Ultimate Bacon Taste Test

By Erin Mosbaugh, Food & Wine

Depending on its smokiness, saltiness, fattiness and flavor, bacon can range from basic breakfast
staple to pure porcine perfection. Food & Wine editors sampledboth nationally available and mail-order artisanal brands to find out which bacon is truly the best. Here, Food & Wine reveals the results of their ultimate bacon taste test.

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Comments

[Karl Wilder]

01:37 PM on 09/20/2012

What is with this trend of calling Nitrate free bacon 'uncured'. Salt is the world's oldest curing method, the bacon is obviously cured.

[MHB48]

07:55 AM on 09/20/2012

The only bacons I've tried on the that list are Hormel's and Oscar Mayer. I put Oscar Mayer ahead of Hormel's ...but that's just my opinion. I honestly don't see how any bacon can be better than OM's though, I really don't.

[I Ride My Own Harley]

08:33 PM on 09/19/2012

Don't argue with folks from IOWA. They say they have the best bacon, cheese, popcorn, corn, potatoes, bread, cornbeef, ect.......They tell me they don't eat the (blank) we eat here in Texas.
Whaaaaaaaaaat...evvvvvvvvver.

[idr77777]

08:28 PM on 09/19/2012

More important:
which generates more carcinagens while cooking?

[hmarcy8]

08:27 PM on 09/19/2012

Harvest Farms, I believe from North Carolina is v. healthy organic bacon & delicious.............

[mdl 1949]

07:44 PM on 09/19/2012

Other than the bacon that we home-cured and smoked at home in Pennsylvania when I was a kid, the absolute best that I have tasted was E.M. Todd's, out of Virginia.

[opuslola]

07:06 PM on 09/19/2012

As regards the comments concerning the spreading of germs in bacon! I.e. botulism (spl?), would not the cooking process eliminate all chances of this occurance?

Regards,

Ron Hughes

[jetvet55]

06:58 PM on 09/19/2012

IF you think about Bacon (my favorite food) and you pay 4.99 for a lb..or close. then you cook it and end up with 2 ounces, it becomes the most expensive meat on earth. The actual cooked per lb. comes out to about 40.00 per lb....I dont buy it very often. Just when I want a BLT

[opuslola]

06:49 PM on 09/19/2012

May I ask a question that I think is pertinent? I noticed the covers of a lot of the "top choice" bacon included the word "uncured/un-cured"! Just what is the reason for the use of this word? Wether salt cured or smoke cured all bacon in this list appear to me, at least, to be "cured!"

But, I am old, and maybe I missed the notice? smile

Ron

[ken2048]

07:39 PM on 09/19/2012

"uncured" basically means no nitrates have been added of preservation (a good thing) .As in our Grandfather's day. the salt content of the bacon is all the preservative you need since, as everyone knows, bacon NEVER lasts that long!

[conchhorn]

06:47 PM on 09/19/2012

And how much is this artisan pork?

[JC2009USA]

06:24 PM on 09/19/2012

Folks it's BACON....there is NO bad bacon...it all tastes good - okay maybe some better than others - but even the less tasty is still GOOD....it's bacon.

[LiketheDog]

05:56 PM on 09/19/2012

Benton's Bacon from TN- no preservatives and makes me drool just thinking about it. A little expensive but so worth it.

[RedRat]

05:45 PM on 09/19/2012

I note that most of these are uncured. Is that really bacon. In the old definition of bacon, bacon was a cured and smoked product. What is with this non-curing process? Just wonderin'.

[safeinhell]

08:48 PM on 09/19/2012

"Noncured' in this case means chemicals (nitrites) haven't been used in "curing."

[RedRat]

01:08 PM on 09/20/2012

Well not really, "cured" meant the use of salt. In the olden days, primarily in Germany, it was found that salt from certain areas were more "preservative" than others. Scientists examined those salts and found that they contained levels of nitrate and nitrite.

Knowing what I do about botulism, I would prefer the nitrites in my bacon. Yes, if you maintain a certain level of salt in the meat, you can prevent the outgrowth of Clostridium botulinum and its toxin production, but the added nitrites give me a better feeling of security.

[Karl Wilder]

01:40 PM on 09/20/2012

It is cured with salt. They are confusing the consumer with the trend of saying uncured for a product that is obviously cured.

[RedRat]

01:59 PM on 09/20/2012

Hmm. I think that would be illegal under our labeling laws. In years past, bacon has a "Standard of Identity" or SOI. FDA administers those regulations. I haven't followed what the current SOI might be. These can be changed when the industry pushes for it. For example, in the old days, Peanut Butter could contain only peanuts and salt, that was that. Today, you can put all kinds of crap in it and still call it peanut butter, e.g., sugar, modified palm oils, etc. In those days, you had to call it "Peanut Spread". Ah, the times are changing, aren't they?

[pnut166]

05:36 PM on 09/19/2012

Applewood Farms. No nitrates or additives. Pure awesomeness !

[oliver131street]

05:35 PM on 09/19/2012

Above Trader Joe's is excellent. Recommend. Lots of great food at Trader Joe's.