Food and Recipes Meat Bacon We Tried The Most Popular Bacon Brands–These Are 8 of Our Favorites By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on December 20, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Krasyuk/Getty Images Ah, bacon. Sweet, salty, savory, smoky, beautiful bacon. Bacon is a Southern cooking staple, but choosing the right bacon at the supermarket can be a bit overwhelming. Standing in front of a refrigerator full of seemingly identical packages of bacon that have all sorts of different labels from a variety of brands can be intimidating. What's the difference in natural and organic? Is double smoked better than smoked? What in the world is a center cut? You could spend a lot of time mulling over your choices, so to save some of it for you, we've rounded up few mainstay types of bacon you might see at the store and explained them for you. From thick cut to uncured and dry rubbed, here's your guide to the different types of bacon at the supermarket. Plus, we're sharing our favorite pick in each category. We're even letting you in on a little secret by sharing the Southern Living Test Kitchen's favorite bacon. 01 of 08 Thick Cut Jennifer Causey What It Means: Hefty, meaty slices. The thickness varies depending on the brand.Best For: Sprinkling on soups and saladsOur Pick: Hormel Black Label Original Thick Cut Bacon 02 of 08 Uncured Jennifer Causey What It Means: This type of bacon has been preserved with nitrites or nitrates from natural (not artificial) sources, such as celery.Best For: Serving with eggs and pancakesOur Pick: Smithfield All Natural Uncured Bacon 03 of 08 Center Cut Target What It Means: This bacon comes from the middle portion of the pork belly. The fatty ends of the bacon have been trimmed, making leaner (and smaller) slices.Best For: Topping hamburgers and BLTsOur Pick: Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon 04 of 08 Double Smoked Wright Brand Bacon What It Means: Deeper, richer flavor. Look for "naturally smoked" on the label, indicating that the bacon spent time in an actual smoker.Best For: Adding to recipes like spaghetti carbonaraOur Pick: Wright Brand Double Smoked Bacon, an SL Test Kitchen favorite 05 of 08 "Something" Smoked (Hardwood, Hickory, Applewood, Mesquite, etc.) Target What It Means: This lets you know what kind of wood generated the smoke, which can lend different flavors to the bacon. Reminder: Don't forget to look for the word "naturally."Best For: Any bacon needs—all-purposeOur Pick: Farmland Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon 06 of 08 Dry Rubbed Wellshire Farms What It Means: As you can assume, dry rubbed, sometimes called dry cured, bacon is rubbed with a blend of spices, rather than smoked, to harvest flavor.Best For: Barbecue loversOur Pick: Wellshire Black Forest All Natural Thick Sliced Dry Rubbed Uncured Bacon 07 of 08 Organic Target What It Means: Yes, bacon can be organic. According to the USDA, if the bacon is made from certified organic meat or poultry (they've been fed certified organic feed and haven't been given antibiotics or growth hormones), then the bacon itself is organic.Best For: Adding bacon flavor to healthy dishes without (as much) guiltOur Pick: Applegate Organics Hickory Smoked Uncured Sunday Bacon 08 of 08 Maple Niman Ranch What It Means: Maple bacon means that maple syrup was used during the curing process. This type of bacon will have a sweeter side to it, which can balance out smoky and salty flavors.Best For: Serving with savory breakfast dishesOur Pick: Niman Ranch Uncured Center-Cut Maple Bacon Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit