We Tried 20 Packs Of Bacon & These Are The Ones Worth Buying

Bacon is a staple in most American households, but it's rarely cheap, so you want to be sure it will deliver. But with so many brands available, from restaurant-fancy to generic , how do you know which to choose?
Here at Delish , we're pretty passionate about our bacon, so we launched a blind taste test, comparing 20 different samples from 13 different brands, including major grocery store chain brands, mail-order meat companies, and membership-only big-box stores. After tasting, the editors ranked each sample 1–5 based on taste and texture. We then used these rankings to determine the top bacon brands across a variety of categories, including best regular, best grocery store brand, best thick-cut, and best budget.
These are the bacons we would happily eat with our scrambled eggs, any day of the week.
Best Classic-Cut Bacon: ButcherBox

PHOTO: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Associate editor Gabby Romero once won a sandwich contest with a BLT featuring ButcherBox bacon, and once we all tasted it, we could see why. Smoky and salty with just the right amount of fat, this brand delivers the classic bacon experience in the best way possible. "Pretty good taste, texture, flavor, and salt," notes designer Alison Dominguez , while test kitchen manager Alejandro Valdes Lora remarks on the good amount of smoke it had, without being too overpowering. If you want a classic bacon that's just a cut above the rest (pun fully intended!), this is your brand.
Best Grocery-Store Brand: Wegmans

PHOTO: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
We sampled bacon from a wide variety of national grocery store chains, but Wegmans stole the show. Its edge? The perfect levels of smoke paired with the right amount of fattiness. Multiple editors note its "good smoke," while visual coordinator Cindy Roblero praises its texture. Wegmans is primarily an East Coast grocery chain, so it may not be available in your area yet, but it's worth seeking out.
Best Thick-Cut: Peter Luger

PHOTO: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
I've been lucky enough to experience the thick rashers of Peter Luger bacon at the iconic namesake steakhouse, so I was extra-curious to see how the packaged bacon would stand up to it—and I gotta say, it did not disappoint. This meaty thick-sliced bacon scored higher than almost every other bacon on the tray. Its standout qualities? Its super savory smoky flavor, as well as the heftiness of the slice. "Legit thick-cut," notes associate editor Amanda Mactas , and food editor Francesca Zani , a self-professed thick-cut bacon lover, agrees: "Best thickness! Love. 5/5." This bacon is on the pricey side, but in our opinion, it's totally worth it!
Best Budget: Sam's Club's Member's Mark Thick Cut

PHOTO: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
Great bacon doesn't have to be expensive, and Sam's Club's Member's Mark thick-cut is here to prove it. At just $4.12 per pound, this bacon scored high praise in our taste test. "Very crispy and fatty," notes Zani. "Also good flavor." And senior editor Samantha MacAvoy agrees: "Quite good! Nice texture—tender." This bacon did have a fattier texture and flavor, which proved to be divisive among tasters—some, like Zani and MacAvoy, loved it, while others really did not—but safe to say if you love thick-cut bacon, you'll probably be a fan of this one!
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