We Tried 8 Popular Bacon Brands — And the Budget Winner Blew Us All Away
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At The Kitchn, when we want to amplify the flavor of a recipe (or a breakfast spread), we turn to bacon for its smoky, salty richness. Whether it’s bacon-wrapped jalapeños, stirred into mac and cheese, crumbled over a salad, or just devoured on its own, bacon always steals the show.
And while we’re firm believers that you can never have too much bacon flavor, we know the prepackaged bacon aisle in grocery stores is a bit … overwhelming. That’s precisely why we decided to taste our way through as many store-bought options as we could find — eight in total — to uncover which is the best to keep in your fridge.
There are a lot of different taste preferences out there when it comes to bacon (team chewy vs. crunchy, smokey vs. sweet), so that’s why we recruited a team of 11 testers (yes, 11!) to spend the afternoon sampling our eight bacon contestants — with water breaks.
For this taste test, we sourced a variety of name- and store-brand bacons based on popularity, availability, price, and if they were uncured (cured bacon typically has artificial nitrates whereas uncured uses natural nitrates). We also requested input from our editorial team to round out the list of eight. The brands ranged in price from $6 all the way up to $15, though most were around $8 at the time of this tasting.
This was a hard one because generally all bacon is delicious, and our taste testers unanimously came to that conclusion. No bacon in this test received a hard “no,” which made it even harder to distinguish the winner. But, in the end, one bacon brand reigned supreme for its superb crunch and smoky flavor.
Best Bacon: Aldi Never Any! Hickory Smoked No Sugar Added Uncured Bacon
If you’re in search of a bacon that not only delivers on flavor but also on crunch, look no further than Aldi’s Never Any! Hickory Smoked No Sugar Added Uncured Bacon. Out of all of the brands we tested, Aldi’s bacon won by a lot, which thrilled us not only because it was the cheapest option but because, like many shoppers, we’re huge fans of Aldi. To say our team raved about it would be an understatement. Maxwell, our CEO, summed it up in one word: “lovely.”
This brand has an excellent balance of salty and smoky, thanks to that hickory smoke flavor. Don’t just take Maxwell’s word for it. Phil, our CFO, dubbed it as the “ideal bacon,” praising its balanced salty flavor and excellent crisp. Haley, our associate ceative producer, echoed all of the above and then some writing, “she’s a star!” In other words, it’s the sort of bacon that hits all of the right notes: crispy edges, chewy middle, and a bold but well-rounded meaty flavor.
What’s So Great
Crispy
Smoky
Affordable
Good to Know
N/A
Buy: Aldi Never Any! Hickory Smoked No Sugar Added Uncured Bacon, $6.05 for 16 ounces at Instacart
Runner-Up: D’artagnan Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon
Although it didn’t snag our top spot, there’s no denying that D’artagnan Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon deserves a well-meaning shout-out as our runner-up. Greg, our resident bacon enthusiast (and people operations manager) raved that this bacon not only has all of the visual cues of a great bacon — color, size, and smell — but that it’s “crunchy and has an excellent taste.”
Haley also had nothing but praise for it: “Super crispy, love that!” And considering her high standards for crispiness (that she noted on her tasting sheet), that’s saying something. Maxwell also gave it top marks for its texture, calling it “the crispiest” bacon in the entire test.
For bacon lovers who crave that audible crisp, this one’s a winner. The only caveat? Some of our testers, like Mara, our senior groceries editor, found it just a bit too salty for her taste. But for those who love bold, smoky, and deeply savory bacon, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
What’s So Great
“Crispiest” bacon
Raised on a small family farm
Good to Know
Salty
$$$
Buy: D’artagnan Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon, $14.59 for 12 ounces at FreshDirect
Honorable Mention: Applegate Hickory Smoked No Sugar Uncured Bacon
“Smokey,” “salty,” “rich,” and “crispy” were among the few adjectives that our team used to describe the Applegate Hickory Smoked No Sugar Uncured Bacon. Venus, our special projects manager, described it as having a “nice smoky, classic taste,” while Mila, our commerce coordinator, praised its “excellent fat-to-meat ratio,” which gave it a satisfying chew.
That being said, others, like Maxwell, found themselves wishing it was a bit more salty. It was also the smallest bacon container out of the bunch, making it one of the pricier options (though tasters didn’t know that at the time). While it didn’t claim a top title, our team still thoroughly enjoyed its balance of flavor and texture.
What’s So Great
Smokey
Crispy with a satisfying chew
Good to Know
On the sweeter side
Smallest-size package
Buy: Applegate Hickory Smoked No Sugar Uncured Bacon, $8.87 for 8 ounces at Walmart
Honorable Mention: North County Smokehouse Sugar Free Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon
This bacon is certified-humane, which means animals have access to adequate shelter, diet, and hygienic environment, according to the Certified Humane organization. But that’s not the only reason it earned a spot in the winners circle. The bacon immediately gave Mila, our commerce coordinator, major breakfast vibes. She noted that it would “go great with some scrambled eggs,” and we — and chefs — couldn’t agree more.
Although Katie, our director of recruiting, found it to have “not enough crunch,” which could be solved by cooking it for a bit longer (as this test revealed some bacon brands are more susceptible to crisping than others). But for those like Phil, who prefer crispy bacon, this might not be the immediate go-to unless you’re willing to experiment with your cooking time.
What’s So Great
Major breakfast vibes
Certified humane
Good to Know
On the chewier side
Buy: North County Smokehouse Sugar Free Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon, $7.99 for 12 ounces at Target
Honorable Mention: Sugardale Thick Sliced Bacon
A ton of our testers had great things to say about Sugardale Thick Sliced Bacon (and a handful of the other bacon brands as well), but this brand earns a well-meaning shout-out alone for what Ola, our studio assistant, had to say about it: “The flavor is a beautiful marriage of salty, slight sweetness, and the texture melts in your mouth even with the crisp — this bacon should go down in the book of Guinness [World Records] as the best bacon!” A glowing bacon endorsement if we’ve ever seen one.
However, not all testers were quite as enamored with its flavor. Mara, found the salt level to be a bit too much, likening to the salty crumbs you’d find at the “bottom of the potato chip bag.” Its saltier content would, though, make it an excellent add-in for pastas, dips, and more.
What’s So Great
Tender
Salty
Slightly sweet
Good to Know
For some, a bit too salty
Buy: Sugardale Thick Sliced Bacon, $8.19 for 16 ounces at Instacart
How We Tested the Bacon Brands
We gathered 11 staff members (one of our most popular taste tests to date!) to randomly taste eight different bacon brands sold at grocery retailers today. Just prior to the taste test, Maya, our Studio Assistant, baked each brand in the oven at 400°F for 18 minutes; it’s our favorite way to make a big batch of bacon . She then cut slices into bite-sized pieces and assigned each one a letter from A through H — to conceal each brand’s identity. As a palette refresher, we also had green apple slices and a large jug of water for testers between tastings.
Tasters were encouraged to sample the brands in random order (to avoid giving any particular brand an advantage) before writing down their thoughts. Tasters rated each bacon on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = No, thanks; 2 = Meh; 3 = Pretty good; 4 = Really like; 5 = Yes, Please!) across four criteria — look, smell, texture, and flavor — and included any specific observations, tasting notes, and general opinions worth mentioning. They were also asked to answer, arguably, the most important question of all: Would you go out of your way to purchase this bacon?
Why You Should Trust Us
To decide which store-bought bacon is the best, we recruited 11 volunteer testers who work at Apartment Therapy Media (our parent company) to evaluate eight different bacons based on texture, look, smell, desire to repurchase, and, of course, flavor.
At the time of the test, tasters were unaware of the brands involved and sampled each one randomly. Each taster independently filled out a score sheet, scoring and ranking each bacon piece without larger discussion or influence from the group throughout the entirety of the test. It was only after all evaluations were completed that we tallied the scores to determine the winners.
This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: We Tried 8 Popular Bacon Brands — And the $6 Favorite Won by a Landslide (We’re Using It Every Weekend)
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