The 6 Worst And 5 Best Bacon Brands 

What is your favorite bacon brand?

Smithfield Packing Company established in 1936 by Joseph W. Luter was sold to a Chinese firm in 2013 for nearly $5 billion. The quality of Smithfield products has suffered ever since.

I am fortunately from Lancaster, PA where we have Kunzlers bacon and hams made in Lancaster for over 100 years I believe it is still family owned and it is the only brand I will buy.

I'm glad some folks pass up Great Value bacon-saves more for me.Strangely,seems like everytime I go in Wally World the GV bacon is almost always sold out....

I'll stick with Wright.

I've bought Great Value bacon many times and never had a problem with it!

I used to be a Smithfield praiser...but lately not so much..inconsistent slices that aren't "thick" as the label advertises

I like Sugardale , and Brookshire store brand , and then Great Value , I used to like Wrights but they got overpriced . I like thin and Crispy with a slight bite not crumbly or Chewy .

Wright is the “wright” buy.

Great Value is really a great value. I don't agree with this list

I'm in the camp that loves the Smithfield bacon. I buy the thick sliced bacon and cook it until it is crisp but still has some chew to it.

I buy my bacon by the pound in the meat market..and Wright brand is good...but with todays prices, whatever is on sale is the best....

My favorite is Daily center cut honey cured bacon which can be hard to find in the grocery stores. It is available mostly to restaraunts but you can buy 15 lb boxes from likes of the chefs store. Of course that would require breaking it into smaller packages and freezing it.

The BEST bacon, that will change your life, is bacon fron Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams in Madisonville, TN. It is cured the old fashioned way for 28 days (IIRC) in salt and sugar, then smoked. Once the curing is complete, it needs no refrigeration. It's so good it is used as a feature ingredient by chefs across the country.

Wright is the only commercial brand I enjoy. The other two are at a local meat market and a local Wegmans where they slice it for you in their delis. Anytime I think of Smithfield, I think of the many times that they were busted by the EPA for dumping foamy waste water into Chesapeake Bay.

Indiana kitchen thick cut bacon 🥓 is really delicious 😋 kinda pricey but it’s well worth it ❤❤❤!!!!

Ya' know, I'm glad they mentioned the Smithfield bacon, because I've noticed that Smithfield products don't seem to be good anymore. I guess it isn't just me that has noticed.

Kirkland?

I remember many years ago there was a store brand at Winn-Dixie called _Hickory Sweet._ It was pretty good, but we haven't had a Winn-Dixie in our region in thirty years or more. I stick with Oscar-Meyer.

I always bought Smithfield, but the last couple of times has been disappointing. The quality has really gone down hill as the price has gone up. I no longer buy this brand.

For my taste, Daily's thick cut is one the best, hands down.

Talked with a retired restaurant owner at a grocery store here in Texas. Of course in the bacon isle. He stated and I agree great value they always liked even though no clue what was on their plate. I tend to agree

Half of these brands, I've never heard of. I'm willing to bet that there are local brands, that still make good bacon.

I’m quite surprised that Costco bacon didn’t make this list! It’s really good and you get a lot for your money. Rumor has it that Wright makes it but that is unconfirmed. It is similar in cut and flavor.

I actually love Hormel and Great Value Bacon. They are usually at good price points. I have wanted to try the Wrights thick Bacon. I stay away from Smithfield as it is China owned now.

We buy Hannaford thick cut and it's awesome every time. 16 ounces for $3.99

100% on the Members Mark Sams thin bacon. My wife grabbed some recently and it's horrible. Paper thin and, as they said, hard to separate when cooking.

Nueske's Cherry Wood Smoked bacon is amazing!

Hempler's bacon, from Bellingham WA is the leanest and tastiest bacon

I know all about Wright's good bacon, but for me the best quality/value is Kirkland thick cut. Perhaps a little too regional is Falls brand; very good bacon.

If the bacon doesn't shrink while cooking then you have better check if it really is bacon. Meat shrinks when cooking a lot of that has to do with water evaporation pretty much the only bacon that doesn't shrink is vegan bacon 😂 so yeah shrinking bacon is a thing.

Hormel has always been good for me.

No preservatives Low sodium Real smoke Your thickness preference 😊 🤤

Not sure I would spend an exorbitant amount of money on bacon that I'm going to cut up into little pieces and add to a dish as a "flavor enhancer" lol. I usually buy Farmland whenever I get bacon and it's really not that expensive. Also every bacon should shrink at least a little, especially depending how you cook whether it fry or bake. Since it's pork belly, it has a lot of fat and if you're not rendering that down, you're eating chewy bacon and I guess that's some people's taste. I personally save the bacon fat (or as some people call it "grease") for cooking later and you're missing out if you aren't. Soo good for frying up eggs, hash, or whatever for breakfast.

I bought a couple lbs of that black lable bacon last month and you called that one right, it's awful.

I've never tried Wright's bacon, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. Going to have to try this one. Anybody try Boar's Head bacon? Any good?

Smithfield bacon is a Chinese company-- Smithfield is not an American Company any more.

I honestly don’t eat a lot bacon but when I do, I buy Wright brand. It is a little pricey but it’s worth it. Also, Wright just so happens to be my last name which is why I tried it in the first place. 🥓

From the local butcher...... Any yes it's more expensive but well worth it.

Jimmy Dean Bacon and Sausage is my fav.

I've traded bacon for sausage in my breakfast fare, More bang for the buck. But for BLTs and to dress up salads, especially German potato salad, its always been Oscar Mayer.

Have recently been cooking up Kirkland (Costco Brand) bacon. Good flavor and smell. From a West Coast perspective I didn’t recognize some brands featured. 9:49 9:49

Agree with most of your reviews however disagree on Aldi's Appleton. I think it's very good. Not overly fatty. Cooks consistent and a reasonable price.

HEB has some awesome bacon you didn't review! PS, growth hormones are illegal on pigs in the US.

Smithfield bacon 🥓 is owned by a Chinese company now...we get it in canada, quality has gone down 👇 unfortunately.

I usually buy Wright, the hickory smoked. I avoid anything that maple flavored even though it’s good but because you end up smelling like maple all day.

Nueske's Applewood smoked

I prefer thinner bacon. I especially like Oscar Meyer center cut. I sometimes drive an hour from Canada to stock up.

I love Heb's Applewood bacon. It tastes so good, and it's reasonably price. Oscar Mayer's is a very close second.

In Canada avoid Presidents Choice . Maple Leaf is # 1 . 🏆🏅🇨🇦 ( Kirkland was non edible )

WRIGHT brand bacon is the BEST I have ever found. It is the only brand I buy! :)

Hormel black label is my go to bacon, so I can’t take this list seriously

I was a plant engineer in the Millard Nebraska area plant and most of the brand's are exactly the same processed in the same plant and just packaged differently

Stopped eating Smithfield when I found out, they are owned by the Chinese. I know someone who worked on a pasture for them, she send the pigs go to China for butchering, and there's no telling on what they do or add during a curing process. Then they come back over pre packaging and sent to stores. Best bacon, check out bearded butchers how to make at home bacon.

No mention of Bar-S on the avoid list?!

Farmer John used to have really good Bacon and other meats Until Smithfield acquired the company and proceeded to destroy the Brand and replace Farmer John products with its own lower quality and flavor.

Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon Whittenberg, Wisconsin

Wright's bacon is my favorite. It tastes like it was done by a person, not a factory. (A very SKILLED person, but.. it is good)

Without a doubt, Nueske's Applewood Smoked Bacon cannot be beat. It is #1.

I was told by a young fella never cook bacon in a skillet, it must be done in the microwave 😳😳I’m too old for this society and it’s hair brained ideas. When I was a much younger lad we bought our bacon by the slab and believe it or not, refrigerating was unnecessary.

Yummy ❤❤❤

Smithfield is the same as Farmland bacon all made by Smothfield

I like my bacon chrispy

There one bacon that they did not talk about. Fanestil bacon out of Emporia Kansas. I have worked in meat shops for over 50 years and have used them all. Fantastic is the best.

You missed the Bar S brand! Im gonna say its one to avoid?

Most of these bacons are so overly salty I can't eat them, a factor your review didn't even touch. Morrell's used to make a "Lower Sodium" bacon that I liked, but of course it doesn't seem to be available anymore.

Eating bacon right now 😂

Great value isn't that bad. I will eat it. I do love wright bacon. It has to be my favorite.

Smithfield ham is another item to avoid.

Love the vids, but Applegate Bacon is awesome, just expensive! Wright Bacon is comparable at a cheaper price.

Wright is the best! But it HAS to beThickcut Applewood Smoked.

And right off the bat this video is a fail. Wright bacon is mediocre at best. The smoke flavor is so inconsistently weak often it’s nearly undetectable. Just because something is popular doesn’t make it good. Funny calling Wright bacon pricier than other brands when in my area of the South it is one of the lower cost budget brands. Wright brand is also A Tyson product which I avoid at all costs due to their controversial hiring of illegal workers as well as being approved by the FDA to use bug meal in their products. Wright also claims to be thick cut when it is just a standard cut bacon. If you want truly good bacon go to your local butcher and buy it by the side and slice it yourself or even better smoke cure it yourself if you are able for a far superior product to any grocery store brands. Support your local farmers and butchers and buy local grown and raised over processed commercial poisonous foods.

Ain't payin' no $7 for 12 oz of bacon.

Here to say Belschners bacon of Amherst Nebraska is the best!

True Story Bacon. Hard to find at times, It's damn good!!!

We used to love Wright bacon until i found out that its a Tysons brand. Now i buy Hatfields.

Wrights, Hormel black label, Oscar Mayer, Kunzlers, Nueskes.

Oscar Meyer is everywhere, Wright is not, unfortunately. Oscar makes the porkiest tasting, crispiest bacon, if you like that sort of thing. Great for BLTs. For meaty and chewy I get Hemplers. Farmland is always a good middle of the road bet, and very economical, considering.

My go to bacon is Wright's .

we buy great value in the big packs. we pepper it good. Great bang for the buck.

I love all bacon! Yummmmm

Bar-S = worst…Hemplers = best!

Boars Head brand-Excellent

Oscar Mayer is decent bacon.

Swifts Premium Bacon is by far the best I ever tried.

Amazing

Love the thin fatty bacon that fries up so crispy.

Boarshead! ❤️😊

I make my own since I m a Sausage Maker with 135 recipes!

In this house, it's Wright or nothing.

If you ever try Nueske's bacon, everything else will never compare.

It really doesn't matter what bacon a person purchases as long as it tastes good

I like a slice with lots of fat so it will be very crispy

Hemplers!!

Everything is better with bacon!

Just make your own, so much better and you know what is in it

I try to buy the leanest Wright bacon. I like my bacon meaty not strips of fat. Not going to pay $9.00 a pound for fat.

sea snail is bigger than river snail sir

Always buy the thickest and cheapest bacon you can find. If you don't like what you got try a different brand, but continue with the thickest and cheapest.

My own home smoked bacon is the best