What's behind Windsor's love affair with Honey Bee Ham?

Before I moved to Windsor, a ham was a ham — but to hear people in this city talk about it, a Honey Bee Ham is in a league of its own. 

So I decided to find out more.

"In 1982, I started [looking into] opening up a spiral-sliced, honey-glazed ham business, somewhat like HoneyBaked, which originated in Detroit," says Honey Bee owner Kevin Brode. "As things turned out, I was the first to one to bring a spiral-sliced, honey-glazed ham to Canada."

Spiral slicing refers to a specific mechanical method that cuts around the bone, making it easier to serve. The original Detroit HoneyBaked Ham company held the patent on the process until it expired in the 1980s. As a result, spiral-sliced hams are now commonplace.

So what makes a Honey Bee Ham different?

Brode points to the freshness and quality of his ham first. 

"We use more of a dry cure than a water-pumped ham. So our ham is a little dryer than most," he says. "We think that gives it more flavour."

While the curing and smoking happens off-site, each ham is sliced and glazed to order at the Lauzon Parkway location. It is fully cooked and ready to eat when customers pick up their order. Brode actually suggests serving the ham at room temperature for maximum flavour and to prevent the ham from being overcooked.

While freshness and the type of curing is important, the glaze is the defining factor.

"You'll find a lot spiral-sliced hams in the supermarket come with a glaze packet. Well, here at Honey Bee, it's already done for you ... almost like a crème brûlée of the ham," explains Brode. 

The glaze hardens at room temperature and is quite dark — almost like it has been blow-torched. The honey component of the glaze comes from Sun Parlour Honey in Cottam.

The use of honey is all that I could verify, however.

Brode is incredibly secretive about his process, declining to even show me the spiral slicer. "We like to just keep it our little secret, like Colonel Sanders, I guess," Brode says, referencing Kentucky Fried Chicken. "Why should we give any secrets away?"

He's even turned down interview requests from the Food Network.

Popular in Windsor — and beyond

Perhaps the air of mystery is a factor in the enduring popularity of the Honey Bee Ham.

During a typical week, Kevin goes through about 50 whole hams — or about 200 a month. For Easter, Kevin will sell around 2,000 hams. In December, that number rockets up to somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000. A whole ham weighs an average of 7-8 kgs (16-18 lbs). Brode says the most popular order is for the half ham.

Windsor-Essex isn't the only source of his business —​ Honey Bee gets orders from across Canada.

"FedEx knows our address very well during the holidays," Brode says.

He's even received orders from as far away as Japan.

Want to try a Honey Bee Ham?

The Honey Bee Ham Co. has two locations in Windsor - 2407 Dougall Ave. and the main location at 2885 Lauzon Pkwy. In addition to take-home hams, Honey Bee sells their signature ham in sandwiches.