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Made Bacon sandwiches this morning with smoked bacon which always smells nice when cooking but I just find the taste is disapointing compared to that smell. I also get the feeling that unless it is very expensive the bacon has been smoked with cigarettes.
I bought the smoked as Mrs Sims prefers it, but she usually buys unsmoked for me, as I went shoppping this week I returned the favour. I like the unsullied taste of unsmoked bacon.
What does the collective prefer?
Smoked. I’m not some communist
Denny's maple smoked bacon. It's a revelation!
Smoked. Well, it’s more isn’t it?
Not smoked streaky bacon please.
Smoked, and always streaky as it has even more flavour.
Smoked, and relatively thick cut.
Must have a decent big of fat on the edge to cook down properly, and the rind gets cooked off to help fry black pudding, eggs and bread in. Nomz.
Smoked 5
Unsmoked 2
Smoked 5
Unsmoked 2
...and that's what's wrong with the world today.
Unsmoked...not salty like smoked is.
Smoked. Unless you're a wrong 'un. (or pretending to be a vegan)
Smoked. Or unsmoked. Just bacon really. It does have to be crispy though, not much worse than soggy bacon.
Smoked of course. You monster. You'll be telling us you like mild cheddar and not vintage extra mature on your cheese on toast next ^^
Smoked.
Otherwise you might as well just have ham...
I used to get smoked but since having really good bacon I find that smoking just detracts from the deliciousness. Waitrose No. 1 bacon is something else, a far cry from standard supermarket stuff. And I'm not normally a food snob.
You’ll be telling us you like mild cheddar and not vintage extra mature on your cheese on toast next
Certainly not, as a mater of fact red Leicester but it is hard to find a really nice crumbly, salty one in the supermarkets, so mature cheddar is next.
Otherwise you might as well just have [s]ham[/s] a carrot…
FTFY
What is wrong with you people?
Unsmoked bacon. Every time.
Smoked bacon is like the Wonderbra of the processed pork world. Promises so much but strangely disappointing when you get down to the serious bit....
Unsmoked but will slum it with fake tasting smoked if I have to. As long as it accompanied with brown sauce the world is good.
Smoked, and of course nice thick cut from the butcher, not the supermarket.
I’ve been curing and smoking my own recently, experimentation with flavours hasn’t always worked so well but i’ve had a couple of really good pieces. Lockdown would be an ideal time to practice but i’ve had to lay off.. the first 2 weeks were bacon sandwiches every day which did not help the old waistline!
More divisive a subject could be sauces.... red is heinous and a waste of bacon, brown is better, but still, good bacon just needs bread and butter.... 😋
I always thought that smoked bacon was only bought after all the unsmoked had sold.
Smoked bacon is like the Wonderbra of the processed pork world. Promises so much but strangely disappointing when you get down to the serious bit….
That doesn’t even make sense. Even bad bacon is still bacon, and therefore must be good
Standard bacon from the supermarket? Unsmoked as their smoked bacon is done cheaply.
Proper bacon from the butcher or local smokehouse? Smoked as they do it properly.

Just sayin' like.
Do those cages contract to cut the bacon shape?
Pre-wrapped for the BBQ? Handy!
Bloody piggy fashionistas. I hope they’re the Versace originals and not the Primark copies
fatmountain
MemberJust sayin’ like

Quite, Daffy. I doubt anyone here is buying pork products from an underpass below a Chinese motorway!
Oh, and... https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pig-cage-photo/
+1 for reluctantjumper; smoked and only from local butcher - would use local smokehouse if I knew of one.
You don’t know of your local smokehouse?
They’ll let anyone on here nowadays...
Has to be smoked...as stated earlier it's just ham otherwise. Tesco's didn't do the red or blue packaging years ago (for easy identification) and I got a load of unsmoked by accident one day, nearly ended in a divorce.
I ate only smoked for years but have swapped to plain for fry ups and sarnys. Somehow it seems more right - perhaps it doesn't fight with the other ingredients.
Smoked is bad for you, unlike normal healthy bacon.
I miss bacon.
There is no vegetarian/ vegan substitute that even comes close 😢
Binners, sorry for failing; got the Audi, logburner, aeropress, butler and wine merchant so thought I'd made it and was part of the P team but....no.
Now got to get myself a smokehouse; sure it'll be worth it to be accepted by the STW glitterati and fritterati....
I also get the feeling that unless it is very expensive the bacon has been smoked with cigarettes.
That is your problem right there. You can't cook cheap bacon properly full stop. Smoked or non-smoked. Cheap bacon has too high a water content and can't be grilled or fried properly as It just boils in the all the water that it's been injected. Only the more expensive bacon for me (and it's not actually that much more expensive) and have it less often. Cooks properly and so much more flavoursome. A tasty treat.
I prefer smoked but the family doesn't so don't tend to get it unfortunately.
Now got to get myself a smokehouse; sure it’ll be worth it to be accepted by the STW glitterati and fritterati….
Got a kettle bbq?
Buy a cheap cold smoke generator.....
Smoked, thick cut. Would eat unsmoked, but only in dire circumstances when smoked isn't available.
either, but decent stuff so it isn't full of water. If that's all you have it's still good but tip the pan up and drain the water off / mop it up with a tissue, to give it a chance
as a mater of fact red Leicester but it is hard to find a really nice crumbly, salty one in the supermarkets
Necessity (OK, milk) sent me to the local Co-Op recently and while there picked up a few other bits and their special 16mo Belton Farm Red Leicester is remarkably good for what it is
Smoked. Obvs.
Like cheese, why would you have bog standard Cheddar when there's MATURE Cheddar?
In Oz it always makes me laugh as we have a brand of cheese that's labelled "tasty" or "extra tasty". Why dafuq buys the less tasty option?
Either. But Bacon is one of the few products I will stand there and look for the British stuff, which usually means the posh stuff or a random brand.
When I move to the sausages, I don't look for British or not. Weird right...but I normally go for the nice ones so I suspect they are.
Smoked Obviously. My son was a vegetarian for 4 years but was cured by a smoked bacon sandwich. What more proof is needed?
From our local butcher, their own not imported, smoked & it is joyous. Super market bacon is beyond contempt, it is the only case where no bacon is possibly better.
Does everyone else just have rubbish supermarkets? Granted their own brand pre packaged bacon is less than spectacular but my local one has suppliers from decent butchers and the stuff from the butcher counter is pretty good too.
also generally unsmoked (too salty otherwise) unless it's being used as an ingredient in a dish and then smoked is likely to be better.
Thanks to this thread it’s not Saturday but I’ve just enjoyed a smoked bacon sandwich with brown sauce and a large pot of strong coffee.
Simple things bringing small pleasures to life during these times.
To balance out that nasty propaganda up there ^, Cambridgeshire piggies/escape Committee running free a couple of days ago. AKA 'bacon lucky dip':
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[i]To balance out that nasty propaganda [/i]moronic post[i] up there[/i]
I discovered a maple cured bacon in Lidls, best I've tasted and it's not one of those "fanciest" "poncy" or "bestest of the best" ranges either. Got no preference over smoked or unsmoked really though.
Unsmoked dry cured for a butty.
Only use smoked as lardons for chicken cacciatore as cant be doing with that thin stuff the Italians use.