The Bacon Beat / Pork

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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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 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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Nolechek’s Smoky Slow-Cooker Comfort Food Recipes

Nolechek’s Smoky Slow-Cooker Comfort Food Recipes

There's a lot to love about slow-cooker cooking. If you play your culinary cards right, you can make an entire meal in one simmering pot. That means you can focus on curling up in front of the fire with a good book instead of spending hours in the kitchen. That also means that clean-up is a breeze. Here are three of our favorite simple slow-cooker dinner ideas:
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