Food For Real's Bacon Taste-off

Courtney at Food For Real did a bacon tasting. The tasting included the Wooly Pigs brand bacons (available from Foods in Season) and bacon from a meat-type breed of pig.

Here's a sample (emphasis and elisions by me):

It simply is not possible to compare the two meats using the same scale. The Babes in the Woods (the meat-type breed pig) fresh side is earthy and densely chewy, like meat from a past we're to young to have been part of. The Mangalitsa - all of it, including the loin - is completely different. The fat melts in your mouth and the meat is delicate and sweet, even with the hickory smoking... That said, the jowl was among if not the best cured bacon we've ever had.

Not surprising the jowl was the favorite. Many think that. It is wonderful that so many people love the jowl bacon - but really, pretty much everyone who buys it loves it.

I'm happy someone liked the loin so much - that's the bacon that people are reluctant to try, because it is such a novel product. It is also the first time we've made that product. I'm confident we can make it even better next time.

Although Courtney complains about the smokiness, a lot of customers remark that they like the smoke a lot. One thing - the smoke is real smoke, not liquid smoke. Based on the responses I'm hearing from people, I think they can taste the difference.

Finally, it is a humbling experience to have people buy products from Wooly Pigs and take the time to go on the web and write such positive things about them.