Walmart bacon vs Super overpriced designer bacon

What's all this about nitrates not being the enemy?

Also, stay the heck away from MalWart. Ugh.

M.

I cringe at sounding hoity-toity here, but I haven't stepped foot in Wal-Mart in over a year and even then it was an emergency.

If I can in any way assist the local, ethical bacon producers, I will do so. And they sell in many grocery stores in my area thank goodness, and I can even order right to my home if I wish. Maybe look into some sort of delivery program in your area? Some quick research will surely yield some better results than Oscar Mayer

I plan my (stupidly small) budget around buying bacon from the Earth Fare down the street from me. Its only slightly more expensive than the stuff at Kroger, but it tastes soooo much better to me! Maybe its how they cure it, but Earth Fare bacon is really high on my priority list!

OP, maybe look for pieces. I found them at a local grocery store for $1.49/lb. They're not pretty and uniform like the bacon packaged by the major companies, and I found them looking at other pork (IOW, they weren't by the brand name bacon). There are some full sized strips, but a lot are smaller pieces (like half slices).

Off hand, I think in my lifetime, the two ongodly raises in prices on food have been for bacon and chicken wings. I'm not knocking supply and demand, but thankfully neither of those foods is a favorite of mine. I use bacon as a seasoning mostly, and I've been "buffalo-ing" thighs since the advent of Buffalo Wings raised the price of wings so steeply. (Really, they used to be so cheap, you could buy them for your pets.)

If I prorate the price of a 12 oz package of bacon to a pound price, where I live at least, I can buy grass fed beef shanks for the same price. No way I'd choose the bacon in that situation.

[QUOTE=JoanieL;1079626]OP, maybe look for pieces. I found them at a local grocery store for $1.49/lb. They're not pretty and uniform like the bacon packaged by the major companies, and I found them looking at other pork (IOW, they weren't by the brand name bacon). There are some full sized strips, but a lot are smaller pieces (like half slices).

Off hand, I think in my lifetime, the two ongodly raises in prices on food have been for bacon and chicken wings. I'm not knocking supply and demand, but thankfully neither of those foods is a favorite of mine. I use bacon as a seasoning mostly, and I've been "buffalo-ing" thighs since the advent of Buffalo Wings raised the price of wings so steeply. (Really, they used to be so cheap, you could buy them for your pets.)

If I prorate the price of a 12 oz package of bacon to a pound price, where I live at least, I can buy grass fed beef shanks for the same price. No way I'd choose the bacon in that situation.[/QUOTE]

I can't believe the price of chicken wings. It sucks because I love chicken wings(maybe too much).

Fun fact. I read the other day that approximately 1.2 Billion pounds of chicken wings will be eaten on Superbowl Sunday.

[url=http://www.worldpoultry.net/Broilers/Markets--Trade/2013/1/12-billion-chicken-wings-eaten-during-US-super-bowl-1157361W/]WorldPoultry - 1.2 billion chicken wings eaten during US super bowl[/url]

And really, even though I'm kind of an antique, I remember chicken wings for about 10-29cents/pound. My grandmother used to grind them up for her poodle. :)

I'd rather eat 2-3 slices of Nueske's bacon than a pound of generic.
I would have said 'North Country Smokehouse' before the Holidays but a family taste-test proved otherwise.

Eat what you like. Ignore all other input-including this post. :-)

Yeah, chicken wings are awfully and unjustifiably overpriced!

Re. bacon,
I think it should depend on how much and how often you eat it. For me it's too messy and too much trouble to cook it (and honestly nothing exciting taste-wise), so I maybe have bacon once a month if that. Not eating breakfast might have something to do with that, too. Because of that I'm not too picky on the source.

[QUOTE=Finnegans Wake;1079294]+2. Maybe read up on sustainable ag v. CAFO bullshit. Happens to be pretty important to me. But then again, the idea of stepping foot in a Wal-Mart is about as appealing to me as digging my heart out with a rusty spoon.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=justyouraveragecavemen;1079300]Why a spoon cousin, why not an axe?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Finnegans Wake;1079301]Because that would be quicker and less painful.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=justyouraveragecavemen;1079307]Close..."Because it would hurt more you twit!"

Alan Rickman in Robin Hood Prince of Theives.[/QUOTE]

Ahhh... I love the truth. :o

And all of my love for the day for a Rickman quote to get us there!

One of the best things about bacon to me is the wonderful cooking fat that is left after making some. It withstands some fairly high heat for searing and it adds a nice flavor. Hmmm, chicken wings fried in bacon fat. Might have to give that a try.