The Bacon Beat / Gifts

Hickory Smoked Pork Chops with Maple-Mustard Glaze Recipe

Hickory Smoked Pork Chops with Maple-Mustard Glaze Recipe

Have you ever made a smoked pork chop on the grill? They are about as easy to cook as boiling pasta water. Simply heat your grill to medium/medium-low and warm your smoked chops for about 3 minutes on each side or until warmed through. Our Hickory Smoked Pork Chops are pre-cooked in the smokehouse, so you aren’t aiming to actually *cook* a smoked chop, just to heat it up gently, so as not to dry it out.

Make no mistake; grilled smoked pork chops are absolutely delicious on their own, but if you want to add a little sumthin’ extra special to your next smoked chop, try this sweet, tangy Maple-Dijon Mustard Glaze drizzled on top of each chop:

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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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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 Polish Sausage FAQ: Wisconsin's Fourth-Generation Smokehouse Talks Kielbasa, Polish, & Old World Sausages

Nolechek's Polish Sausage FAQ: Wisconsin's Fourth-Generation Smokehouse Talks Kielbasa, Polish, & Old World Sausages

Let’s take some time to address one of the age-old questions of our time…and no; it’s not, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” The question today is, “What is the difference between polish sausage and kielbasa?”
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How To Prepare Your Nolechek's Holiday Ham

How To Prepare Your Nolechek's Holiday Ham

Need some tips on how to prepare a perfect Nolechek’s Hickory Smoked Ham for the upcoming holiday? We'll give you a few of our best ham cooking pro tips in this installation of Nolechek's Bacon Beat, including how to gently warm, custom glaze, and serve everyone’s favorite Christmas table centerpiece! 
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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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Giving Thanks at Nolechek's Meats

Giving Thanks at Nolechek's Meats

One of the most profound realizations I’ve had the past two years is how thankful I am for my faith, family, and friends. I am beyond grateful for the people in my life – whether past, present, or the ones I have yet to meet; whether they relate to my personal life or I know them through the business.
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