I Tried Every Costco Kirkland Signature Bacon. Here's How They Stacked Up

You may have walked past Costco's bacon selection and never given it a second look. After all, it can be difficult to know which to get, and you may not want to pay the price and get a pound or 4 pounds of bacon you don't like. I've been purchasing the Kirkland Signature Hickory-Smoked Sliced Bacon for years — I can't recall why I randomly picked that one, but I have to assume my logic at the time was that it was the most affordable and the best deal. I've never purchased any other bacon from Costco besides that one, which is why I wanted to test all four Kirkland offerings to see how they stack up.

I ranked these based on the taste of the bacon, the crispness, and the value for the price. After eating them side by side, I could point out some flaws, so I hope these insights will help you decide which to invest in.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

At first, I liked the Kirkland Signature Fully-Cooked Hickory Wood Smoked Bacon, but it's since lost its charm. It initially brought a blend of smoky, salty, and porky flavors. It's easy to heat since it's already cooked; it took a mere minute or so in the microwave, as directed, to get crispy, which is considerably faster than the other bacons I tried.

This bacon is sold in 1-pound packs, which, according to the packaging, equates to 48 to 50 slices. The slices are the smallest of the four I tried, though. This doesn't bother me, but it's worth noting. After I left the bacon on my plate for a couple of minutes, it tasted somewhat old, like when you eat that last piece of bacon at the end of a meal in an effort not to waste it. It didn't taste fresh, which I have to assume has something to do with it being cooked twice: once to reach the fully cooked status that its name denotes, and a second time when I crisped it up.

At $14.79 for 1 pound of bacon, I don't think this is a great offer, even though it's convenient. Plus, the price has gone up significantly since 2023, when it was around $11.49. The rest of the bacon options come with at least 2 pounds of product, if not more. Therefore, the value and overall taste make the fully-cooked bacon a straightforward last-place pick. Two slices (18 grams) equate to one serving, and that comes with 6 grams of fat, 320 milligrams of sodium, and 6 grams of protein — it's the saltiest of the four, too.

The Kirkland Signature Hickory-Smoked Thick-Sliced Bacon is beloved by customers. A Reddit thread critiquing the thinner-cut pieces has amassed several hundred engagements and comments. "Give me thick cut bacon or give me death," reads one Reddit comment with well over 500 likes. So it's clear this product absolutely has its fans. 

Bacon is highly personal, and since I prefer a crisper strip, this product didn't quite cut it for me. It became pretty firm when I fried it but was still floppy. The thick slicing also made it mildly chewy rather than brittle. Plus, it took much longer to cook than the other options.

You have to actually bite into it, tear off a piece, and chew, whereas others seem to shatter easily. I like the salty and smoky profile that the hickory wood brought to the bacon. Aside from preference, there's something to consider before buying thick-cut bacon: how you plan to use it. The thickness holds up better against liquids and moisture, so it's ideal for pastas or even soups and stews. It comes in two 1.5-pound packs, and $13.49 for 3 pounds isn't too bad an offer. That makes it approximately $4.50 per pound, compared to $14.79 for 1 pound of the pre-cooked one. The flavor and value are considerably better than the fully-cooked variety, which pushed it up in the ranking. One serving is one 13-gram slice, which has 5 grams of fat, 260 milligrams of sodium, and 5 grams of protein. The one-slice serving size is a bit of a bummer, though, but that's the nature of a thick slice.

The Lower-Sodium Kirkland Bacon gets second place in my book. I preferred its crisp texture over the slightly chewier, thick-cut option. I can appreciate the lower sodium aspect as well; it has 190 milligrams per two slices, making it the least salty out of all the options. It also has 7 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein, making it the highest-protein pick. 

That said, the lower sodium allows the hickory smoke flavor to come through more strongly. You can add it to a sweet potato casserole with bacon, since there is 1 teaspoon of salt in the sauce anyway, and using a lower-sodium bacon will prevent it from becoming overly salty. It's worth noting that Redditors say Kirkland's bacon has some issues, such as shredding and falling apart. Hundreds of people agreed that they'd stopped buying Kirkland bacon for that reason, but some also note that it seems to be a problem with many bacon brands these days.

Each package comes with four 1-pound, individually wrapped packs for $16.49, making it around $4.12 per pound and the best deal so far. The texture and value give it a slight lead over the thick-cut bacon. 

After trying everything side by side, I deem the regular-sliced Hickory-Smoked Bacon the best of the batch. I preferred the saltiness of this over the lower-sodium one, as it seemed to provide a more intriguing profile that teeters between smoky and salty. This could be beneficial in vegetable-forward recipes, such as a broccoli bacon Brussels sprouts salad or bacon-wrapped green beans, as you want to impart as much flavor to the veggie dish as possible.

I also prefer the longer slices of bacon, which seem to stretch when pulled from the package. To avoid this, fully cut open the package and gently remove the slice, then store the bacon in a different container. The crispy, shattery bacon is fantastic, but you could take it off the frying pan earlier if you prefer it softer. This offering has the same quality and price as the lower-sodium option, meaning it has value on its side. The balanced flavor, excellent crisp texture, and value make my tried-and-true bacon the No. 1 pick from Kirkland's selection. If you feel like you can't go through 4 pounds of bacon before the best-by date, I recommend freezing them immediately and thawing them in the fridge overnight when you're ready to use them. One serving is two slices (15 grams), which have 7 grams of fat, 280 milligrams of sodium, and 5 grams of protein.

This was a surprisingly difficult ranking. Each product had both good and bad qualities. I ultimately based my ranking on the overall balance of flavor and texture, as well as the value. I looked for a fatty, pork flavor that wasn't incredibly salty and a bacon that cooked up crispy. However, if you prefer softer bacon, just don't cook it as long. I also considered the cost per pound of each bacon, as this may be a deciding factor for some shoppers. I discussed general cooking times and the bacon sizing as well, since this may be relevant to some shoppers. However, these factors did not play into my actual ranking.

To test each of these bacons, I cooked them separately to avoid mixing them up. I broke off pieces and tasted one after the other and did that multiple times until I finished the slices. My ideal bacon would be a combination of my top two picks, with a mid-tier salt content. No matter which one you end up favoring, don't forget to save the bacon grease after cooking.