I Asked 3 Butchers to Name the Best Bacon—and Now I’ll Never Buy Another Brand

I’m a sucker for a classic diner breakfast. Although I’m occasionally tempted to order the avocado toast or seasonal pancakes, 99 times out of 100, I ask for the classic breakfast. You know the platter: eggs, toast, fruit, and bacon. 

I’m fairly flexible about egg style (over easy or sunny side-up, please), the type of toast (wheat or sourdough will do!), and side ingredients (berries or fruit salad is fine). As for the meat, there will be no substitutes. Sure, sausage and ham are often options, too. But, if you ask me, it’s bacon or bust.

So, I was especially excited when I was tasked with tracking down some of the country’s top butchers to ask them which bacon brand is worthy of a coveted slot on their blue plate special or as part of their BLTs.

Our Panel of Bacon-Rating Butchers

Qualities of the Best Bacon

“Since I make my own at the shop, I rarely buy grocery store bacon,” admits Old Station Craft Meats owner Nick Lenters, sharing a sentiment that was echoed by other butchers we interviewed. Still, “when I’m out of town or on vacation, I certainly like to sample other bacon brands.” Consider it “research” to keep up with what else is available in the market. When Lenters and his colleagues do pick up store-bought strips, they look for:

• A thick cut. Compared to whisper-thin slices, thicker pieces of bacon makes it much more difficult to overcook. Ideally, the bacon should “still have some chew to it, and isn’t brittle to the point that it snaps. I like my bacon like my football team’s defense: to bend but not break,” Lenters says. Thicker and firmer bacon will help prevent the slices from curling up on the ends while cooking, he adds, resulting in more even browning from edge to edge.
• A firm texture. For eating on its own or on club sandwiches, Cobb salads, and other recipes that allow bacon to be the star, Lenters seeks out bacon that feels firm when he gives the package a squeeze. “This is an indication that more moisture has been removed from the bacon during the curing process. That means I’m paying for more bacon and less water,” he says. Still, more flexible bacon has its place if you’re using the strips to wrap steak, jalapeños, mini hot dogs, or shrimp, since the slices are “more elastic to stretch it around the other food,” Lenters says. As the bacon cooks, “it then draws up more tightly to the surface of the base ingredient.”
• A good meat-to-fat ratio. The color of the meat can give you a large clue about the quality. While that white fat adds flavor, it can make the finished product overly chewy if it accounts for more than half of the strips. On the flip side, head butcher and chef at The Publican and Publican Quality Meat Rob Levitt adds that “bacon should never be too lean. A lack of fat can indicate that pigs are raised in confinement.” Look for bacon that offers a nice blend of both.
• A short ingredients list. Processed meats, including bacon, are sometimes pumped up with additives, such as preservatives, flavors, and binders. Josh Turka, owner of 5th Quarter Butcher + Provisions, reaches for naturally-cured, minimally-processed, nitrate-free bacon that’s made with a short list of ingredients they recognize. Think: pork, water, brown sugar, and salt. “No liquid smoke, please and thank you,” Turka says.
• A clear label. “It’s always a good sign when the pork’s sourcing is listed,” Levitt tells Allrecipes. Peek at the label and see if you can learn where or how the meat was raised. “I’m always looking for products that highlight the quality of the producer: using heritage breeds, focusing on pasture-raised and organic pork, or, at the very least, antibiotic-free,” Turka adds. As for the smoking, many manufacturers use wood chips or sawdust—rather than whole wood logs or chunks—to smoke bacon at a lower cost, according to Lenters. The flavor difference is noticeable, with bacon smoked by larger wood pieces coming out on top. “If you can find bacon smoked with chunks or logs, expect to pay a bit more for it. But it’s worth it,” Lenters says.

The Best Store-Bought Bacon, According to Butchers

There are several solid brands that are very worthy of a spot in your shopping cart—and as part of your menu, the butchers admit. But, if they were forced to choose just one, the experts tip their caps to Benton’s Hickory Smoked Country Bacon.

A favorite of both Levitt and Turka, Benton’s earns top marks due to its “old-school flavor, which leans toward the smokier side,” according to Turka. “This makes Benton’s bacon a solid recipe ingredient because the bacon flavor really carries through.”

Dry-cured with salt, brown sugar, and black pepper for three weeks, then smoked for two to three days straight, Turka also applauds the traditional techniques employed to allow fans to bring this bacon to the table. Bonus: It’s vacuum-sealed, which means Benton’s is shelf-stable and can be shipped, no refrigeration required, across the country.

Honorable Mentions

The butchers also give the thumbs up to Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon (brined for 24 hours, then smoked for a full day over applewood logs) and Wright Brand Hickory Smoked Bacon (which is a chef darling, too). Both are consistently high in quality, thick-cut, rich in smoky flavor, and made with minimal ingredients and additives, Lenters explains. 

For an East Coast regional favorite, Turka tips his cap to North Country Smokehouse Thick Cut Organic Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon, since the “animals are humanely raised and the recipe is super simple and very traditional.”

How To Add Bacon to Your Menu, Butcher Style

Our test kitchen experts and award-winning chefs agree: The best way to cook bacon is on a sheet pan in the oven. But what about when you’re incorporating it into recipes? We asked the butchers to dish how they like to doll up their bacon, whether they’re using their in-house strips, one of the supermarket brands above, or otherwise. The next time you’re craving a new bacon recipe, consider: