The 6 Lowest And 5 Highest Quality Bacon Brands To Look Out For

Bacon lovers, rejoice! There's nothing like a good hearty slice of sizzling pork to top your favorite breakfast sandwich or to enjoy as a sidekick to a fluffy stack of maple-smothered pancakes first thing in the a.m. That's why we've scouted the highest and lowest quality bacon brands out there and have put them in a curated list so you can spend more time munching and less time worrying about wasted money. As most of you bacon connoisseurs out there know, there is such a thing as really bad bacon. Whether it's utterly flavorless, is hard to separate, or cooks up into virtually very little meat, there's really nothing more disappointing than knowing you've copped a shoddy package of bacon.

In this post, we're breaking down the details of some of the highest and lowest quality bacon brands available on the market. From popular labels to a few obscure grabs, we're hoping to dish the deets in such a way that you'll be thanking us the next time you're on the hunt for fresh and yummy bacon at your local grocer.

So, sit back and buckle up. We're prepared to smack you with the sizzling reviews from customers just like you on one of America's favorite breakfast meats. Let's dig in.

Hmmm, this one is interesting. When seeking customer opinions on Great Value brand foods, we don't automatically assume the reviews will be bad. Oftentimes, Great Value has plenty of awesome eats for cheap, but, in this instance, that doesn't appear to be the case.

If there's one thing people unanimously agree on when it comes to Great Value Hickory Smoked Bacon, it's that it isn't attractive. And while this might seem like a trivial thing to mention when it comes to the overall quality and taste of bacon, it seems to be everyone's No. 1 hang-up when it comes to this generic brand of the popular pork treat. We found customer after customer lamenting the fact that the bacon appears "old," though they never really comment on how the bacon tastes. Most just couldn't get past its brown-tinged hue and, thus, never actually got around to sampling it. Even those who managed to get the package opened complained that each strip was hard to get apart and that it shredded to pieces in the pan.

Sorry folks, but Great Value bacon, though reasonably priced, just isn't it.

We're sad to say we can't recommend this Applegate bacon to you when it comes to yummy strips of pork, even though the ingredients tend to be better than the rest. Though this bacon is free of most additives and is marketed as "uncured," consumers are griping over this one, much to our surprise. The first complaint people seem to have is the price point. For the amount you get (usually 8 ounces), the price is what you'd normally expect to pay for a 16-ounce package. Aside from this, even when following the best ways to cook bacon, customers complain that this brand cooks down to practically nothing while leaving behind tough pieces of meat that are unenjoyable to eat.

There is, perhaps, a little light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to Applegate Natural Hickory Smoked uncured bacon. Though many find the bacon subpar, especially for the price point, others seem to like it just fine as long as it's cut into tiny pieces and used in recipes. Meals like stir-fry, broccoli, or baked beans can benefit from a bacon like this, but we're not sure that it's worth it. Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but we still think you could stand to get better options for your hard-earned dollar.

Anything bearing the name "black label" is bound to be good, right? Wrong. In this instance, Hormel Black Label Bacon is anything but regal, and customers have set out to let us know about it. According to the reviews we've read, Hormel Black Label Bacon consists mainly of fat and ends up shriveling up to nothing after being cooked. On top of that, some claim the bacon has little to no smell or flavor, which is truly appalling when you think about it. After all, who doesn't love the smell of bacon?

Another common concern among Hormel Black Label Bacon patrons is that the quality of this bacon seems to have gone downhill over time. According to long-time devotees, this bacon was once a good buy. It was affordable and flavorful. Now, customers resent the fact that the bacon has become inconsistent, with lots of fat and little flavor to live up to its "black label" name. Thus, based on its ghastly reviews, you might wish to skip Hormel Black Label Bacon the next time you see it in the store.

When it comes to Member's Mark Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon, the one thing everyone seems to agree on is its unappealing thin cut. Yep, you can expect to get thin, wispy slices of bacon when purchasing it from Sam's Club, and customers aren't happy about it. Shoppers claim that some pieces of the bacon are so thin they are see-through, while others claim it is extremely difficult to separate the bacon pieces. Aside from the bacon's thinness, many claim that the bacon simply does not smell or taste good, which pretty much defeats the purpose of purchasing bacon in the first place, right?

With that said, we do want to mention that there are a select few who really seem to love this bacon pick. Some claim it tastes great, and one affectionately compared it to the Smithfield brand. Even still, we're going to defer to the majority on this one and advise you to avoid this bacon from the Sam's Club Member's Mark brand; there are plenty of other bacon buys that we think would make a better use of your coin.

This one's interesting as people either love or hate this Aldi brand. While many seem perfectly content with Appleton Farms bacon, most can agree it isn't the most amazing out there. In fact, there are some that downright hate the bacon, claiming it to be all fat and very little meat.

Yes, we're aware of the fact that the fat to meat ratio can be determined ahead of time by using the window on the package, but when most customers complain that the strips often seem to be around 98% fat, we have to raise an eyebrow at the brand. Those discontented with their purchase go as far as to call Appleton Farms bacon a scam and staunchly warn people against buying the bacon in the yellow package.

One additional qualm even those who regularly buy the bacon from Aldi have is that the bacon can sometimes be inconsistent in terms of the thickness of the slices. Some slices have been reported to be so thin you can hardly peel them apart. All in all, if you plan to purchase Aldi's Appleton Farms bacon, just be sure to watch for the proper ratio of meat to fat in terms of marbling. Be prepared to deal with a few thinner pieces, too.

These lowest and highest quality bacon brands to look out for were carefully selected after reviewing several categories and comparing the bacon accordingly. Using basic information on grocery store websites and product packaging, as well as online customer reviews, we were able to discern whether each bacon buy was a high- or low-quality choice. Customer complaints regarding color, marbling, taste, and consistency as well as how the meat cooked up were all determining factors in whether a bacon product did or did not measure up.

Additionally, we took to the pages of Reddit, where we found information concerning certain bacon brands that helped further inform our process. Lastly, we noted the price point on many — though not all — bacon products, since the cost in some cases may not have matched the overall product quality.

While we understand that you may not agree with all the information presented here, we did our best to take into account the full scope of each bacon product and label them as high or low quality, accordingly. We hope you find this list helpful!