The Bacon Beat / Recipe Ideas

Hot Dog Upgrades are here! This week, we're talking about our favorite ways to cook - and our favorite fun garnishes for - this summer grilling classic over at our blog, The Bacon Beat. Ever tried a spiral dog? How about a bacon-wrapped dog? Well, we've got info on those succulent sausage ideas plus some other winning summer meal 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!

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

What's on the menu besides turkey (or a nice Nolechek’s Hickory Smoked Ham) and stuffing? We put some of our favorite Nolechek's side dishes together to help give you some ideas for new holiday side dish favorites. From creamy Bacon Mashed Potatoes to crisp Wedge Salads and caramelized Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, we have our Top 5 Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas all picked out for you! 

Here’s a creamy, savory, spicy entrée that lets you keep your low-carb and keto goals in line while feeling like you’re trying something new. Juicy chicken breast gets butterflied and stuffed with garlicy jalapeño cream cheese and then wrapped in Nolechek’s hickory smoked bacon before baking. …and if you don’t like heat, just leave out the jalapeño and green chile powder and enjoy a garlic cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped chicken breast without the spice!

BLTs are everyone's favorite summer sandwich and Nolechek's is giving you our Top 5 List of BLT Add-On ingredients to help you soup up your sandwich, plus our bacon-pairing recos for each one.

Ever think, "I'd wrap that in bacon"? Yeah, we think about that a lot, too. Here's our Top 10 List of foods we love to wrap in Wisconsin's Finest Hickory Smoked Bacon.