Inside Cadiz’s giant ham biscuit

There’s one event Country Ham Festival visitors literally can’t miss: the baking of the giant ham biscuit.

Some consider it the festival’s essential event, generating the longest lines and biggest buzz. But few know about the undertaking it requires.

The baking of the ham biscuit began in the 1980s under the auspices of Broadbent B & B Food Products, which produces county hams and more in Trigg County. When the tradition began, the company earned a Guinness World Record for the largest edible ham biscuit, according to Carl Heckmann, who helps with the event today. Broadbent went back and forth with Smithfield Ham for a few years over the title, until Smithfield staked its claim.

The biscuit is 10 feet in diameter and weighs 200 pounds before it’s baked. A forklift is required to hoist the pan in and out of the oven, which was built solely for the enormous biscuit. The street shuts down to transport the oven to its location, and Cadiz Bank—which is the biscuit-making destination—closes early for set up.

Heckmann says the recipe includes 150 pounds of flour, 33 pounds of shortening and 11 gallons of buttermilk. Last year, more than 500 ham biscuits were sold. Proceeds go to nonprofit organizations, but Heckmann says it’s more about serving the community than the money.

“It’s not about selling a biscuit. It’s about sharing bread of life with the community,” he says. “For us, it’s not just Cadiz and tradition, it’s also a ministry opportunity.” Photo: Joe Imel