7 Bacon Brands You Should Buy And 7 You Might Want To Skip

Name another food that's as well-loved as bacon. It's okay, we'll wait. Harder than it sounds, right? The almost-mythical foodstuff can be found in fridges on almost every street in the United States and is perfectly at home on a breakfast plate as it is being served up for dinner.

While bacon recipes and styles vary, generally, folks stick to what they know, which is those fatty strips of perfectly crispy, salty pork. This impulse we all have to serve up perfect bacon every time is perhaps what leads us to stick to buying well-known brands when we're at the store. Companies like Oscar Mayer, Hormel, and Smithfield are some of the most popular names in the bacon industry, and have built up loyal followings that buy their products in large quantities, per Statista.

But just because something has good name recognition, doesn't mean it's necessarily good. And amongst the dozens of recognizable bacon brands, which are worth their salt, and which should be left on the shelf? We wanted to lay out, once and for all, which packs of bacon you should be buying and which you should skip, for reasons like their nutritional quality, price, and plain old taste. Join us, and let's separate the good from the bad.

For a lot of people (by which we mean us), Costco is heaven on earth. All of those multipack purchases at hard-to-beat prices send customers into a spin, including us. But while you might go for those mega savings and enormous sheet cakes, you should stay for the bacon.

Costco's Kirkland Signature Bacon is a winner, for the sheer fact that it tastes really, really good. An investigation conducted by the reputable organization Consumer Reports named it the best bacon money can buy, with an unparalleled ability to crisp up properly in the pan, and its ratio of fat to meat. Additionally, Kirkland Signature Bacon has a well-regulated smoky flavor, with a sweetness to it that balances out the meatiness.

If you're going to pick up a pack of Kirkland Signature Bacon next time you're in Costco, though, make sure you get the thick-sliced version. While its regular-sliced bacon is still delicious, it can tend to shrink a little in the pan, and its flavor can be somewhat milder. Their thick-sliced bacon, on the other hand, is full-flavor, retains its shape and size better, and is more satisfying overall.

If you've bought bacon at any point in the last few months, there's a strong chance Oscar Mayer made it. This brand dominates the bacon game, and its sheer popularity arguably leads to people buying it whether it's any good or not.

And while Oscar Mayer bacon is tasty, it may not be the best brand out there, because of what's lurking inside your slices. Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon contains several preservative ingredients, including sodium phosphates, sodium ascorbate, and sodium nitrite. This nitrite content is a little troubling. When you consume them, you can increase your risk of developing certain health conditions, including cancer. Bacon tends to be exceptionally high in nitrates and nitrites, which are needed to increase its shelf life and ensure it stays fresh when you get it home. And while certain foods can be a healthy source of nitrites, bacon isn't one of them. It's far better to skip buying your regular pack of Oscar Mayer, and seek out bacon brands that have no added preservatives, to reduce the risk of any associated health issues.

Bacon is good any day you choose to cook it, but as a Sunday brunchtime treat, it's unparalleled. And this is something that bacon manufacturers Applegate clearly knows well, with its Naturals Sunday Bacon being explicitly named for the most relaxing day in the week.

By picking up Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon, though, you're not just setting your Sunday up for success. You're also getting a delicious bacon product that's refreshingly free of industrial additives. This bacon primarily contains pork, water, and salt, with small amounts of cane sugar and cultured celery powder. Although it should be pointed out that celery powder is a preservative, and may not have any advantages over other added nitrates, it is refreshing not to see an ingredients list as long as your arm. But what makes this bacon a winner is its taste. Customers who bought Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon love it for its sweet and savory flavor, which doesn't have any artificial edge to it. This bacon also has a good thickness to it, so it won't disappear or fall apart in a sandwich.

There's a certain appeal to irregularly sliced bacon, with all of its homely charm. Picking up a pack makes you feel as though the product you're getting hasn't been uniformly processed through a factory. However, there are also occasions where "irregularly sliced" could mean "the leftover scraps of bacon we couldn't sell otherwise." And that might just be the case with Aberdeen Farms Irregularly Sliced Value Bacon, which is far from a winner. 

Unfortunately, Aberdeen Farms' value offering just doesn't cut the mustard, primarily due to its unpleasant taste, as multiple despondent customers have noted, "Not buying this bacon again, Aberdeen Farms. Too salty and fatty," said a buyer who surely wanted their money back, via Twitter. Another person was even more critical, proclaiming that while they had previously not realized that sub-par bacon could exist, it was Aberdeen Farms' offering that tipped them over the edge (via Twitter). These claims that Aberdeen Farms Irregularly Sliced Value Bacon is too sodium-packed and fat-rich seem to be backed up by its nutritional information, which shows that it contains 10% of both your recommended sodium and saturated fat intake in just a half-ounce of product. Personally, we'd give this pork product a wide berth.

Turkey bacon has come a long way over the years, but it still has to be pretty exceptional to stand toe-to-toe against the regular pork variety. Luckily, Boar's Head Uncured Turkey Bacon has done a pretty stand-up job with its turkey product. This bacon promises a "rich smoky flavor and superior bite," and has a deep color that looks similar to regular bacon.

The best thing about this turkey bacon, though, is its nutritional profile. Turkey bacon can be guilty of being pumped full of additives, in the pursuit of a natural bacon flavor and look. But Boar's Head Uncured Turkey Bacon contains no milk, no added MSG, no artificial colorings, and no added nitrates or nitrites. Additionally, its sodium level per slice is rather reasonable, with 150 milligrams per serving, roughly 6% of your daily recommended allowance. Like many other types of turkey bacon, Boar's Head bacon is also lower in calories and has 35 in each piece. This means, essentially, that you can eat more bacon for your buck, and that's something that we are happy to support every time.

Look, turkey bacon can be a little hit-and-miss, guys. And when it misses, it really misses. Unfortunately, Jennie-O Turkey Bacon is a good example of turkey bacon that should be avoided. This bacon is primarily troublesome because of its strange texture. Jennie-O Turkey Bacon has a slimy, gooey consistency on its surface that just feels weird, and unsurprisingly, makes it pretty unappetizing. For some customers, the slime coating was so offputting that their pack of bacon went straight into the trash, with other customers also pointing out that its slices feel overly thin and tear easily.

To add insult to injury, the ingredients list for Jennie-O Turkey Bacon is pretty extensive. One look at the contents of this bacon reveals that it has a wide variety of additives, including potassium acetate, sodium diacetate, sodium phosphate, sodium nitrite, and sodium erythorbate. While these additives are present in the bacon to preserve it and retain its flavor, it does indicate the potential amount of processing that this meat has undergone. When you combine that with its slimy texture, you might be better off buying something else.

Nature's Rancher Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon is a meat product that has had some serious thought put into it. And all of this thought results in a uniquely-made, great-tasting product. Unlike other bacon brands, which can tend to achieve their color and flavor through complicated-sounding additives, Nature's Rancher's bacon gets its taste from pomegranate, citrus, and rosemary extracts. This bacon also has no added preservatives, no nitrates or nitrites included in its manufacturing, and no lactose.

All of this leads to quality bacon that customers enjoy. Boasting an enviable 4.5 (out of 5) star rating on Amazon, people who bought this product have called it some of the best bacon they've ever had, highlighting its smokiness and marbled consistency. Other reviewers noted that for the price you pay, you end up with a premium product, that becomes crispy easily and doesn't fall apart when you cook it. Bear in mind that this bacon does tend to be a little sweeter than some other brands, according to some reviewers. But, if you're into a smoky-sweet combination of flavors, Nature's Rancher Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon will hit the spot.

No matter how you cook bacon, it will usually come out delicious (unless you're burning it to a crisp). But sometimes, that pack of bacon in the fridge just can't be salvaged. And if it's Jamestown Brand Sliced Bacon, you might be better off throwing it out and starting again.

Jamestown Brand Sliced Bacon ranks low in our books for several reasons, explained through multiple poor reviews via Fooducate. The first sin that it commits is the thinness of its strips. "Some slices were ridiculously thin, and some got burnt at the standard cooking temperature," one regretful customer says, also stating that another package they bought had slices that varied wildly in size. 

Its packaging also limits the amount of bacon you can see before buying it, which means that you're essentially playing guesswork with what your food will eventually look like. Unfortunately, this packaging has led to a lot of regretful purchases. "I bought two packs and there was nothing but fat," explained one unhappy person. Other customers have lamented the sub-standard taste of this bacon. "This is the worst bacon ever," one particularly vocal person said after buying it. Reviews don't come more negative than this, folks.

The perfect bacon slice has the right balance of fat-to-meat, a good amount of thickness, and the ability to crisp up beyond compare. And Target's Market Pantry Hardwood Smoked Bacon delivers in every department. Market Pantry Hardwood Smoked Bacon gives you a proper bite in each piece, with slices that aren't flimsy or skinny. Customers at Target proclaim that this thickness is part of the reason why they love this product. 

Market Pantry Hardwood Smoked Bacon is also a winner because of the sheer fact that it delivers a delectable taste without breaking the bank. "Great flavor for a great price. It bakes up nicely in the oven," one happy customer stated, with another saying that this bacon is their favorite brand. Others state that it has an especially good texture, and crisps up properly. It's probably thanks to this quality that this bacon has a 4.5-star rating average from over 600 individual reviews. Kudos to you, Target — we know where we're getting our bacon from next time.

With the word "hometown" in its name, you wouldn't be wrong to assume that Smithfield Hometown Original Bacon is wholesome, hearty, and inspires memories of a family kitchen table. Alas, that's not what you get with this product. Smithfield Hometown Original Bacon, one of Smithfield's many bacon products, is a thin, vaguely disappointing affair. With super-slim pieces of bacon, when it's cooked, it reduces even more in size, and you end up with disappointing slices that have no bite to them. They also tend to become super greasy, leaving you with meat that's swimming in fat.

And if that's not enough to make you buy something else, just take a look at its nutritional info. Smithfield Hometown Original Bacon is one of the fattier options you can buy (probably why it leaks so much grease) and has three grams of saturated fat per serving. It's also got a notable amount of sodium, providing 290 milligrams in two slices of bacon. Considering that these slices are thin anyway, that's a fair amount. And to top it all off, Smithfield's bacon also contains nitrites, which is never a great sign.

What is bacon without a smoky flavor? Nothing, that's what. And so that's why brands that really amp up their smokiness get a big tick of approval. North Country Smokehouse Maple Cured Bacon is especially good at this, with their meat smoked using applewood for hours to imbue it with a deep, textured flavor. This sure-fire winner has been praised by happy customers on Amazon for its smoky taste, its thick slices, and its ability to become perfectly crisp. If that's not a combination of things that you look for in your bacon, we don't know what else to offer you. 

North Country Smokehouse's bacon is also transparently sourced, with the product coming from the company's farms, and is free of any unnecessary additions. Found in Whole Foods stores across the country, it's a must-try if you like your bacon rich and complex. Just remember, though, that when it says it's smoky, it really does mean it's smoky. As such, the powerful flavor might not be to everyone's taste — but once you try it, you may never go back to regular bacon again.

Hormel is a well-known bacon brand, so you might assume that it's got its quality down. But when any company is the size that Hormel is, there's a risk that it's compromising on something. Unfortunately, in Hormel Black Label Brown Sugar Thick Cut Bacon's case, it's the sodium content. This bacon has one of the highest sodium levels of any bacon we've seen, with 470 milligrams in each serving.

For context, this means that in one serving of Hormel Black Label Brown Sugar Thick Cut Bacon, you're going to be eating almost a fifth of the entire adult daily recommended allowance of 2,300 milligrams in one go. That's a lot for a foodstuff that only has 110 calories in the same serving size. And when you consider nine out of 10 Americans are eating too much sodium anyway, and that overconsumption of sodium contributes to heart disease, do you really wanna risk it? You're far better off seeking out a bacon brand that's less heavy on the salt. It'll probably still be as flavorful, and your cardiovascular system will be grateful.

What's the best bacon of all time? It could be produced by Vande Rose Farms. This artisan product is almost absurdly well-regarded in the bacon world (if there is such a thing), winning multiple plaudits for the meaty mouthfuls it brings to the table.

So, let's deep dive into why it's so good. The first positive is the thickness of its slices, which almost resemble pure pork belly cuts in its girth. The bacon is also generously marbled, with a good ring of fat on each slice, without it overpowering the meat itself. This is thanks to the animals that the meat comes from –  domestic Duroc pigs that are reared locally to Vande Rose Farms' Iowa base.

Flavor-wise, Vande Rose Farms Bacon is prepared using traditional bacon ingredients, cured with brown sugar, and smoked with applewood, which gives it a seriously deep flavor. This bacon is also flavored with black pepper, an addition that may sound simple, but gives it a piquancy and complexity that many other products lack. Vande Rose Farms Bacon does contain some preservative products, however, so folks who wish to avoid nitrates may wish to seek out an alternative.

Oh, dear. It takes a lot for a product to get a 2.8-star average rating at Walmart. But somehow, Great Value Naturally Hickory Smoked Thick-Sliced Bacon manages it. First off, let's start with the positives. This bacon does have pleasingly thick slices, and there's a uniformity to their size, which customers seem to love. True to its name, it's also good value for the money it costs.

But the problem is, this bacon is just way too fatty. Some fat is, of course, essential to bacon's taste, but in Walmart's offering, the ratio is way off. "Don't purchase. Full of fat," one disappointed customer states. Another writes, "This is exactly why I don't buy Great Value products from Walmart. There's no meat on the bacon." Customers also took issue with the taste of the bacon, with a reviewer saying that it doesn't even taste like bacon at all and that there's something strange and "off" about its flavor. You're far better off spending a little extra money and getting a quality product, instead of buying what seems like a large amount of fat in a vacuum-sealed bag.