A bacon blind taste test spanning 20 samples from 13 brands has produced a clear set of winners, with ButcherBox taking best classic-cut, Wegmans claiming best grocery-store brand, and Peter Luger leading the thick-cut field. The test was conducted by editors at Delish, who ranked each sample from one to five on taste and texture before tallying scores across four categories.
The 20 samples came from national grocery store chains, mail-order meat companies, and membership-only big-box retailers. Editors tasted blind, scoring on two criteria only: taste and texture. The results produced winners in best regular, best grocery-store brand, best thick-cut, and best budget.
How the Bacon Blind Taste Test Was Run
With so many bacon brands on the market, ranging from restaurant-adjacent producers to generic supermarket lines, the panel set out to find what genuinely holds up under tasting conditions without label influence. Each of the 20 samples was assessed independently, and editors recorded written notes alongside their numerical scores. Those combined scores determined the category rankings.
The breadth of the field mattered. Pulling from three distinct retail channels, national chains, mail order, and big-box membership stores, gave the test a range of price points and production styles. That diversity is what allowed a budget pick to sit alongside a premium restaurant brand in the final results.
Category Winners and What Set Them Apart
ButcherBox won the best classic-cut category on the strength of its balance. Associate editor Gabby Romero, who previously won a sandwich contest using ButcherBox bacon in a BLT, had advocated for it before the blind test began. Designer Alison Dominguez noted ‘pretty good taste, texture, flavor, and salt,’ while test kitchen manager Alejandro Valdes Lora highlighted its smoke level, describing it as present without being overpowering.
Wegmans took best grocery-store brand, beating out bacon from a wide field of national chains. Multiple editors commented on its smoke, and visual coordinator Cindy Roblero singled out its texture. Wegmans operates primarily on the East Coast, so availability varies by region, though the panel’s view was that it merits seeking out where stocked.
The thick-cut category went to Peter Luger, whose packaged bacon scored higher than almost every other sample across the entire tray, regardless of category. Food editor Francesca Zani, described in the test notes as a self-professed thick-cut bacon lover, awarded it five out of five: ‘Best thickness! Love.’ Associate editor Amanda Mactas kept it simpler: ‘Legit thick-cut.’ The bacon sits at the higher end of the price range, though the panel’s consensus was that the quality justifies the cost.
The best budget award went to Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark thick-cut, priced at $4.12 per pound. Its score was high despite the low price point, though tasters were divided on its fattier profile. Zani called it ‘very crispy and fatty’ with ‘good flavor,’ while senior editor Samantha MacAvoy described it as ‘quite good’ with a ‘tender’ texture. Others were less taken with the fat content, making it a pick best suited to those who already favour a richer, heavier slice.
The budget result is perhaps the test’s most practically useful finding. At $4.12 per pound, Sam’s Club‘s offering provides a route into thick-cut bacon without the premium outlay that Peter Luger requires, and for shoppers who prefer that style, the panel’s scores suggest it genuinely delivers.
Taken together, the four category winners cover most buying scenarios. ButcherBox suits those after a reliable everyday rasher; Wegmans rewards those close enough to one of its stores to shop there regularly; Peter Luger is the treat buy; and Member’s Mark answers the question of what to reach for when price is the constraint. The bacon blind taste test covered enough ground that whichever category applies, there is a tested answer behind the recommendation.