This Budget Bacon At Dollar Tree Is A Must-Have For Cookouts

Dollar Tree has plenty of hidden gems that'll surprise your taste buds at a very low price. And if you're looking for some great options to throw on the grill at a backyard cookout, we created a long list of Dollar Tree essentials for your first BBQ of 2026. Make sure you don't miss Jamestown Brand Hardwood Smoked sliced bacon, the perfect topper for backyard bacon cheeseburgers.

At only $3 for a 16-ounce package, Jamestown Brand bacon is quite the bargain. The packaging states that the bacon is sliced thinly and comes in irregular shapes — meaning it's likely sourced from the end of the slab where it's more challenging to cut uniform slices. But these cured bacon slices have an incredible flavor that complements the savoriness of the bacon with smokiness and saltiness from the cure. When you fry it up, it shrinks into irregularly shaped, thin, meaty ribbons. So, you won't get picture-perfect strips, but the flavor and price more than make up for it.

You can fry the strips in a cast-iron skillet over the grill alongside burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. Add a few strips of bacon to your favorite burger recipe or wrap the raw bacon around hot dogs before throwing them on the grill. Make a fan favorite appetizer by wrapping the bacon around cream cheese-stuffed jalapeños for zesty poppers. 

While the Jamestown Brand bacon is budget-friendly and a great addition to your next barbecue, you can enjoy it alongside a grilled breakfast spread as well.  The irregular cuts of the strips might make it hard to grill bacon directly over the grates like you would with thick-cut bacon. However, the skillet you use to fry them up can also fry up eggs or even griddle cakes. Throw some thick slices of bread on the grill for an upgraded toast to stack grilled bacon, a fried egg, and some shredded cheddar cheese for a delicious breakfast sandwich. Throw your favorite brand of frozen hash browns, peppers, and fried eggs into the skillet after you've crisped your bacon for a grilled breakfast hash. 

For a restaurant-worthy cookout side dish, dice up the bacon and add it to green beans, collard greens, or spinach for a savory complement to bitter, earthy greens. You can also add it to a bubbling pot of baked beans or pinto beans. All of these one-pot side dishes can likely be made on the grill with the help of a Dutch oven or grill-safe cast-iron pot. The grill will infuse a smoky flavor into your collard greens or baked beans, along with the savory goodness of the fatty budget-friendly bacon.