For centuries, bacon has coaxed us out of bed with an intoxicating aroma and a symphony of snaps,
hisses, and pops. Indeed, Americans always have and continue to love bacon. But which store-bought
brands deserve your business? Here's our guide to grocery store bacon, ranked worst to best.
“Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It’s delicious, it’s good for me,
it’s the perfect way to start the day.”
Jamestown Brand lets you know immediately that you're about to purchase not-so-stellar bacon.
First, the packaging. Instead of a see-through plastic package that allows the shopper to
visually inspect the thickness, fat-to-meat ratio, and overall quality of each one,
Jamestown sports only a small window in the center of an otherwise fully enclosed box.
Clearly, Jamestown is hiding something about its bacon—and that something is not
good. And once inside, you'll notice a few other problematic bacon sins. Jamestown Brand bacon is
sliced into ridiculously thin strips, causing it to burn shortly after being put to heat.
Smithfield is one of most legendary creators of pork products in the entire world,
processing more pigs and producing more hogs than any other company
on the planet — which makes their bacon placement on this ranking all the more
demoralizing. Smithfield's Hometown Bacon is extremely thin right out of the package,
and the strips shrink considerably when cooked. When you plate your Smithfield Hometown Bacon,
you're left with a wispy, chip-like wafer of salty meat.
While not nearly as angering as our previous two subpar bacon offenders, Hormel doesn't exactly
light up the senses either with its original bacon. In fact, one gets the sense that Hormel
slapped the moniker "Black Label” onto its bacon because the branding sounds deluxe and
fancy. In truth, Hormel Black Label Original Bacon is unspectacular in almost every way,
except for the saltiness which is the most prominent, up-front flavor. There's also
some inconsistency in size and thickness, causing some uneven cooking. The texture is
decent enough, with an even distribution of fatty and lean streaks in the strips.
With a prestigious reputation in the deli section and hot dog selection of every supermarket,
Boar's Head bacon should be a no-brainer. At first glance, that's exactly what it is.
That iconic logo looks back at you and seems to oink the words,
"I'm Boar's Head. I symbolize the very essence of meat. You just know I produce incredible bacon."
In truth, that talking swine might be a tad full of itself. Boar's Head
Traditional bacon is by no means bad, but it isn't going to change the bacon
landscape either. This is why this particular bacon fits near the middle of our ranking.
Here's the thing about Hormel: The company sells a lot of different varieties of bacon.
There's Black Label Original and Black Label Thick Cut, along with other offerings like Cherrywood,
Applewood, Maple Black Pepper, Brown Sugar, Jalapeño, Country Style,
Ranch Style, and Center Cut. Sampling every variety of Hormel would do serious damage to
one's wallet — not to mention one's arteries. Not only that, but grocery stores don't typically sell
every single bacon under the Hormel name. Out of the Hormel varieties we were able to sample,
Black Label Thick Cut Applewood stood out enough to earn a spot on this list.
In bacon, as in life, everyone loves an underdog. The fighter that gets into the
ring with zero expectations, then absolutely stuns the crowd with their grit and determination. Now,
we're not suggesting that retail mega-chain Target is an underdog,
but its in-house brand Market Pantry delivers a bacon that is impossible to root against.
As soon as you open the package, you know you're dealing with some serious bacon.
Costco's immensely popular private label brand Kirkland Signature stocks shelves
with at least two varieties of bacon, the Original Sliced, and the far grander
Thick Sliced Center Cut. Our focus lies squarely on the Thick Sliced Center Cut,
as it stands head and pork shoulders above its porcine counterpart. Available in bulk and
standard-sized packages, Kirkland Signature Thick Sliced Center Cut Bacon hits the mark in terms
of fat-to-meat distribution, resulting in a pleasingly marbled profile. The thicker
cut equals far less shrinkage during the cooking process, whether that's in the pan
or in the oven. Simply put, there's more Costco bacon to bite when the time comes to consume.
Based on the packaging, Applegate's biggest bacon selling points are "No Antibiotics Ever"
and "Humanely Raised." While these are absolutely great reasons to purchase this particular brand
of bacon, one crucial characteristic should not be overlooked: Taste. Allow us to calm any fears
you might have about a lack of flavor destroying all the goodwill built up by Applegate's adherence
to positive pork practices. Applegate Naturals Uncured Sunday Bacon is one of the most deeply
flavored, richly textured bacon products on the market. And this amazing flavor and hearty texture
shines through, even though Applewood's bacon is one of the thinnest on the list.
Somehow, someway, those skinny strips pack a big, fat punch right to the palate.
Finally, one of the classic, well-known brands makes us proud with a dominant entry in our
bacon ranking. Oscar Mayer, arguably more recognizable and ubiquitous in the bacon game
than any other company, doesn't rely on name recognition alone to move product. Instead,
they present a bacon that's impressive, surprising, and downright delicious.
Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon hits with just the right amount of salt up front,
delivered with a bite that's the perfect textural combination of crispy and chewy. Along with a
near-flawless texture, the flavor of the bacon is superb on all accounts. It's rich and luxurious,
coating the tongue in that velvety bacon essence that keeps us all coming back for more.
Prior to appearing on the restaurant's appetizer menu in the late 1990s,
obscenely thick-cut bacon was reserved as a secret snack of the Peter Luger kitchen crew.
Then, many years later, the meat masters at the gritty, yet buttoned-up Brooklyn
steakhouse decided to make the very same bacon available to consumers in a retail setting.
It was a decision that we can safely say has altered the story of store-bought bacon forever.
Peter Luger's Extra Thick Cut is the bacon lover's bacon — the purest expression of pork belly,
it continues to glide in and out of the eater's mind long after the plate's been cleaned.
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