I Tried 7 Thick Cut Bacon Brands And Ranked Them From Worst To Best

There are few foods as diverse as bacon. It's easy to cook oven-baked bacon to serve with breakfast, and candied bacon is a simple, sweet treat that I personally love in sandwiches. Even better, bacon improves many dishes by adding salty savoriness. Bacon improves the flavor profile of collard greens, and the pork product is essential to slow cooker baked beans. However, those who've perused the bacon aisle at their local grocery store know there's an overwhelming amount of brands to choose from — and they aren't all created equal. For the best bacon experience, it makes sense to choose the best option. That said, how do you know which is which?

I asked myself this same question. Thankfully, I found the answer by taste testing seven popular thick cut bacon brands before ranking them from worst to best. I began each taste test with a piece of bacon that was baked for consistency, and followed up with use in a random additional recipe (which is noted in each section below). My judgments were based on taste and texture, supplemented by my more than fifteen years experience in the food industry. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article.

Ready to discover which thick cut bacon brands held up and which failed when put to the test? Let's get into it.

Oscar Mayer is a fairly well-known meat brand who had a catchy jingle back in the day — I mean, who didn't know the Oscar Mayer wiener song? That aside, most of my interactions with this brand were from childhood, as I have other meat brands I stick to as an adult. As such, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this taste test. Despite the product ranking dead last, I wasn't actually that disappointed.

There's one major problem with this bacon: Although it's named Naturally Hardwood Smoked Thick Cut Bacon, the product simply isn't thick cut. At all. In fact, it's thinner than most standard bacon varieties. For this reason alone, I felt justified in disqualifying this bacon from the rankings as it doesn't meet basic standards. If we weren't specifically exploring thick cut options, this would have ranked much better. It came out super crispy and thin when baked; basically disintegrating when placed in my mouth. However, the flavor was fantastic and offered all the savory saltiness I expect from good bacon. Due to the disqualification, I did not use this bacon in a unique recipe.

Since I prefer thick cut bacon, I probably wouldn't buy this again. I can't recommend it based on the purposes of this list, but those who prefer thin bacon might like it just fine.

I'd never heard of Peter Luger Steakhouse before purposefully seeking out bacon brands for this taste test. When purchasing, the first thing I noticed was that the package had an obviously smaller amount of bacon slices than other options on this list. However, it's also labeled as "extra thick cut" bacon, so it does come out to roughly the same weight.

I wish I had something positive to say about the Peter Luger Steakhouse Extra Thick Cut Bacon, but I just don't. When I took a bite of the first baked piece, my senses were immediately overwhelmed with a sour, rotten taste that made me gag. Not only did I not finish the bacon, but I spat what was in my mouth into the trash can as I literally couldn't bring myself to finish chewing and swallowing. Despite the taste of tainted flesh lingering in my mouth, I persevered for the purposes of this taste test and tried the bacon in a breakfast sandwich with eggs, cheese, and a light smear of mayo. I wasn't able to finish it this time either, as the unpleasant taste overwhelmed the sandwich's other flavors.

I definitely would never eat this again. I can't recommend it in any good faith and, in fact, warn you to stay away from this bacon at all costs. Your taste buds will thank you for doing so.

Greenfield Natural Meat Company is the other brand I was entirely unfamiliar with on this list — and after my devastating run-in with Peter Luger Steakhouse, I was a little afraid to try this product too. However, there were a few things I liked about this brand before tasting them. According to the package, Greenfield's bacon is created from humanly-raised pork with no antibiotics or growth hormones. It's also made without sugar, and the brand is GreenCircle Certified.

When I tasted this bacon after baking in the oven, it was very greasy despite cooking on an elevated rack. It also had a dull flavor that predominately tasted like salt, with mere hints of meaty savoriness. Additionally, it was a little too chewy without any appropriate crispness. Overall, this wasn't a great thick cut bacon ... but it also wasn't so terrible I couldn't finish my serving. After sampling the baked strips, I used this bacon in a black-eyed peas recipe alongside snap beans and onion. For this purpose, the bacon imparted some small flavor. However, it still didn't shine when combined with the other ingredients, and I was left underwhelmed.

Although I might eat this again if it were served to me, I would never purposefully seek out Greenfield Natural Meat Company Thick Cut Smoked Uncured Bacon. I recommend choosing a higher-ranked option with more substantial flavor.

Hatfield is a brand I was familiar with before this taste test. Although I'd never been truly wowed by their products, I'd also never been terribly disappointed. This theme held true during my taste test of the Hatfield Hardwood Smoked Thick Cut Bacon.

As with all the other bacon options, I began my taste test with a serving baked in my oven. I found that this pork boasted more flavor than the Greenfield bacon, but much less than the brand ranked just above it. For starters, there was a mild sweetness and moderate smokiness interspersed in the salty umami profile. This was fantastic, as I appreciate a bit of sweetness in my bacon. The strips crisped up nicely, and while they weren't mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, this Hatfield option certainly wasn't bad. After eating the baked serving, I used this thick cut bacon in my own variation of a bacon and cheddar quiche recipe. The bacon came across much better here; offering a nicely flavored pairing for the dish's definitively rich and creamy base.

I wouldn't purchase this Hatfield bacon again, simply because I preferred other options more. However, I would eat it again if served to me by someone else. That said, I recommend choosing one of the top three options on this list for the best possible cooking and dining experience.

Jimmy Dean is a reliable food brand that may best be known for their range of breakfast meats. Their other products have been reliably good — both alone and in various recipes — so I had high hopes for their Thick Cut Hickory Smoked Premium Bacon. I'm happy to report that this specific product held up to the standards I have for the Jimmy Dean brand.

Upon baking the bacon, I found that the meat was a little crispy and slightly chewy, which is my ideal for thick cut options (versus thin cut options where I look only for a crispy crunch). The fattier areas crisped up nicely, and offered a slightly charred taste reminiscent of grilled meats. Overall, it was fantastic. However, this bacon truly shined when I tried it in a second recipe: bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts. The bacon held its shape around the produce beautifully, and offered a full-bodied smoky flavor with intense notes of umami; along with a light saltiness that elevated the mildly-sweet earthiness of the brussels sprouts.

I would definitely buy Jimmy Dean Thick Cut Hickory Smoked Premium Bacon again, even though it wasn't my absolute favorite option. If this is the highest-ranking bacon available to you, your taste buds certainly won't suffer.

This Bowl and Basket Thick Cut Bacon truly surprised me. I've had many experiences with the Bowl and Basket brand; also known as the private label of Shoprite. However, those experiences have been equally negative and positive — in my previous rankings, I ranked Bowl and Basket frozen green beans close to worst and ranked the Shoprite store-bought white bread just as poorly. However, I'm incredibly happy to report that this experience with the Bowl and Basket brand was much different.

As I took my first bite of the baked bacon, I immediately noticed the meat-forward taste. The savory flavor took front and center without coming across as overwhelming. There was a nice balance of salt, and the bacon cooked nicely without becoming too crispy. By all accounts, this is a perfect example of thick cut bacon. The only reason it didn't rank in the top spot was sheer personal preference. Once I'd devoured my baked variant, I used this Bowl and Basket Thick Cut Bacon in a bacon Caesar salad, where it worked wonderfully alongside the fresh produce and bold dressing.

I would definitely purchase this Bowl and Basket Thick Cut Bacon again, especially if my top-ranked option was unavailable. If you buy groceries at Shoprite, I think this is a fantastic private-label product that delivers quality at a slightly lower price point.

Smithfield is another brand I was familiar with before this ranking, although I hadn't tried their bacon before. However, I was already a big fan of their sausage and ham, so I had high hopes for this taste test. The Smithfield bacon not only met, but exceeded those expectations.

When baked in the oven, this bacon turned out mildly crispy with a slight chewiness along the thicker portions of meat. Although the taste was mild, it was fantastically complex and offered everything I was looking for. There was a defined smokiness, mild sweet notes, and moderate saltiness throughout a light, meaty flavor profile. I not only devoured my serving, but wished I had made more so I could go back for seconds. For my random meal, I whipped up green beans with bacon as a side dish for supper. This pairing allowed the meat to shine alongside the earthiness of the green beans — I enjoyed it so much that I took seconds.

I'll purchase the Smithfield Naturally Hickory Smoked Thick Cut Bacon as my new go-to from here on out. I highly recommend grabbing a pack so you can experience just how fantastic this option is yourself. Once you do, you'll have zero doubts as to why it was ranked as our top thick cut bacon brand.

I chose thick cut bacon brands based on availability at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey. Every thick cut option available to me at the time I went to the store was purchased. Each bacon brand was judged based on taste and texture. To be fair, I oven-baked each bacon brand for the most consistent cooking, and followed up by using the bacon in a specific recipe to see how it stood up with other flavors. The second recipe I used for each bacon brand in is noted in the respective section above.

I relied primarily on fifteen years experience in the food industry to make my judgements, as I regularly worked with bacon to create a variety of meals. My previous consumption of bacon and past experiences creating food rankings for Daily Meal also contributed. Although personal preference played a role in these rankings, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.