Our food editor stocks bacon in her fridge at all times: for breakfast, for sandwiches at lunch, or for chopping up and throwing into beans, stews, or pastas. But after several store brands left her disappointed, a new Taste Test was born.

We pitted store brand and local bacons against each other, sticking with applewood or hardwood smoked bacon when available—no honey-cured or black pepper varieties. Turkey bacon was, of course, off the table. Here’s which bacon you should be grabbing at the butcher shop or grocery store.

Excellent Bacon

Otto’s Alder Smoked Bacon

Testers liked the flavor and balance of this hearty, thick bacon. “The fattiness just kind of dissolves on your tongue in a nice way, but it’s meaty enough that you get the two experiences,” said one tester. “That’s really good,” said another. One tester found it a bit salty.

Hill’s Hardwood Smoked Bacon

This bacon comes from Pendleton, but it’s conveniently available at Safeway. Its flavor makes it worth seeking out. “It has a nice smokiness,” said a tester. It was easy to get a good crisp on this bacon, and its thickness is a happy Goldilocks in-between that should satisfy most breakfast eaters. Hill’s also ranked highly in our hot dog taste test.

Very Good Bacon

Gartner’s Regular Sugar Bacon

This was perhaps the meatiest, thickest bacon we tried, with a pleasant smoky flavor and a texture similar to jerky. Unlike thinner, fattier bacon, it doesn’t just melt away. “I think I would enjoy that on a BLT—it doesn’t just disappear,” said one tester.

Revel Meat Co. Smoked Belly Bacon

This unique bacon was thick-cut, meaty, and rich, with a noticeable sweetness that made it seem almost candied. “I almost feel like it could use more salt,” said one tester. Another tester, however, declared, “This is really delicious.”

Okay Bacon

Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen Alder Smoked Bacon

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with this bacon, but it was… boring. “It isn’t particularly salty,” said one tester. “It isn’t particularly meaty, either.” What we could detect, however, was a heavy fattiness that sat on the tongue long after the bacon was finished.

Carlton Farms Premium Smoked Bacon

While some testers found this bacon good but not extraordinary, others were overwhelmed by certain flavors—one detected a fish sauce–like flavor, while another was blown away by its saltiness.

Bacon to Avoid

Oscar Mayer Original Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon

This bacon was suspiciously perfect-looking, with uniform stripes of meat and fat. “It looks like the bacon that comes in a kids’ kitchen playset,” said a tester. Tasters liked its thin, crispy texture, but its flavor was less than desirable. “It’s really salty,” said one tester. “It has a chemical aftertaste,” added another.