Upon first glance at this package, any meat-eating, bacon-loving American would flatly state, “That’s not bacon.” And in a way, you’re right. It’s not the breakfast bacon you know—it’s much better. Most bacon comes from the belly cut of the pig, thus the heavy layers of fat, but this cut is from the leanier, meatier back cut, trimmed closely to the high-quality pork loin. Get ready to go hog wild, people.

According to the savory history of bacon (now, wouldn’t that be a book we’d all gobble up!), the technique used for this meat is much older. Most bacons from the grocery store are smoked or dry salt-cured, but Nodine’s uses the Old World Irish technique of curing the bacon in a juniper-heavy brine. It makes the bacon all the more herbaceous and mouthwatering, and it’s bacon us crazy!

Tip of the Tongue:

Baked beans practically become a gourmet delicacy with this bacon as the base. A slab of the meat cooked with filet mignon adds a smoky quality that any 3-star restaurant who be envious of.