'I Can't Buy Any Other Kind' — The 2-Pound Pack Of Dry Cured Bacon Costco Shoppers Can't Leave The Store Without

There might be the odd disagreement over how much fat is too much fat, or how thin or thick the slices should be, but bacon lovers typically live by the philosophy that all bacon is good bacon. There's one product on the Costco aisles that's suddenly making all other bacon look mediocre in comparison, though, if the reviews online are to be believed. Shoppers on Reddit have discovered Fletcher's hickory smoked, dry cured bacon and they just can't get enough of it.

"I can't buy any other kind — this stuff is SO good," one Redditor gushed about the 2-pound pack, which another poster described as being "more buttery" than the thick-cut bacon that can be found elsewhere on Costco's aisles. A third user admitted that they had actually switched from the Kirkland brand to Fletcher's dry cured bacon. "I don't think I am going back. It's a bit more but worth it," they reasoned. As a quick but relevant aside, we tried every Kirkland Signature bacon, and a couple of them really hit the spot, so Fletcher's had a reasonably high bar to beat.

Fletcher's manufactures their dry cured bacon by rubbing the pork belly in their special spice blend and then curing the meat in its own natural juices. The pork is then smoked using natural hickory wood chips. According to the Fletcher's website, "It tastes the way bacon used to taste — and the way it should." Many fans online would wholeheartedly concur with that assessment.

Curing is the process of covering meats in salts to extend their shelf lives (check out this explanation of 23 different types of cured meats if you're curious about the process). There are two popular methods when it comes to curing pork belly and turning it into bacon: Wet and dry curing. Wet curing is similar to brining, where the meat is soaked in a spiced saline solution until the flavors are infused and the belly is ready to be smoked. "Pumped" bacon is a version of wet cured bacon where the belly is injected with the saline liquids to ensure the flavor runs deep. Dry curing, on the other hand, involves rubbing the meat with salt and spices and then letting science do its magic. The salt penetrates the belly and draws out the moisture over an extended period that can stretch into months. 

While the wet curing process is faster and more efficient, dry curing gives the bacon a considerably more intense flavor. But cooking dry cured bacon isn't too different from cooking regular bacon. Toss your strips into a pan with a little oil or lard on low heat. This will allow the fat to render. Once the fat is bubbling, you can either dig in, or turn up the heat and cook until the lean strips attain the color and crispiness your heart desires. When cooking dry cured bacon, you'll notice that it shrinks less than its wet cured counterpart. This is because the moisture has already been drawn out. If you're using your bacon in a dish — like a BLT sandwich, or mixed into a salad — please note that the dry cured version has a more intense flavor, and risks overpowering all your other ingredients.