The "best" bacon depends on your preferences for thickness, crispiness, and smokiness. However, top picks in major taste tests highlight the following standout brands:
Chefs and food critics generally agree that the best bacon goes beyond mass-market brands, favoring small-batch, dry-cured, and hardwood-smoked options. Top culinary experts consistently recommend Nueske's, Benton's, and Boar’s Head for their exceptional flavor, texture, and traditional smoking processes.
When it comes to the best store-bought bacon, the winner depends on whether you prefer thick-cut smokiness or a classic, crispy slice. Top brands stand out in national taste tests for having the best balance of meat-to-fat and authentic flavor:
Jimmy Dean and Smithfield are two major grocery store bacon brands, with Jimmy Dean leaning heavily into sweeter, applewood-smoked flavor profiles, while Smithfield is celebrated for its traditional, deeply savory, and crispy-frying traditional cuts.
The healthiest bacon focuses on limiting saturated fat, sodium, and synthetic additives. The best options are uncured turkey bacon or sugar-free, pasture-raised pork bacon. Because all bacon is considered a processed meat, moderation is key.
The "best" bacon brand depends on whether you prefer standard supermarket convenience, artisanal dry-cured cuts, or high-welfare natural meats. Top brands frequently winning taste tests include Smithfield (best overall supermarket bacon), Jimmy Dean (best for BLTs), and Pederson’s (best natural, no-sugar brand).
The healthiest meats generally provide the highest-quality protein with the lowest amounts of saturated fat and highest concentration of beneficial nutrients.
Restaurants typically use foodservice-exclusive brands or retail giants, depending on their tier. The exact type comes down to the style of the establishment:
The best bacon at Walmart depends on your preferences, but overall community and expert consensus highlights Wright Brand Thick Cut for quality, Great Value for budget, and Oscar Mayer for a reliable everyday slice.
Jimmy Dean's Applewood Smoked Bacon is up to the task. Out of all the bacon we tried, it had the least shrinkage and a robust, porky flavor.
Aldi's bacon is widely praised by shoppers and professional taste-testers as one of the best supermarket bacon values available. It delivers an excellent balance of smoky flavor and satisfying crispiness, often rivaling premium name brands at a fraction of the cost.
Carlton Farms thick-cut Classic Premium Bacon bursts with flavor thanks to our sweet-curing, dry-aging, and slow-smoking. We select only the finest pork bellies, dry age them for almost two weeks, then slowly wood-smoke them to perfection for melt-in-your-mouth bacon that's flavorful, lean, and, yes, irresistible.
For the absolute crispiest bacon, look for thin-cut or original-cut streaky bacon rather than thick-cut slabs. Thin slices have less water to render out, making it much easier to achieve a perfect, shatteringly crisp texture.
Explore Products by Top Brands
When it comes to the best store-bought bacon, the winner depends on whether you prefer thick-cut smokiness or a classic, crispy slice. Top brands stand out in national taste tests for having the best balance of meat-to-fat and authentic flavor:
Chef Flay also recommends zhuzhing up your bacon with a glaze. For his super quick version, simply mix maple syrup with mustard and brush it on bacon after it has come out of the oven and is still warm.
The best bacon brands in the US depend on whether you want high-quality mass-market consistency or artisan dry-cured meats. Leading national brands include Wright Brand, Hormel Black Label, and Jimmy Dean, while Kirkland Signature is widely praised as the top store-brand value.
The best way to cook bacon is in the oven. It requires no flipping, produces zero messy splatter, cooks an entire batch perfectly flat, and yields incredibly even, crispy results.
What percentage of Walmart products are made in China? In America, estimates say that Chinese suppliers make up 70-80 percent of Walmart's merchandise, leaving less than 20 percent for American-made products.
Each Bacon Quarter Pounder® with Cheese burger features thick-cut applewood smoked bacon atop ¼ lb. * of 100% McDonald's fresh beef that's cooked when you order. It's a hot, deliciously juicy bacon cheeseburger, seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper and sizzled on our flat iron grill.
Mild and Fatty: D'Artagnan Applewood Smoked Bacon
Mild and fatty, D'Artagnan is ideal for those who like a more tender, chewy cut that isn't too smoky or salty.
Hatfield bacon is widely considered a high-quality, delicious grocery store option. It is praised for its excellent balance of sweet and savory flavors, great smoke profile, and its ability to crisp up evenly on a skillet or in the oven.
The phrase "poor man's meat" most commonly refers to pulses (such as lentils, beans, and chickpeas) and soybeans. These are affordable, highly nutritious plant-based protein sources used globally as budget-friendly alternatives to animal meat.
Health experts overwhelmingly agree that processed meats (like bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni, and deli cold cuts) are the worst meats to consume. Heavily preserved with nitrates and salt, they are classified by the World Health Organization as Group 1 carcinogens, directly linked to increased risks of colorectal cancer and heart disease.
"Superfood meats" typically refer to nutrient-dense proteins—specifically organ meats and regeneratively raised, grass-fed ruminants—praised for their high concentrations of bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.