Bacon Ratings: Bit by Bit (Pun intended)

Alright Ladies and gentlemen!

Now, here we are with the fourth post regarding anything and everything for the topic of bacon. We've firmly established our behemoth-sized love for the greasy goodness, but one topic we have yet to discuss is the quality of bacon. Bacon is most often overlooked as a simple cut of pork underbelly that really has no importance whether if it's quality bacon or not, but that's a terrible outlook to have! Depending on the bacon you have it can completely range from a simple breakfast item to a savory culinary choice, yet most of us are faced with the common problem whenever entering a super market:

WHAT BRAND DO I BUY?

I mean come on now, every single one of you readers completely relate to this question. You're approaching those glorious double doors to a haven of foods ripe for the picking and choosing, yet when you've come to the biggest decision of bacon, you blank on the brand....there are so many....Farmer John? Trader Joe's brand? Ralph's? Niman Ranch?

So many choices, so much bacon....mmmmm.....bacon....


Now you don't have to panic anymore! All of your culinary conundrums have been answered and the glorious gods of bacon have bestowed upon you THIS list of the top brands of bacon all depending on smokiness, saltiness, fattiness, and flavor. Created by the Editors of Food and Wine magazine, this completely reliable list of the top 16 bacon brands is at your disposal but we'll knock it down to 3 for your sake.

NUMBER ONE: Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry Cured Applewood Smoked Bacon

This brand is actually specifically mail-ordered and was loved for its meaty texture and balanced flavor. It is dry cured for six days with brown sugar, black pepper, and salt, then slow smoked for 12 hours over applewood chips. Needless to say this brand is the Michael Phelps of bacon and is completely deserving of the prestigious first place. The editors commented saying it was "very meaty, good texture, with a good flavor and pleasant saltiness".

NUMBER TWO: Trader Joe's Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon

Described as " a good balance of fat to meat with a nice chew and crispiness. A sweet touch and great maple flavor". Despite the wonderful comments, the nicest thing is that this runner up is available at any local Trader Joe's near you! Even the snobbiest of food connoisseurs have decided that this easily attainable bacon is amazing.

NUMBER THREE: D'Artagnan Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon

Finally, this third bacon choice is available in most supermarkets and is a brand that uses only the choicest of meats in the breeding market. Food and Wine's editors loved the pleasant saltiness and mild smoke. On the downside, D'Artagnan was described to be a bit on the fatty side (but who's really losing at that point), but it was smooth and sweet, not overly salty.

Well, Now you have been informed and given options for when you next seek the right bacon. The quality matters, and making the right choice could be bridging the gap between an "amazing" breakfast experience and the "ultimate" breakfast experience.

REMEMBER:

For all 16 choices, visit this site: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-wine/ultimate-bacon-taste-test_b_1891071.html