The Bacon Beat / bacon

Mother's Day: Nolechek's Favorite Brunch Ideas

Mother's Day: Nolechek's Favorite Brunch Ideas

If you’re planning on seeing Mom this weekend, we've got some great ideas for an unforgettable, homemade Mother’s Day Brunch made with some of our favorite breakfast meats. Whether your mom loves a light, savory quiche or is more of a pancakes-and-bacon woman, we've got the recipe ideas that you’re looking for.
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Nolechek Family Grilling: Favorite Dishes, Favorite Stories

Nolechek Family Grilling: Favorite Dishes, Favorite Stories

Looking out the window, it’s difficult to believe that grilling season is right around the corner, but if you’re from Wisconsin, you probably don’t let the pesky cold weather stop you from living up to your Grill Master status. Grilling is in our blood at Nolechek’s and, while everyone has their favorite way to cook outdoors, the results are the same. Delicious, home-cooked food that brings everyone together to laugh, reminisce, and enjoy the fellowship that only a full table of food can bring.
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Burger Time! Nolechek’s Top 5 Best Bacon Cheeseburger Ideas

Burger Time! Nolechek’s Top 5 Best Bacon Cheeseburger Ideas

Bacon Cheeseburgers = Greatness

When was the last time you made burgers on the grill? Did you add bacon? If it's been awhile since you made a BCB - and even if it hasn't - this weekend is a golden opportunity to whip up some big, beefy burgers covered in melty Wisconsin Cheddar and topped with crispy strips of Nolechek's Bacon. Want to try some twists on your next Bacon Cheeseburger? We're sharing our Top 5 Best Bacon Cheeseburger Ideas right here, right now!

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Nolechek’s Best Bacon Grilled Cheese Add-Ons

Nolechek’s Best Bacon Grilled Cheese Add-Ons

There aren't too many foods more comforting than an ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich, toasted to crisp perfection on the outside and bursting with cheese. Tuesday, April 12th, is National Grilled Cheese Day and, in honor of such a momentous food occasion, we've put together a list of our favorite grilled cheese sandwich additions (hint: there will be bacon) over at our blog, The Bacon Beat. here, we'll check out our Wisconsin cheese recommendations for this iconic, comforting sandwich, as well as our picks for add-ons that take your grilled cheese the extra mile.

Grilled cheese is the quintessential crowd-pleasing sandwich. So why is it all too often relegated to the kids menu? We think that grilled cheese is great for people of all ages. However, if you want to elevate your grilled cheese for a more sophisticated palette, we have ideas!

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Easter Sides: Just Add Bacon!

Easter Sides: Just Add Bacon!

We've got a list of some of our favorite holiday ham sides (like a smoky Cobb Salad and Bacon Mac N' Cheese), all made with our smokehouse meats:


Bacon Mac N' Cheese
Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. So, how could it get any better, you might ask? …with bacon, of course! Bacon Mac N' Cheese is a crowd-pleasing side that is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Even better, with just six ingredients, it's a quick dish to throw together and toss in the oven.

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Bacon Facts: Boost Your Bacon Knowledge!

Bacon Facts: Boost Your Bacon Knowledge!

Whaddya know about bacon? You know you love it. You know it's smoky, salty, sweet, and so full of flavor that most other foods can't hold a candle to it, but we're here to share some fun bacon facts that you might not have heard of before!
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Bacon Lovers' Opinion: Thick-Sliced Bacon vs. Thin-Sliced Bacon

Bacon Lovers' Opinion: Thick-Sliced Bacon vs. Thin-Sliced Bacon

Friendly arguments between people who are passionate about great foods are nothing new. For example, folks have been heatedly debating for decades whether pineapple on pizza is scrumptious or sacrilegious. We'll leave judgment on that one up to the pizza purists; we have more important things to worry about - namely the virtues of thin- vs. thick-sliced bacon.

At Nolechek’s, our standard bacon thickness is a meaty 1/8" and our thick-sliced bacon is a hefty 1/4" thick. Bacon purchased in the store is typically 1/16". We do offer what we consider a thin-sliced bacon at 1/16”, but you’ll have to visit our retail store in Thorp, Wisconsin, to get Nolechek’s bacon that thin!

First, we'd like to say that, at Nolechek's, we don't judge. We embrace all bacon lovers equally, whether they like it thin and crispy or thick and meaty. Frankly, we love both cuts; we just use them, in cooking, a little differently. Here are some of our favorite ways to use each kind of bacon:

Top 5 Uses for Thin-Sliced Bacon

  • Served with eggs
  • As a pizza topping
  • Wrapping meats and vegetables
  • Topping salads
  • Serving a big crowd

Top 5 Uses for Thick-Sliced Bacon

  • Bacon cheeseburgers
  • BLTs & BLATs
  • Baked beans
  • Braised with greens
  • Steamed bacon bao buns (YUM)

That said, if crispy, crumbly bacon is all you crave, then fry up those thin, cracklin’ slices. If you prefer your bacon thick and chewy, then just do you, because the beautiful thing about Nolechek’s Sliced Hickory Smoked Bacon is that it's one of the best foods on earth, no matter how you slice it!

Yours Through Thick & Thin,

- Nolechek’s Meats

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Nolechek's Best Valentine's Day Gifts for Meat Lovers

Nolechek's Best Valentine's Day Gifts for Meat Lovers

Did you know that Valentine's Day actually began as the Feast of St. Valentine? That's right; long before the greeting cards and roses, Valentine's Day was a day to feast in honor of St. Valentine – although there was more than one Valentine and historians aren’t entirely sure which one was originally associated with February’s celebration of love. So, what better way to celebrate a day for love and feasting than to give your favorite meat lover a taste of Wisconsin's finest hickory smoked meats?!
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Nolechek's Best Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Nolechek's Best Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Nothing says winter comfort like a toasty-warm bowl of soup, especially our hearty Loaded Baked Potato Soup with all of the fixings! The crispy crown jewel of this steamy winter dish are the savory bits of Nolechek’s Hickory Smoked Honey Cured Bacon that we generously sprinkle on top of each bowl, plus the melty Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese we like to heap on top. Easy to make and even easier to love, this potato soup recipe is one of our all-time favorites and we know everyone at your house will love it just as much as we do!
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Shopping Local at Nolechek's Meats

Shopping Local at Nolechek's Meats

For us, at Nolechek’s, the answer has become that shopping local is about relationships that are built with the businesses we patronize and receive supplies from. I appreciate doing business with people that take the extra time to chat or the ones that remember specifics. Even though businesses may not be able to source everything locally, somewhere, someone is making that product, slaughtering those animals, or transporting supplies. And those individuals are living in communities where they’re shopping locally and supporting their communities. So, we’re all part of a bigger (local) picture.
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Bacon & Brown Sugar: Sweet & Savory Holiday Appetizer Ideas

Bacon & Brown Sugar: Sweet & Savory Holiday Appetizer Ideas

Thinking about what special treats you’re going to prepare for the holidays? We’d like to mention that it's the most wonderful time of the year...because it's time for extra bacon! The holidays give us all an opportunity to indulge in wonderfully rich snacks and sides, so we selected three easy and decadent treats for you to whip up. Best of all, these tasty bites are super simple and they all happen to involved two things: Bacon & Brown Sugar, which we think you’ll agree make mighty fine partners after you try these recipe ideas!
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Nolechek's Even More Wisconsin Bratwurst Sausage Sampler

Send Wisconsin’s Best Meat & Cheese: Nolechek’s Top 5 Gift Picks

We've created our list of Nolechek's Favorite Holiday Gift Picks to help you with your holiday shopping. Covering everything from gifts for your favorite bacon lover to snack assortments for people who like to party, plus peeks at some of our featured Wisconsin cheeses, we'll help you choose the perfect Wisconsin-made gifts for friends and family. 
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