New Survey Shows The Most Popular Type Of Bacon Is A Close Call

Bacon is a delicious changeling. Its distinctive, smoky flavor stands out in any dish, even if it's used in small quantities. Most of us love bacon, though, so much that it's one of the few foods that transcends every meal, every course. From breakfast, to brunch, to lunch, dinner, and even dessert, few foods as flavorful as bacon are welcome additions to practically any dish. From the classic BLT to a heavenly apple pie with a gingersnap crust and bacon streusel topping, bacon goes with pretty much everything.

But bacon is really a bunch of different things, all under one smoky umbrella. We may strive for diner-perfect bacon, or we may swear by thick-cut bacon, but we all have our preferences. That's why we decided to ask our readers for their expert bacon opinions. An impressive 626 of you responded, and while some of the categories were in close competition, we have an official winner.

The winner for favorite type of bacon is hickory smoked. A shocking 216 of you, or about 35% prefer this preparation. The second favorite type of bacon is applewood smoked, which earned 214 votes, or about 34%. Uncured bacon came in third, with 9% of the vote, or 56 fans. Maple-flavored bacon is the fourth favorite, with 120 votes and 19%. And in last place is dry-cured bacon, which received 20 votes, for a mere 3%.

According to Bacon Today, hickory smoked bacon is the most traditional, with a pronounced smoke flavor, while applewood smoked bacon is a bit milder, with a sweeter smoke flavor. Healthline indicates that uncured bacon is, in fact cured, just not with sodium nitrites, and while some readers may prefer the flavor, there doesn't appear to be much evidence that "uncured" bacon is healthier than traditionally cured bacon. 

Dry cured bacon is by far the most time consuming bacon to produce, according to Hagen's Organics, which explains that their dry cured bacon takes around two weeks to make, with a long dry curing process and five to six rounds of cold smoking to achieve the perfect flavor and texture. Whatever type of bacon you prefer, make sure you cook it properly, whether it's for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.