Nueske family ancestors came to Wisconsin in 1882, bringing with them European skills of Applewood smoking, and dozens of recipes for spicing and curing meat. These formulas were generation-tested, improved to perfection. After all, they were for our family. They had to be good.

In 1933, R.C. Nueske decided to market his smoked bacon, sausage, turkeys and hams. He couldn't find a flavor as good as our family recipe anywhere else; there had to be a lot of folks out there who had no way of knowing just how good eating could be. R.C. knew our family's meats would sell, despite the Depression... people needed cheering up, something new and exciting to try. So he loaded up his truck, and took to the local roads. It wasn't long before folks were coming to him.

R.C. taught his sons, Bob and Jim, how to select meats for the right combination of leanness and tenderness... the secrets of blending spices and curing... all the procedures for preparing quality smoked meats. He also showed them how to get the Applewood smoking fires just right, and how to keep them that way.

Of course, we've made many changes in our production processes over the past 60 years. Our plant is modern, well-equipped, employing state-of-the-art packaging equipment adaptable to any private labeling program. We have full-time USDA inspection, and we meet all export requirements. We provide fast, reliable delivery.

The recipes? Unchanged, traditional. We still import our spices and blend them by hand. We still insist on using the leanest meat. We refuse to use any binders, fillers or extenders. We don't "hide" fat by emulsifying it. "No Water Added" means just good meat, leaving texture and flavor as they're meant to be.

We load our smokehouses carefully, grouping product according to weight and size. With the perfect blend of time and temperature, our meats are smoked The Old Fashioned Way over glowing embers of sweet Applewood. It's patience that yields excellence... and we are very patient.

Assembly-line Quality Control is NOT the Nueske way. Instead of statistical random-sampling to estimate product quality, we assure perfection by inspecting many times throughout the process... individually tasting every batch. And how do Nueske Meats measure up to USDA standards? The government's requirement for residual nitrites allows a level almost 25 times greater than what our bacon has, and 40 times beyond the levels found in our ham!