Crispy, smoky, fatty, delicious — there are countless adjectives to describe the majesty of bacon. The salt-cured pork delicacy is so popular that the average American consumes nearly 18 pounds of the meat treat every year. With America’s “bacon mania” in mind, here are some seasonal and regional ways to tap into your market’s proclivity for pork.  

Six Degrees of Bacon

Bacon and eggs are a timeless pairing, but you’ll want to break bacon outside of breakfast if you want to wow your guests.

1. The Midwest is famous for its rate of bacon consumption, primarily preferring its meat candy in two ways: traditional, thick-cut smoky bacon or in strips with a sweet, maple-forward profile. Bacon is used in a hearty variety of dishes in the Midwest, including bacon-wrapped sausages, bacon cheeseburger soup, and bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin.

2. By contrast, the South goes for salty, hickory-smoked pork belly bacon. Nothing says summer like a BLT made with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, and the savory crunch of bacon. Speaking of excitement, Hoppin’ John, a traditional dish of rice, black-eyed peas, seasonings, and either bacon or ham hock, has become a New Year’s Day staple in parts of the South.

3. In New England, surf-and-turf mashups like clams casino and bacon-wrapped scallops are essential for any clam shack’s menu. Then there are traditional dishes of the old school — your iceberg wedge salads, club sandwiches, and Cobb salads — that would be unthinkable without the umami zip of bacon. West Creek® Bacon offers the portion versatility required for these dishes. Available in two thickness categories and lightly smoked for a hearty flavor, West Creek® Bacon is perfect for oven or grill cooking.

4. Bacon jam, a gooey relish made from bacon, onions, vinegar, and brown sugar, can add a zip of sweetness and savoriness to burgers, bratwurst, and charcuterie boards. Take it a step further with a tomato bacon jam, a riff on that relish, can elevate a traditional the BLT into the stratosphere.

5. Bacon aioli, a creamy and smoky condiment made with bacon bits, mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice, provides an extra umami punch to sandwiches and burgers. Consider a “Bacon Lover’s Smash Burger” that improves on the beloved classic with crispy strips of bacon and a layer of bacon aioli between buns. The sauce pulls double duty as a craveable dip for fries or even an easy upsell — think Candied Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Fries.

6. But don’t stop there, use it as a spread for wraps, drizzle it over vegetables, or swap it in anywhere you’d normally use mayo to give dishes a richer, more indulgent edge. Silver Source® Bacon, available in a layout style, is an ideal option for these purposes due to its everyday service utility.

Step Into Seasonality

Summertime and BLTs go together like bacon and eggs, but the calendar holds endless possibilities. Take inspiration from summer backyard classics like a bacon-wrapped baked potato filled with house made bacon butter, Nature's Best Dairy® Sour Cream, chives, and Luigi® Bacon Topping.

You can also get creative with composed dishes like grilled corn and tomato panzanella tossed with crispy bacon, or skewered potato bites wrapped in bacon for a new shareable item on your menu. Embrace the seasonality of strawberries with a salad that includes bacon, walnuts, blue cheese, greens, and Village Garden® Honey Basil Garlic Vinaigrette.

Angels and devils on horseback are sinful shareable summertime appetizers. The former involves rolling shucked oysters in bacon, then tossing them in the oven; one delectable version involves baking bacon-wrapped dates, then topping them with honey and blue cheese crumbles.

For even more variety, try serving bacon-wrapped shrimp with a brush of bacon jam for a glossy finish, or serving these bites with a side of Maple Bacon Mayo for dipping. Ridgecrest® Bacon is ideal for dishes where bacon has a starring role. Sliced from fully trimmed pork bellies, Ridgecrest offers an optimal blend of smoke, sugar, and salt in every bite.

Of Booze and Bacon

Give your brunchtime Bloody Marys a sweet-and-spicy kick with West Creek® bacon strips baked in brown sugar, maple syrup, and cayenne — equal parts garnish and conversation starter.

In other boozy preparations, consider a bacon espresso martini with subtle smokiness, or a bacon old fashioned with bacon fat-washed bourbon and maple syrup, then garnished with a strip of crispy bacon, of course — to add an intriguing concoction to your cocktail menu.

For happy hour, pair cocktails with bacon fat-tossed popcorn or bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers — snackable, craveable bites that keep guests lingering a little longer.

And of course, no meal would be complete without dessert. Bacon ice cream, usually created by combining bacon with egg custard and freezing the mixture, has become an object of curiosity on some dessert menus.

Go even further with an ice cream sundae finished with FLAVORSMITH® Hot Honey and Ridgecrest® Bacon Brittle.  Maple bacon donuts paired with a Coda Coffee® S’mores Blended Martini tap into that nostalgic, fireside flavor profile — sweet, smoky, and indulgent — bringing a “camping breakfast” vibe into a more elevated, dessert-driven format that continues to resonate with guests.