Yes, We Eat Bacon!

Good nutrition does not mean going without food that you love. Bacon can change a meal from hum-drum to divine. Since we advocate eating healthy, I choose to avoid added nitrates and nitrites. Hormel has an extensive Natural Choice line and I had eaten their Smoked Ham for years but had never tried this bacon. I was missing something!

So Fragrant!

One of the best features about good bacon is the wonderful aroma that fills the house when you cook it. You can almost know what the bacon will taste like as you begin to smell the first smoky wafts drifting from the pan. This bacon smelled so good, and the flavor matched the smell exactly, spicy-sweet and smoky. It has the taste that gets you hooked on bacon and it’s worth every calorie.

Preparation

One of the worst things that you can do to good bacon is to rush it. I fried this in a cast iron skillet on medium low for about 15 minutes the first time I prepared it. The second time, I browned it on a temperature controlled griddle. I liked it best on the griddle because it cooked more uniformly, but either way will produce good bacon if you take your time. With time, you get a sweet-salty, crunchy-chewy delight instead of a hard, salty chunk of burnt fat. If you’re spending the calories, do it right. It’s average thickness, not too thin or too thick, and it will cook up pretty quickly even if you are taking your time.

Nutrition

At only 80 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of protein for two crunchy slices, this is a nutrition deal. While I wouldn’t advise eating the whole package, a couple of slices will jazz up any meal in a flash for less than 100 calories. It does have turbinado sugar listed in the ingredients, but since the FDA allows a claim of 0 grams of carbs as long as there is less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving, this is insignificant for a single serving of two slices. There are 5 grams in a teaspoon, so 1/2 gram is less than 1/8 teaspoon of sugar. It’s insignificant unless you eat a whole lot of bacon!

$Price$ and Availability

I bought this at Walmart for $5.56. I love that it’s so easy to find and the price is a real deal if you actually eat only one serving at a time, only about $0.79/serving. That is cheap happiness! The bacon is from pigs raised without antibiotics, it’s minimally processed and has no artificial ingredients. There are no nitrates or nitrites added except for those naturally occuring in sea salt and celery.

This bacon will be a staple in my kitchen. If you are a bacon lover, you might want to try this soon!