where to get great bacon?

[jackal10]

Its not so hard to make yourself, and then at least you know what is in it.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=939724

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=941729

[budrichard]

J.Kurowycki on First Ave. in NYC...They smoke it there after pickling it..Call ahead and be sure they have lean slabs....It's not anything free  and therefore never turns gray nor tastes of mold like so many nitrate-frees do and is fabulous fried with eggs or seasoning choucroute or cassoulet or pea soup or anything else bacon is used for....

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Scott's bacon and hams are made the way they were made 300 years ago and have nothing in common with the yuppie products on the market today. They do not turn gray and do not mold. We keep slabs in the freezer for more than a year and simply use a freezer knife to cut off what we want. The hams are simply stored in a dry area. No problems.-Dick

[Chris Amirault]

I may just flat be lucky, but within a 15 minute drive of my house are 4 meat markets that smoke their own bacon. 

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Yes. You are lucky. And I am envious.

[snowangel]

I may just flat be lucky, but within a 15 minute drive of my house are 4 meat markets that smoke their own bacon. 

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Yes. You are lucky. And I am envious.

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Is this smoked in house bacon a regional thing? It's all over the place here in Minnesota. So many of the small towns have great meat markets that smoke their own stuff. Not to mention all of those located in the Twin Cities. I can't begin to count them all.

[Chris Amirault]

If we had it in RI, you'd have seen it in my foodblog, believe me!

[fatmat]

Europe

[ronnie_suburban]

I read recently in a trade magazine at work about Broadbent Hams' Pepper Bacon and how it won some award.  I ordered some and it has arrived but haven't tried it yet.  And, fwiw, I will be using Nueske as the measuring stick.

=R=

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Reporting back to say that after trying the Broadbent product, I thought it was good but not great. Not even in Nueske's neighborhood.

=R=

[butterscotch]

any have a particular fave from the grateful palate selection?

i'm pretty thrilled with Nueskes, but i do like thin slices myself.

yeah, i had some today....

http://www.gratefulpalate.com/default.asp

No contest.

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[mark922]

Recently I seem to have gotten on a mailing list for catalogs from smoked meat purveyors.  I'm a fan of Nueske's-- are any of these other places in their league?  I'm planning a bacon tasting-- which other sources should I include?  I'd like to at least do a blind tasting of hickory vs applewood.

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Cook's Illustrated did a tasting of both premier and store brands. Heartland was the winner. And it's usually a buck or two a pound cheaper than HOrmel and Oscar Meyer, etc.

[mark922]

For a benchmark, can anyone comment on comparisons with Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon? 

I had it once and thought it was pretty good, but perhaps these others are better?

(This is rather widely distributed, including at Trader Joes and at least some Whole Foods.  Pigs are fed natural grains and are not given hormones. Niman Ranch products can also be ordered via their website.)

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Heartland beat out Niman Ranch in the Cook's Illustrated test.

[snowangel]

If you want the greatest bacon ever, wander over here.

[ronnie_suburban]

Recently I seem to have gotten on a mailing list for catalogs from smoked meat purveyors.  I'm a fan of Nueske's-- are any of these other places in their league?  I'm planning a bacon tasting-- which other sources should I include?  I'd like to at least do a blind tasting of hickory vs applewood.

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Cook's Illustrated did a tasting of both premier and store brands. Heartland was the winner. And it's usually a buck or two a pound cheaper than HOrmel and Oscar Meyer, etc.

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That's interesting. I have used Heartland more often than any other store brand over the past couple of years because they sell it at Costco, in the 4 x 1-pound packs. I think it's as good as -- or better than -- any other standard store brand available in my area. If I have to buy bacon, I still prefer Nueske's but it's a lot more expensive. Lately, I've been curing my own, which is very easy to do. And it's remarkably good too.

=R=

[phaelon56]

I recently tried Niman Ranch bacon for the first time when having breakfast at Carriage House Cafe in Ithaca NY. IN general the food there is outstanding and the espresso drinks even better. The bacon was fine but nothing special - it didn't seem much different or better than some grocery store brands I've tried (and not as good as a few of them).

But when I had a Niman Ranch pork item as a restaurant entree it was fantastic.

But is it possiblethat because American style bacon is inherently fattier than many other pork products and also because of the smoking... perhaps the advantage of the higher quality pork Niman uses just isn't an advantage with this type of product?