Bojangles Country Ham Biscuit, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Back in January, I was driving down I-95 and stopped at the Hardee’s in Emporia, Virginia, for a break. I initially didn’t plan to get anything to eat — I rarely eat at fast food chains — until I saw that they offered country ham biscuits. I purchased one and was delighted with the rich, salty, flavorful country ham. Just superb!

Regular readers are aware of my love of country ham and of biscuits, neither of which are in ample supply in the Washington, DC, area. I’m always on the lookout when I travel south. Anyway, the country ham at Hardee’s was a major treat. I posted on it, and that generated a lot of responses from fans of Bojangles, whose biscuits have a devoted following.

I don’t recall ever having eaten at Bojangles, but the enthusiasm of their fans put me on the lookout. We were vacationing down near Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, and there’s a Bojangles right by the best grocery. Michael volunteered to go get biscuits for everyone, thereby cementing his status as best son-in-law ever, and he brought me a country ham biscuit.

Here’s the biscuit:

That is a very good biscuit. It’s buttery with a slight crunch on top, and inside it’s nice and fluffy rather than crumbly. This is a biscuit that’s good enough to eat all by itself, unadorned with preserves or bacon.

Here’s the country ham:

That’s a nice slice of country ham, but it looks a little tired, doesn’t it? Still, it tasted good with that salty ham flavor I love so much. And in fairness, Hurricane Debby was then interfering with life. I’m inclined to cut them some slack.

I’d have to give the edge to Hardees on the ham, and the edge to Bojangles on the biscuit. But which is better over all? I’m keeping an open mind on both the ham and the biscuit for both chains. That will require further research. What I really need is to find a place with both a Hardee’s and a Bojangles in close proximity, perhaps at the same interstate exit. For that, I need your help, dear readers. Please let me know of such opportunities, preferably close to Washington, DC. Also, where else should I go for country ham biscuits?

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