The Best Bacon In Every State
Updated: Feb. 18, 2024
If you can't imagine a world without bacon, then this is the list for you. We found the best bacon in every state.
Alabama
Bill-E’s Bacon, Fairhope
According to the website, songwriters serenade every batch of artisan bacon as it’s smoked at Bill-E’s Bacon. We’re not sure if that’s true, but the incredible flavor of this small-batch, hand-crafted bacon will certainly make you sing. Bill-E’s is cured for eight days in pink salt and dark brown sugar.
Alaska
Butcher Block No. 9, Anchorage
The meat cases at Butcher Block No. 9 (named for the owners’ nine children) are loaded with Alaskan-grown meats, and their selection of bacon is the largest in the area. The bacon is made in-house, smoked over hardwoods and is available in tantalizing, gourmet flavors: coriander, fennel, rosemary and jalapeño to name a few. Once you pick up this specialty meat, follow our tips for cooking bacon.
Arizona
The Pork Shop, San Tan Valley
The Queen Creek and San Tan Valley areas have been enjoying smoked bacon from The Pork Shop since 1979. The varieties there include hickory smoked, spicy Tuscan with cayenne and paprika, Canadian bacon, and Kansas City bacon made from the leaner pork shoulder cut. You can even buy this bacon from a guy with a handlebar mustache.
Arkansas
Petit Jean Meats, Morrilton
The Peppered Bacon made by Petit Jean Meats is so revered that it’s a popular mail and online order item, often referred to as “Arkansas Peppered Bacon.” The company owned today by the Ruff family began as a tiny meat shop in the 1920s. It’s no wonder that their bacons have become synonymous with the best of Arkansas. Don’t make these bacon cooking mistakes!
California
Hobbs’ Applewood Smoked Meats, Richmond
The dry-curing and smoking methods developed by Hobbs Shore in the 1980s set the standard for “California-style” bacon. Hobbs’ Applewood Smoked Bacon is often spotted on the menus of fine dining restaurants in the state. Chef Thomas Keller, owner of the renowned French Laundry restaurant calls for Hobbs’ Bacon by name in his cookbooks.
Colorado
Tender Belly, Denver
Tender Belly, though only ten years old, has created a bacon so flavorful that it’s in very high demand—by serious bacon lovers and discriminating restaurant chefs. They use pork bellies from pastured Duroc pigs and cure them in a secret spice blend for 12 days—unusually long for the industry, but it’s the secret behind the superior flavor and texture.
Connecticut
Nodine’s Smokehouse, Torrington
“The bacon of our grandparents,” is the way this meat is described. It is indeed that delicious, thanks to small batch smoking at Nodine’s Smokehouse over woods like maple and juniper. It’s also available in some delicious flavors like peppered, Bayou and garlic. It’s been a Connecticut favorite since 1969. There are definitely bacon fans who like it on their pizza. Have you ever been to this favorite Connecticut pizzeria?
Delaware
Hickman’s Meats, Rehoboth Beach
Find an amazing array of meats and cuts at Hickman’s Meats, as well as knowledgeable butchers to help you find what you need. One customer shared that the staff there helped her get the perfect amount of their meaty, housemade, applewood smoked bacon to make her first ever batch of traditional collard greens.
Florida
Hinckley’s Fancy Meats, Orlando
The owner of Hinckley’s Fancy Meats traveled the globe learning about meat cutting from several cultures. At his shop, he creates a deliciously tender bacon with pork bellies from pigs bred locally. The bacon is seasoned and cured using sugar, wildflower honey and sea salt before being smoked over applewood.
Georgia
Pine Street Market, Avondale Estates
The Pine Street Market is proud to be a whole animal butchery that uses every part of the animals. Their Heritage Bacon is made with pork bellies from Duroc hogs, a breed chosen by the butchers for the exceptionally juicy and flavorful meat. The bellies are smoked in applewood and oak.
Hawaii
Mai Grille, Waikoloa
Owner and chef Alan Hess proclaims his Mai Grille to be the “Home of Bacon” and their own housemade bacon is the star of the show. The restaurant and the coffee-cured, hand-cut bacon are named after his daughter. Try this unique and savory bacon in their Mai Grille Benedict or in the restaurant’s specialty, Endless Bacon Bloody Mary.
Idaho
Falls Brand Bacon, Twin Falls
“Falls Brand thick sliced bacon is just the best!” Straight from the mouth of their happy customers, Falls Brand Bacon has been the local favorite of Twin Falls since the city’s founding year (1904). The hardwood smoked, thick sliced bacon is the most popular variety they sell, and they also have slab and pork jowl bacon.
Illinois
Dreymiller and Kray, Inc., Hampshire
The irresistible bacons at Dreymiller and Kray Inc. include flavor profiles like Breakfast Spice, which is loaded with cinnamon—a perfect bacon to enjoy with pancakes. The Southern pepper bell has just the right amount of spicy pepper seasoning. We’re really intrigued by their variety pack called the Bacon Satisfier: three and a half pounds of five different bacons.
Indiana
Indiana Kitchen, Delphi
The Indiana Kitchen brand is sourced from Indiana hog farms and all the bacon is produced in the state as well. For the past five years the town of Delphi has hosted the Indiana Bacon Festival to showcase this treasured bacon in cook-offs and bacon eating contests. Want to know some of the easiest bacon recipes?
Iowa
Des Moines Bacon & Meat Company, Des Moines
When owner Jim Reis couldn’t find a great tasting bacon at the store, he decided to make his own: seasoned pork belly that’s dry-cured before being smoked. With his business Des Moines Bacon & Meat Company, he shares this amazing bacon with the rest of us at grocery stores and farmers markets throughout the city.
Kansas
The Meat Shed, Frontenac
Owner Matt DeMoss opened The Meat Shed in an effort to showcase and preserve Old World methods of charcuterie. He cures and smokes his signature Maple Black Pepper Bacon in-house, as well as other flavors. He can be found at farmers markets and pop-up events year-round selling this bacon and other meats. Stop by and get great ideas for creating your next cheese board.
Kentucky
Broadbent’s, Kuttawa
The folks at Broadbent’s know a lot about smoked meats—their Grand Champion Country Ham sold at the Kentucky State Fair for $2.8 million dollars! (Check out The Best State Fair Food in Every State.) Their bacons are just as revered. Broadbent’s country bacons have been smoked the same way for a century. They have varieties smoked over maple, hickory and applewood.
Louisiana
Avec Bacon Cafe, Lafayette
How can you not love a restaurant whose motto is, “Love, Peace & Bacon Grease!” The Avec Bacon Cafe is where to find it. The owner created his own sweet-salty mixture to dry-cure pork bellies before smoking them over maple wood. This incredible bacon is featured in their sandwiches like a Cinco de Pig-O. Sample your own sweet and savory combo in one of these bacon treats.
Maine
Maine Meats, Kittery
This butchery in seacoast Maine has delicious bacon smoked in-house with applewood and hardwood charcoal. The pork comes from local and humanely raised pigs. Maine Meats has this bacon available in their meat case for you to take home, or you may find it on one of their butcher’s sandwiches of the day.
Maryland
Hahn’s of Westminster, Westminster
Making bacon is a serious business at Hahn’s of Westminster. They smoke about 25 racks of bacon per day, with each rack holding pork bellies from 50 pigs. Customers love Hahn’s for the quality and delectable, meaty flavor. Enjoy the bacon on sandwiches or pick up a few packs at their Pork and Beans (as in coffee) Store. Speaking of coffee shops, mark these for your next road trip.
Massachusetts
Boston Brisket Company via The Bacon Truck, Boston
Though the Boston Brisket Company got its start making corned beef and pastrami, they quickly became well known for their bacon. It’s touted as “the only thick sliced applewood bacon made in Boston.” Try the bacon yourself by stopping by The Bacon Truck where they fold it into sandwiches and even desserts. This is a round-up of the best food trucks.
Michigan
Alward’s Market, Hale
“We live 2.5 hours away and make the drive for it!” That’s just how good the bacon is at Alward’s Market. When the shop first opened in the 1940s, the owner developed his own recipes for curing and smoking bacon, including the old-fashioned method of smoking over an open fire. The methods have been taught and passed down ever since.
Minnesota
Thielen Meats of Pierz, Pierz
This bacon has some celebrity fans: Martha Stewart for one, and Food Network star Amy Thielen (it’s her cousin’s business!). Thielen Meats of Pierz has plenty of local devotion too, with folks bringing pickups and coolers to the shop to stock up on their bacon. It’s smoked over maple wood chips and hand-rotated in the smokehouse.
Mississippi
Delta Meat Market, Cleveland
At this destination, get your bacon from a James Beard Award-nominated, classically trained chef. Cole Ellis opened Delta Meat Market in his hometown after training in restaurants across the South. The bacon at Delta Meat Market is smoked in-house and is featured in Cobb salads, sandwiches and other entrees crafted for the rooftop bar.
Missouri
Burgers’ Smokehouse, California
Lots of folks like thick cut bacon, but if you’re a real bacon lover try the steak cut slices from Burger’s Smokehouse. They cut their smoked bacon into quarter-inch thick slices that are so hearty they could take center stage on your dinner plate. These substantial slices come smoked over hickory or applewood, and with Cajun or pepper seasonings.
Montana
Daily’s Bacon, Missoula
This is the most popular bacon in Montana. The Daily’s Bacon business has grown steadily over the last 120 years, and the brand is well-known for its quality and exceptional taste. The production has grown to include a plant in a second state, but many restaurants in Missoula serve Daily’s bacon that was produced right in town.
Nebraska
Just Good Meat, Omaha
This old-fashioned butcher shop prides itself on bacon that “will get anyone out of bed in the morning.” The bacons at Just Good Meat include hickory smoked, double smoked pepper, smoked pecan and the intriguing hickory smoked jalapeño. This spicy variety would make an exceptional BLT.
Nevada
Butcher Boy Meat Market, Reno
The Jolly family has been long known in the Reno area for fresh meat products at their Butcher Boy Meat Market. They’re known for their use of Old World Italian curing and charcuterie methods. The smoked bacon their customers love comes from Berkshire hogs, one of the most desired breeds for creating the highest-quality bacon.
New Hampshire
North Country Smokehouse, Claremont
The thick sliced bacon from North Country Smokehouse has enjoyed acclaim from Yankee Magazine, Men’s Journal and Food & Wine. Three generations of smokemasters have perfected their method of small-batch, low and slow smoking to produce this outstanding bacon. Find varieties smoked over applewood, fruitwood or corn cobs, plus an old-fashioned pea meal bacon: wet-cured in maple brine and rolled in cornmeal. Have you tried New Hampshire’s favorite comfort food?
New Jersey
Haines Pork Shop, Mickleton
In over 100 years the Haines Pork Shop has seen a lot of updates, but customers flock there today for the same reason they did then: the delicious bacon. The butchering and smoking skills have been passed from generation to generation. In the thriving shop you’ll find smoked bacon, peppered bacon, turkey bacon and the leaner Canadian bacon.
New Mexico
Nelson’s Meats, Albuquerque
Their mouthwatering, thick-sliced bacon isn’t the only thing Nelson’s Meats is known for. Their fiercely loyal customers can’t get enough of their friendly customer service. Some folks have been buying from Nelson’s for up to 30 years! (Tip from the locals: make sure you snag a few of their roasted green chiles when they’re in season.)
New York
Mountain Products Smokehouse, Lagrangeville
The bacon made at Mountain Products Smokehouse is really unique. They have traditional smoked bacon and Canadian bacon, as well as creative flavor blends like apple pie spice, summer herb and honey sriracha. Customers say it’s the best bacon in the Hudson Valley.
North Carolina
The Chop Shop Butchery, Asheville
“Bringing back the neighborhood butcher shop.” That’s the mission of The Chop Shop, and they’ve become an Asheville favorite for their fresh local meats, deli menu and classes. Their bacon is cut, cured and smoked in-house. In addition to traditional pork belly bacon they also have guanciale (pork jowl) and beef bacon. If you’re a carnivore at heart, you’ll want our guide to the best steakhouses.
North Dakota
Cloverdale Bacon, Mandan
You can find Cloverdale Bacon in grocery stores across several states, but the company is the hometown pride of Mandan, North Dakota. The owners and employees are like a family creating quality “Big Flavor Country” bacon varieties like triple smoked applewood and maple. At the Cloverdale Country Store you buy their bacon by the case!
Ohio
Eckerlin Meats, Cincinnati
This business was open when Abraham Lincoln was president. Eckerlin Meats is a family-run butcher shop, and they’re famous for two things: the regional favorite goetta, and their bacon. Hickory smoked and then thick cut by hand to order, the bacon is meaty and so flavorful. For a spicy kick, try their black pepper bacon or cayenne-laced Cajun bacon. It turns out there’s an iconic food for every state.
Oklahoma
Prairie Creek Farms, Kellyville
The bacon from Prairie Creek Farms is non-GMO and comes from 100% pastured Berkshire pigs. What this means is that this delicious smoked and cured meat comes from owners who are passionate about humane treatment and environmental stewardship. Their popular smoked bacon can be found on restaurant menus and at farmers markets in the Tulsa area.
Oregon
Carlton Farms, Carlton
This favorite bacon of the Pacific Northwest is frequently included in “bacon of the month” subscriptions. That’s because Carlton Farms Bacon is dry-aged and cured with blend of salt and sugar before being smoked. This process creates an exceptionally tender, lean and tasty bacon.
Pennsylvania
S. Clyde Weaver, Inc., East Petersburg
This bacon comes from a true mom-and-pop business that began 100 years ago out of the owners’ home. At the S. Clyde Weaver shop there is a dizzying array of cheeses, spreads and local foods, but none as popular as their smoked bacon. Dry cured and double smoked they proclaim it to be the best in Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island
Blackbird Farms, Smithfield
Bacon lovers in Smithfield and beyond can taste the delicious bacon and from Blackbird Farms at over a dozen stores and restaurants, including two Rhode Island colleges. Their pigs are free-range and humanely raised. One happy customer used the smoked bacon from Blackbird to top a homemade meatloaf. “Best I ever had.”
South Carolina
Four Oaks Farm, Lexington
The Mathias family has been raising award-winning Berkshire pigs on Four Oaks Farm for more than four generations, so it’s no wonder their smoked meats are popular. Customers love the gift boxes like the bacon lovers sampler loaded with four pounds of Four Oaks bacon including smoked jowl and peppered varieties. Learn about the best way to weave bacon.
South Dakota
Jorgenson Meats, Waubay
There are a lot of delicious meats, sausages and jerkys at Jorgenson Meats, but they are most well-known for their incredible bacon. There are 14 varieties with some unusual flavors like apple cinnamon and raspberry chipotle. Their top-selling bacon is the Hungarian, a peppered variety that tastes like a seasoned ham.
Tennessee
Benton’s Smoky Mountains Country Hams, Madisonville
Though he’s been proclaimed a “bacon god” by chefs and bacon aficionados across the country, Allan Benton of Benton’s is always humble about the praise. He grew up smoking hams and bacon with his family, and uses the same methods today. Their bacon is hickory smoked for two days. There is enough smoke used in the production that even the Benton’s souvenir T-shirts are hickory-scented!
Texas
Kiolbassa Smoked Meats, San Antonio
The owner of Kiolbassa Smoked Meats is so confident you’ll love this bacon, his name and phone are printed on the package as the money-back guarantee. A spice blend handed down from his father is handrubbed into the pork belly before curing and smoking. This tasty bacon has no added water or chemicals. You can put your bacon grease to good use if you save it.
Utah
Christiansen’s Family Farm, Fairfield
The products from Christiansen’s Family Farm are so delicious and highly regarded that they’re used by several local farm-to-table restaurants. Customers say their brown sugar cured and fresh pork belly bacons are the best they’ve ever had. The farm humanely raises happy Berkshire pigs that are free-range and given high-quality feeds.
Vermont
Dakin Farm, Ferrisburgh
The smokehouse and sugarhouse at Dakin Farm is a popular place to stop for tourists and locals alike. Their delicious bacon is slow smoked over corn cob embers giving it a deep and delicious flavor. For an extra taste of Vermont, try their bacon coated in maple syrup and dusted with maple sugar. If you love the idea of visiting a family farm, take a peak at some of the best pizza farms.
Virginia
Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, Surry
The founder of Edwards Virginia Smokehouse built his first smokehouses to look like tepees, a tribute to the Native Americans who taught the craft to colonial settlers. The Edwards deliciously smokey bacon has been tremendously popular ever since. A second shop in Williamsburg was added to keep up with the demand. We hear it’s the number one choice for a perfect BLT.
Washington
Butcher Boys, Vancouver
Try the award-winning bacons at the Butcher Boys shop—they have hickory smoked, maple sugar cured and peppered. This family-owned butchery has served the community for over 40 years (check out these secrets for getting the best meat from the butcher.) Their smoking methods have gained international fame with people traveling from as far away as China to learn smoking techniques from the father and son owners.
West Virginia
Farmer’s Daughter Market & Butcher, Capon Bridge
In just a few years the owners of Farmer’s Daughter Market & Butcher have made their mark with delicious meats cut-to-order, local produce and dry goods offerings. They smoke their own bacon—varieties include classic belly bacon, lamb bacon and a leaner, English-style bacon. They’ll pile that bacon high on burgers and sandwiches for you in their cafe.
Wisconsin
Neuske’s, Wittenberg
If you’re from Wisconsin, you love Neuske’s Bacon. It’s treasured there almost as much as the Green Bay Packers. Neuske’s has stayed loyal to Wisconsin, too. It’s been family-owned since it was first sold out of a truck during the Great Depression. Their Applewood Smoked Bacon is still made using methods handed down for generations, and has won national acclaim. It’s one of the most-cherished favorite Wisconsin brands, as proven in our bacon taste test.
Wyoming
Sweet Cheeks, Jackson
Tourists come back again and again to Sweet Cheeks after they’ve tried their grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches and BLTs while on the road. Locals can’t get enough of this place either. They swear by their locally-sourced, fresh meat cuts and claim they’re the best butcher in Jackson (and better yet, the best one they’ve been to, period).
Originally Published: July 15, 2020
