Just In Time For Barbecue Season: The Pig Of The Month Club

When a club is called the Pig of the Month Club, it better do barbecue well. And while this club isn't exactly a "club" (it's not something you can subscribe to for a monthly delivery), it's one of the best ways to get some truly high-quality smoked meat shipped right to your door.

The Richards family spent years tracking down the country's best barbecue and perfecting their recipes, and they offer four different varieties of baby back ribs and sauce, pulled pork, ham, three types of sausages, corned beef, beef and pork jerky, and nitrite-free bacon in a handful of varieties (thick-cut with seasonings including chipotle, maple sugar, cracked four pepper, garden herb, and seasonally, apple pie and chocolate-covered bacon), and "Porkorn," Cheddar and caramel popcorn studded with bacon. All animals are humanely-raised and hormone-free.

We had the opportunity to sample some of their products, and were very impressed. The Key West-style ribs have a nice citrusy flavor, but traditionalists should probably go for the sweet and spicy Memphis-style or the ancho chile-spiked Texas-style. As soon as you open the vacuum-packed package, you can smell the smoky char, and while the instructions recommend reheating them for half an hour at 350 degrees, we'd recommend wrapping them in aluminum foil, placing them face down in the oven, and letting them go for an hour at 250 degrees. You should probably set aside a whole rack for yourself.

Another standout is the chipotle bacon. These slices are cut super-thick and given a rub in a chipotle mixture, and it's unlike any bacon we've encountered. We'd recommend cooking them in the oven on a baking sheet, because these need to go low and slow to reach crispy perfection. You can order the bacon in a "month club" format of three or six months, and you'll get a different specialty bacon each month. Be prepared to gain a few pounds.

Thankfully, they offer a handful of packages, so you can try a whole mess of barbecue and never get bored. That way you can try a little bit of everything. And trust us, you'll want to.