Sam Suchoff was over in the Tidewater Grain booth, slicing samples of the Parks family’s award-winning ham for fairgoers to taste.

I love these connections. A neighbor encourages another neighbor to enter a competition, a family tradition earns a blue ribbon, and suddenly fairgoers from all over the state have the opportunity to discover a delicious piece of North Carolina food history.

That’s what knowing your farmer is all about.

You can read more about the 2026 NC State Fair Country Ham Competition winners.

The First NC Wine Pairing: Peach Mead and Country Ham Biscuits

Eating locally is only part of the story on our cooking stage. We’re drinking locally, too!

Once again, I’m delighted to be working with my friend Nicole Chesney of NC Wine to introduce fairgoers to award-winning North Carolina wines, meads and ciders.

For our first demonstration, Nicole brought a peach mead. This award-winning pour is Funky Ferments from Stardust Cellars.

The fruit-forward sweetness of the mead made a lovely match for the salty country ham and the sweet and savory biscuit combinations.

As the fair continues, we’ll be sharing a different North Carolina beverage pairing with each demonstration.

By the time the fair wraps up, we’ll have a terrific collection of NC wines, meads and ciders to help you plan your holiday table and shop locally for the season ahead.

Mark Your Calendar for the Inaugural Chapel Hill Biscuit Festival

Speaking of biscuits, Spring has another exciting project in the works.

She’s the founding chair of the inaugural Chapel Hill Biscuit Festival, coming up October 24 and 25, 2026.

The two-day celebration brings together Southern biscuit traditions, talented local bakers and chefs, and a very special cause.

Saturday, October 24, features a hands-on children’s biscuit baking class at SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals.

On Sunday, October 25, the celebration continues with a chef’s tasting event at American Legion Post 6, 3700 NC-54 in Chapel Hill.

And here’s the best part: 100% of festival proceeds benefit SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals, which provides an affordable, caring place to stay for patients and families traveling to Chapel Hill for critical medical care.

A celebration of biscuits that gives back to the community? Count me in.

Find all the details and ticket information for the 2026 Chapel Hill Biscuit Festival.

Crispy North Carolina Fried Chicken with Southern Breeze Seafood and Fat Mountain Farms

For our 4 pm demonstration, we moved from country ham biscuits to another Southern classic: fried chicken.

Captain John Mallett, co-owner of Southern Breeze Seafood in Sneads Ferry, joined forces with Jack Middleton of Fat Mountain Farms in Cerro Gordo, North Carolina. My good friend, Ken Smith from WRAL joined us as our celebrity em cee/sous chef and Ben Harper from Chilly Water was on hand as well .

John brought his Southern Breeze chicken breader, made with North Carolina-grown rice flour from Tidewater Grain Company.

Jack brought the chicken.

And together they showed us how to make some mighty fine fried chicken, complete with warm biscuits and a homemade pan gravy.

Know Your Farmer: Jack Middleton of Fat Mountain Farms

Jack raises pasture-raised chickens at Fat Mountain Farms, a regenerative farm in Cerro Gordo, NC.

So, what exactly does regenerative farming mean?

In simple terms, regenerative farming is about working with nature to improve the health of the land while producing food.

Rather than simply maintaining the soil, regenerative farmers use practices that help build soil health, support biodiversity and improve the way the land holds water.

For farms raising livestock, that can include carefully managed pasture rotation, allowing animals to forage while giving the land time to rest and recover.

The idea is that each season of farming should help make the land healthier and more productive for the next.

You can order Fat Mountain Farms chicken online, with shipping available across the country.

Here’s how to order chicken directly from Fat Mountain Farms.

How to Make Crispy Southern Fried Chicken

John used Fat Mountain Farms’ bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks for this demonstration.

He coated the chicken in his Southern Breeze chicken breader, made with Tidewater Grain’s Carolina Gold Rice flour, and fried each piece to a crispy GBD finish.

That’s golden brown and delicious, in case you were wondering. A most descriptive phrase I often borrow from Chef Ming Tsai. In this case, it suits perfectly.

The rice flour-based coating creates a wonderful crunch, and the chicken stays beautifully juicy inside.

John shared his fried chicken technique with us at last year’s fair, and I’ve got all the details, including cooking tips and photos, in my post on how to make the best Southern fried chicken.

But this year, John added something new.

Homemade Pan Gravy and Butter-Toasted Biscuits

While the chicken was frying, John made a simple pan gravy.

He started by sautéing chopped red onions in local butter from Zak Farms in Wadesboro, NC.

Then he thickened the gravy with a slurry of flour and water. In this case, just for fun, John used the Chilly Water we were serving onstage, but know that any water works here. you can also use chicken, beef or vegetable broth.

Meanwhile, he warmed biscuit halves in a hot skillet with melted butter, giving the cut sides a beautiful golden finish.

To serve, John plated the butter-toasted biscuits with the fried chicken and spooned warm onion pan gravy over the top.

And here’s what I especially loved.

Because the chicken had been coated in the rice flour-based Southern Breeze breader, the crust held its crunch even with the warm gravy spooned over it.

Crispy chicken, warm biscuits and homemade gravy. That’s a pretty wonderful combination.

Where to Buy Southern Breeze Chicken Breader

If you’d like to make John’s fried chicken at home, Southern Breeze breaders are available at several locations across North Carolina.

You can find them at Southern Breeze Seafood in Sneads Ferry, at specialty food markets and select grocery stores, and at the Tidewater Grain booth during this year’s NC State Fair.

You can also order Southern Breeze breader online from Tidewater Grain Company.

What NC Wine Goes with Fried Chicken? Bring on the Bubbles!

For our second demonstration, Nicole Chesney brought a North Carolina Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from Shadow Springs Vineyard in the Swan Creek AVA.

And really, what goes better with fried chicken than bubbles?

The bright acidity and lively bubbles in sparkling wine are a wonderful match for rich, crispy fried chicken.

They help balance the richness of the dish and refresh your palate between bites.

It’s a pairing worth remembering, especially if fried chicken is on the menu for a family gathering or holiday celebration.

Keeping Our Chefs Hydrated with North Carolina Chilly Water

There’s one more North Carolina product we’re sharing at every cooking demonstration this year, and that’s Chilly Water from Kinston, NC.

Our chefs and chef’s table guests will be enjoying Chilly Water throughout the fair, and on opening day, Ben Harper joined us to share the story behind the company.

He talked about how Chilly Water got its start and the recognition the water has received for its taste, including being named best-tasting water in the United States.

It’s one more example of a North Carolina product that you can discover at the fair and then enjoy at home.

Look for Chilly Water at select Lowe’s and Harris Teeter locations, or shop online at Chilly Water.

Come Cook with Us at the 2026 NC State Fair

And that, my friends, was just our first day!

From Bill Smith’s grandmother’s biscuit recipe to the Parks family’s generations-old country ham tradition, and from pasture-raised chicken to award-winning North Carolina beverages, Friday’s demonstrations were a delicious reminder of just how much we have to celebrate right here in our own state.

There’s plenty more to come.

I’ll be sharing recipes and stories from the cooking stage throughout the fair, along with details about the farmers, producers and makers whose products we’re using.

And I hope you’ll take those recipes home, make them your own and remember to shop local when you do.

Come see us in Dorton Arena aka, The GotToBeNC Pavilion for the length of the NC State Fair!

You’ll find the full lineup of chefs, demonstrations and daily events in my 2026 Got To Be NC Cooking Stage schedule.

And when you’re shopping for the local ingredients to make these recipes at home, either in person or online, don’t forget to be sure to tell them Heidi sent you!