# World's best bacon



## Bigjim68 (Aug 7, 2017)

After 70 years intensive research, I've found it.

Kirkland (Costco) thick sliced European belly bacon

If you like extra lean, hickory smoked, sliced thicker than a quarter pounder, this one's for you.

And a buck less/pound than that Kroger brand.


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## jennyema (Aug 7, 2017)

No, sorry I wouldn't like bacon that thick.


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## caseydog (Aug 8, 2017)

I'll have to check that out. I can see using that diced in some of my recipes. 

CD


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## Snip 13 (Aug 8, 2017)

Streaky bacon super crisp for me please.


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## bakechef (Aug 8, 2017)

Yeah the Kirkland bacon that you speak of is fantastic.

If you have Wright's brand bacon near you, give that a try, it's fantastic too.


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## Addie (Aug 8, 2017)

I buy the house brand of Market Basket thick sliced bacon. We don't eat it as a meat, but diced for corn chowder and other meals. Sandwich mixes, etc. I use it for flavoring, not part of a meal.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 8, 2017)

Smithfield Foods is a famous maker of regular and smoked pork products in my area, so that's what I normally buy. Yummy


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## Addie (Aug 8, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Smithfield Foods is a famous maker of regular and smoked pork products in my area, so that's what I normally buy. Yummy



I have continued to buy Smithfield Ham slices. I haven't noticed any change in taste since the company was sold.


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## Rocklobster (Aug 8, 2017)

I'll give it a go...I've had some wild boar bacon that I feel was the best I have ever had..


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## caseydog (Aug 8, 2017)

jennyema said:


> No, sorry I wouldn't like bacon that thick.



I've yet to meet a bacon I don't like... well, there was this one time with Turkey bacon. 

CD


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## Addie (Aug 8, 2017)

When I lived in Texas, my next door neighbor hit a wild pig (I don't remember what they are called) as it was crossing the road. She killed it. Right behind her were three little piglets that came out of the woods. They stopped where the mother was laying. So Pat reached in her glove compartment and got out her knife and gun that she always had with her. She shot all the piglets right in the head, then proceeded to slice and gut them right there. I watched her in awe. She took them home, and cooked them that night. She sent me a plate of what she served for supper. 

I had an OMG moment when I put that meat in my mouth. Grant you she didn't get much meat from all of them. But what she got, I will never forget how good they tasted.


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## caseydog (Aug 9, 2017)

Addie said:


> When I lived in Texas, my next door neighbor hit a wild pig (I don't remember what they are called) as it was crossing the road. She killed it. Right behind her were three little piglets that came out of the woods. They stopped where the mother was laying. So Pat reached in her glove compartment and got out her knife and gun that she always had with her. She shot all the piglets right in the head, then proceeded to slice and gut them right there. I watched her in awe. She took them home, and cooked them that night. She sent me a plate of what she served for supper.
> 
> I had an OMG moment when I put that meat in my mouth. Grant you she didn't get much meat from all of them. But what she got, I will never forget how good they tasted.



Where and when did you live in Texas?

They are wild boars, and they are dense. If she killed one with a car, that car sustained some significant damage. 

They are out of control in some parts of the state these days. The mothers can be really mean, too. 

CD


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## Addie (Aug 9, 2017)

caseydog said:


> Where and when did you live in Texas?
> 
> They are wild boars, and they are dense. If she killed one with a car, that car sustained some significant damage.
> 
> ...


I lived in Aransas Pass. It is about 20 miles north of Corpus Christi.

My husband was a shrimper and I lived there in the early 70's. My son Poo was born there in 72. We moved there in the late 60's right after a hurricane had paid the town a nasty visit. Everyone was living in a government trailer. Everywhere you looked, there were houses without walls or roofs.

These weren't pigs. But they belong the to hog family. They are native to Texas and their name begins with a J I think. Javaline? Or something like that.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 9, 2017)

Addie said:


> I lived in Aransas Pass. It is about 20 miles north of Corpus Christi.
> 
> My husband was a shrimper and I lived there in the early 70's. My son Poo was born there in 72. We moved there in the late 60's right after a hurricane had paid the town a nasty visit. Everyone was living in a government trailer. Everywhere you looked, there were houses without walls or roofs.
> 
> These weren't pigs. But they belong the to hog family. They are native to Texas and their name begins with a J I think. Javaline? Or something like that.


Javelina. https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/javelina.htm


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## Bigjim68 (Aug 9, 2017)

bakechef said:


> Yeah the Kirkland bacon that you speak of is fantastic.
> 
> If you have Wright's brand bacon near you, give that a try, it's fantastic too.



I've bought Wright's often.  It's my go to supermarket bacon..


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## Just Cooking (Aug 9, 2017)

I'm partial to Trader Joe's Apple Smoked bacon.. Correct thickness for me, cooks up nicely in the oven and I like the fat for cooking...

Ross


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## Addie (Aug 9, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> Javelina. https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/javelina.htm



Yup. That is what she hit. And the babies were real tiny.


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## Addie (Aug 9, 2017)

caseydog said:


> Where and when did you live in Texas?
> 
> They are wild boars, and they are dense. If she killed one with a car, that car sustained some significant damage.
> 
> ...



When I lived there the Fed. Ag. Dept. went in and destroyed all the pigs at several farms due to some illness they had. They had found some disease on one farm and destroyed all the pigs at every farm that bordered that infected farm. I remember having a back hoe come in and dig a huge hole and dropped all the pigs into it after they had shot them. Then they set them all on fire with gasoline poured over them.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Aug 9, 2017)

Addie said:


> When I lived there the Fed. Ag. Dept. went in and destroyed all the pigs at several farms due to some illness they had. They had found some disease on one farm and destroyed all the pigs at every farm that bordered that infected farm. I remember having a back hoe come in and dig a huge hole and dropped all the pigs into it after they had shot them. Then they set them all on fire with gasoline poured over them.



So, it was a luau?


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## Andy M. (Sep 23, 2017)

A while back, around the time this thread started, I bought a package of this bacon.  It comes in a two compartment package.  I cooked up the first packet fairly quickly after purchase and we had the second package tonight.  

I'm not prepared to say it's the world's best bacon but it's not bad. SO has indicated she is not a fan of the thicker cut.  I would say the hickory smoke flavor isn't as strong as Costco's regular bacon.

This bacon does make a really good BLT.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 23, 2017)

caseydog said:


> I've yet to meet a bacon I don't like... well, there was this one time with Turkey bacon.
> 
> CD



That is because turkey bacon is NOT bacon!


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## caseydog (Sep 23, 2017)

Addie said:


> I lived in Aransas Pass. It is about 20 miles north of Corpus Christi.
> 
> My husband was a shrimper and I lived there in the early 70's. My son Poo was born there in 72. We moved there in the late 60's right after a hurricane had paid the town a nasty visit. Everyone was living in a government trailer. Everywhere you looked, there were houses without walls or roofs.
> 
> These weren't pigs. But they belong the to hog family. They are native to Texas and their name begins with a J I think. Javaline? Or something like that.



I know exactly where Aransas Pass is. I've been through there many times. Just passed through, though. 

All the years I've lived in Texas, I've never encountered a Javelina or wild boar. I've known people who have hunted them. Down in Sabine Pass, I would encounter alligators and nutrias all the time when I went duck hunting. The gators generally didn't want anything to do with humans, and the nutria were target practice. Killing them was encouraged, as they were an invasive nuisance, especially to the sugar cane farmers. 

CD


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## rodentraiser (Sep 24, 2017)

I've been buying cheap bacon for so long I forgot what good bacon tastes like. For once our Safeway store had a sale on their brand bacon which I would normally avoid like the plague. But I wanted bacon and that was the cheapest I found, so I bought it.

I was surprised to see how little it shrank and how good it tasted. Naturally, now that I realize I like their bacon, they haven't had it on sale since. It's 3 lbs for $15 and that's just a little too rich for me.

I'm not the kind to wish for money to just buy food, but sometimes I wish I could afford to buy some really good cuts of meat.


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 24, 2017)

rodentraiser said:


> I've been buying cheap bacon for so long I forgot what good bacon tastes like. For once our Safeway store had a sale on their brand bacon which I would normally avoid like the plague. But I wanted bacon and that was the cheapest I found, so I bought it.
> 
> I was surprised to see how little it shrank and how good it tasted. Naturally, now that I realize I like their bacon, they haven't had it on sale since. It's 3 lbs for $15 and that's just a little too rich for me.
> 
> I'm not the kind to wish for money to just buy food, but sometimes I wish I could afford to buy some really good cuts of meat.



*RR 
*Try buying premium bacon  at the Deli or Butcher counter, the price per pound is scary but sometimes all you really need is 1/4 pound of the better quality bacon to satisfy the urge for a great breakfast, BLT, etc...

I know it sounds strange but sometimes it's better to pay a higher price per pound and buy less when you are cooking for one and trying to stretch a dollar!


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## powerplantop (Sep 24, 2017)

I recently saw this list The Best Bacon in America | Extra Crispy 

Some of the brands are new to me but I have ordered Benton’s and it is really good old fashioned bacon. Lot of fat and smoky. 

I looking forward to trying the Niman Ranch since I like crispy bacon and can no longer have pink salt.


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## medtran49 (Sep 24, 2017)

My speck came out really good.  Today was the first time we cooked it after Craig smoked it.  He's ready to try again with regular bacon.  It was made with hog jowl.


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## rodentraiser (Sep 25, 2017)

Aunt Bea said:


> *RR
> *Try buying premium bacon  at the Deli or Butcher counter, the price per pound is scary but sometimes all you really need is 1/4 pound of the better quality bacon to satisfy the urge for a great breakfast, BLT, etc...
> 
> I know it sounds strange but sometimes it's better to pay a higher price per pound and buy less when you are cooking for one and trying to stretch a dollar!



Thanks. My price limit on meat is $2.99/lb for anything and $1.99 for chicken breasts. About the only time I surpass my $2.99 is when I get hamburger. I've even seen beef roast and petite sirloin on sale for $2.99/lb. But hamburger is always expensive.

I can usually stay within that price if I really search for sales, but there's no denying prices are going up. I'm just waiting until I have to raise my dollar limit. Chicken breasts have gone up to $2.99/lb in most stores and I haven't seen whole chickens for under 99¢/lb in forever. 

The cheap bacon is staying cheap and the good bacon has gone up almost $2 per pound more.


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## Just Cooking (Sep 25, 2017)

To me, the worlds best bacon is whichever bacon gets into my belly, at any given time..   

Ross


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 25, 2017)

powerplantop said:


> I recently saw this list The Best Bacon in America | Extra Crispy


I don't really like lists that purport to define THE BEST of anything. 

First of all, it's completely subjective. The reviewer's criteria might be completely different than my own. Second, since not all of the brands on the list are available where I live, I must also assume that I have availability to brands that the reviewer doesn't. 

Finally, I've eaten a lot of bacon in my life. Personally, I like the ones where the fat content is a little lower. I've bought a number of cheap brands that are all fat. They render out into the pan, leaving only a tiny wisp of meaty bacon when all is said and done. I like some meat in my bacon. 

As sort of a loose rule, I tend to buy the bacon sold at the deli or meat counter. It's usually pretty good, albeit maybe not as nice and pretty as some of the packaged stuff.


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## bakechef (Sep 25, 2017)

My cat has exquisite taste in bacon.  The cheapest bacon that he'll eat is Hormel Black Label.  He really prefers my store's upscale private label applewood smoked or Wright's.  He likes a good smoky flavor.

Luckily we have similar taste in bacon, I can tell the second I taste it whether or not he'll like it.  He's a standoffish cat, and bacon is the only thing that he'll let me hand feed him.  Bacon and smoked gouda and he's your best friend.


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