Hormel Black Label Bacon
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39 Hormel Black Label Bacon Consumer Reviews and Complaints
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I have been a huge fan of Black Label Bacon for years. I recently purchased a pound and it was approximately 80% fat. At $4.78 a pound I would expect a better quality portion of bacon. I hope this letter helps them check the quality control dept so I will be able to continue buying their bacon.


Got two packs at the store. One pack was thick, and cut very well. The second pack had sizes ranging from thick to tissue thin. If I wanted thin bacon I wouldn't buy bacon labeled "thick cut"! 50% or more of the slices were tissue thin.
Double smoked bacon, smoked seven hours. Drove fifty four miles to get some. I have had good smoked bacon. These is plain bacon in a different package. Cheaper bacon is just as good. Will not buy again!!!
We were buying Black Label Bacon Thick Cut. However the cuts were never all thick with paper thin slices in between and no two slices the same. It always felt like a grab bag but this last two packages and there may be more, were cut thin most of the length with only the bottom part of each slice actually thick. They do not cook evenly and are a huge waste of money. I contacted Black Label, sent codes on the first package and pictures. Cheryl, the representative, told me they could only reimburse one package and most likely the others were not the same. Today I opened another package and it is the same. She said I would have to have a Wal-Mart receipt. I had thrown away the receipt, not anticipating such a scam, and sent her photos of the remaining six packages I purchased the same day. I have not heard from Cheryl since August 1st, 2018. I will never purchase Black Label bacon again.



We LOVED the Hormel Natural Choice Bacon!! It was the perfect addition to our weekend breakfasts! I have tried a variety of Hormel products and this one definitely did NOT disappoint. It was very tasty and easy to cook. I loved that it was a natural product, as it is hard to find high-quality products that are more healthy. I would definitely recommend this bacon to all my friends!!
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Bought this Black label center cut bacon believing it to be less fatty than their other varieties. The label says 25% less fat. The viewing window looked very lean. After opening discovered at least 25% more fat than their reg. bacon (applewood etc). After cooking pieces were about half their original size and twice as much fat in the pan. Tried eating anyway and upset my stomach. Too greasy. They shouldnt advertise less fat.

I have always been willing to pay more for a more healthy brand of bacon. This morning I open a package of Black Label to find the poorest quality of all the brands on the store shelf. I won’t even go to the trouble to cook it. Seems that these days companies are looking for ways to increase profits and they have cut quality. There was probably 85 percent fat in this package, I thought... maybe it’s just a mistake, but from reading the reviews it’s common. With that said you can't increase profits by losing customers as I can get this quality for less money from other brands. Sorry Mr. Hormel but you lost my family as a customer. I won’t eat the stuff you offer.

Watered down like Walmart bacon now - Black Label Bacon used to be the best thick cut smokey flavored bacon. Now it is watered down, slimy and inconsistent with cuts and taste. The Black Label Bacon packaging has increased from 3 to 4 pounds and most of that is WATER and nitrates! They use less product and increase the package size to charge more money by using the water injected meat now. WHAT A SHAME. Traded great product for greed. Good Bye Black Label Bacon. This has been going on for close to a year now and can be verified through my SAM'S account through the company. Four pounds of bacon is purchased every two weeks.
For years I've purchased Black Label bacon because it was a consistent product that fried up well plus I could count it for recipes like jalapeno poppers. Now it's too lean and the bad marbling defies ending up with a well-cooked product. A single slice may burn on the lean part while the fat never gets done because it contorts in the skillet. I won't purchase it again.

I have always bought Black Label Bacon. I have always loved it and my family did too... I will never buy this bacon again. I just bought this for our breakfast with pancakes and it is so thin you could read a book through it and is falling apart into little pieces of one inch to two-inch pieces. This hasn't been the first time it has happened to me. I want a decent breakfast no mush... won't happen again...
Has very tasty and juicy flavor and when cooked, it comes out crispy so chewing it is not so difficult. I like how it matches my waffle and salad. I also like using it for my homemade pizza and many other recipes.
Hormel is hard to find except for Walmart- Smithfield everywhere. I prefer the Hormel since it doesn't have preservatives.
Smoked. It really taste better. The pieces seem to not shrink as much. They are just as crispy as when you fry them. Start with the oven cold and it doesn't splatter as much.
Applewood has a better taste than the regular one and it tastes less salty and available more often in more stores. I have to go so far to find it. Most stores I shop don't carry it. I would ask the person stocking the package meats to see if they would carry it. Oven bake tastes better and absorbs the grease if you use a cookie sheet with sides. Temp at 350 degrees. No need to flip it.
Hormel is pretty much the standard of what I consider Bacon to taste like. It's the brand I grew up with and it's just a bit of nostalgia with every bite. The old fashioned way I grew up with was cooking it in the microwave with where it was covered with paper towels. I guess it gets all the grease out. I only get it once in a while nowadays but it's never breaking the bank when we do get it.
I like a variety of bacon flavors, to pick one it'd be hard. It depends on my mood, some days I like sweet, some smoked, rarely do I like peppered, unless it's a sweet peppery bacon. I'm lucky in that my store will allow me to fill out a form at check out counter for items, after enough are completed, they'll order it. I prefer to fry it in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, sometimes I like to rub brown sugar and cracked pepper all over it and let it sit for a while before cooking.
I typically just buy the basic type. I don't care for the varieties offered. Although at times I will buy the thicker sliced bacon. We only have two stores in this city - Safeway and Walmart. They both carry Hormel bacon. I prefer the Black Label brand and they always have it. I typically just fry it in the pan. I recently saw something on Facebook saying that you should add about one-fourth cup of water to it while it fries. Not sure I noticed any difference.
I like it either smoked or with a maple/brown sugar flavor. I really don't know why - I've just always preferred bacon and sausage a little sweet. I don't have any special technique. I fry them in a pan and flip when they're half cooked. My husband sprinkles white sugar on the bacon strips when he's cooking it. I also occasionally make it in the microwave, but it's not as good.
Prefer various flavors, this gives me options to have variety each time I want it. I cook in the pan the way it always is done in my home. I just like the brand I buy and it has the taste and flavor I expect to enjoy.
The maple smoked bacon that Hormel has is the best in my opinion. It has that great Smokey flavor with a wonderful hint of maple. It's perfect in many recipes. Sam's near me always has Hormel bacon. However, you can always request a store to stock something and most will do this gladly. Baked in the oven. I just put it in the oven on a rack in a cookie sheet. 350 for 20. I use it in many recipes as well. It gives a great smokiness to tacos, casseroles, soups and salads. Occasionally I sprinkle red pepper flakes on it, just a little to add a nice bite! Nothing would stop me from purchasing bacon.
Hormel is very consistent with flavor and marbling. If they were not, I have a second favorite in Oscar Meyer. We love bacon and would have to save in other areas of it got too expensive. Hormel bacon comes in precooked package as well as raw. I use both. Precooked is great to wrap around your favorite snacks, chicken, lil' smokies, shrimp or cheese. It crisps better. Then I use the raw bacon for all of the other dishes. Hormel bacon has the best flavor to my family. It is marbled perfectly and it's consistent in flavor from package to package.
Smoked - more flavor. I do not need it to be sweetened, but savory is what I look for in a bacon. I usually do not add anything else. I also prefer thick sliced and I prefer hardier pieces. I do not recommend any special spices or add-ons. A good brand of bacon will be fine on its own merits and anything special would be up to the consumer. Bacon is expensive and I usually try to purchase when it is on sale, which can happen at any market at any given time. My bacon is great and I usually try to stay away from fatty bacon. I prefer a reputable brand and on sale, if I can. In spite of price, it is worth splurging for.
Hormel Black Label Low Sodium is our go to brand for bacon. We do prefer uncured bacon but that is very hard to find in our area despite the amount of stores and variety of stores in our area. We tend to shop around to find the uncured bacon. There are only a few stores that carry it in an area with a population over 200,000 which is weird. When I cook bacon I cut it all into thirds, heat a stainless steel pan until it is medium hot then add the bacon. I then let it cook for about 8 minutes until the edges start turn brown then flip it. When the bacon is a uniform caramel color I pull it out to a paper towel to drain and enjoy.
When we can find the Hormel uncured bacon, it tends to have a lower sodium content as well which is a definitely bonus. Yes, bacon is indulgent but drowning it in salt brine is not beneficial to anyone and lends itself to wonder the quality of the meat and what that brand is hiding. If we cannot find the uncured bacon we will suffice with the Black Label Low Sodium as it has good flavor and the meat to fat ratio is satisfying without cooking the majority of your food away from the fat.
I like the availability of a variety of flavors to enhance the bacon experience. I still can't get Hormel Jalapeno flavor locally. I have to get it in Texas when I visit that state. The flavor was here in Louisiana for a short time then pulled from shelves and marked down. Fried on the stove top. Iron skillet, medium temp, fried in garlic butter and turned frequently. Then put on paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Slap Ya Mama seasoning liberally added and maybe some cane syrup.
Smoked. Classic bacon flavor. Delicious! My grocer stocks Hormel (and my 2nd choice Smithfield) regularly, but if I found them lacking, I would tell the manager... and they would stock... it has happened for other products and worked out. Always WATCH your bacon closely. Timing the first slip as you see the bacon fat begin to curl. Smoked bacon does NOT need ANY spices. It is perfect on its own.
Hormel Black Label Pecanwood smoked bacon. A good old well-seasoned cast iron skillet is hard to beat. Of course you fry your eggs in the leftover grease to ensure that you get enough fat. Probably all bacon isn't good for you because of the fat content but that is what makes it taste good. I guess that you should consume it in moderation, maybe once a week.
I like mine plain. I find artificial flavours like smoke and maple ruin it for me. Brown sugar to candy it when I use a frying pan. It makes a bacon caramel that will blow your mind. I deglaze to pan with a bit of whisky or dark rum. I've even put it on ice cream. The fact that package sizes have gone from 500g to 375g has me buying bacon less often. I'm just so mad about it that every time I see it I get mad and walk away sans bacon. I miss bacon.
Turkey Bacon as it is low in fat and healthy. I have found that several of the local markets do not regularly carry it. But Costco does except for a few months when the consistency was not up to their standards. Cooked until it is quite crispy. I do not like anything that is chewy as it tastes raw. This is what I like about the turkey bacon as it always manages to be cooked evenly and using the microwave is the best way that I have found. Since I usually buy it at Costco the prices seem more reasonable. There I can buy like four pounds and split it up and freeze it.

Smoked because I like the basics. I'm not into different flavors, simply good old smoked bacon. Brings back memories of my childhood. Baked in the oven. Possibly using parchment paper because it seems to eliminate some of the greasiness by absorbing some of the grease. Also, patting with paper towels after cooking. Once it starts getting over 4.50 or it's not on sale I won't buy it. I'm on a fixed income and as much as I love bacon I'm not going to buy it and have to forgo something else.
Thick smoked because the smoke flavor gives it a "cooked outdoors" taste and thick sliced gets crispier fat and tender meat. Cookie sheet lined with foil with the bacon on a baking rack. Sometimes I sprinkle a little course garlic powder over the top for a little bite. I would quit breathing before I quit eating Bacon... well, I'd at least lay in bed and mope for a while. Anyway, I guess if the price became too much higher than it already is I would cut back but I don't think I would ever quit eating bacon.
Grocer regularly stocks this bacon and if the grocer stopped selling this bacon, I would go to another grocer who stocked the bacon at a reasonable price. Ensure before purchasing that there's more meat than fat. Most people are naive to this fact and wonder why they are gaining weight.
Hormel Black Label Bacon expert review by Jim Angelus
Founded in 1891, Hormel is one of the most recognizable brands in the food industry. The company's bacon products are among its most popular foods, as there are numerous premium varieties.
Every type of cut: Hormel offers thick, center and standard cut bacon to ensure each customer's preferences are met.
Classic flavors: Maple, hickory, applewood and other flavors continue to be standouts among Hormel bacon products.
Alternative options: Hormel's Canadian bacon is particularly popular with customers.
Fully cooked bacon: Those who want bacon quickly can purchase Hormel's fully cooked bacon.
Always available: Hormel is sold at nearly every major grocery retailer.
Best for: Classic bacon lovers, chefs looking for quality bacon at a reasonable price and newbies to the bacon world.

Jim Angelus has 25 plus years of restaurant experience, and he brings this experience to his food truck. Bacon Bacon is a place where foodies and bacon lovers generally can find mouthwatering meals in a friendly atmosphere. Jim opened his food truck in 2010. It is now a popular bay area food truck and sandwich shop, open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. Bacon Bacon has appeared on Food Network, CNN and Discovery Network. Most important to Jim, he has a successful business that allows him participate in the industry he is most passionate about and be home in time to put dinner on his family’s table.
Hormel Black Label Bacon Company Information
- Company Name:
- Hormel Black Label Bacon
- Year Founded:
- 1891
- Address:
- 1 Hormel Pl.
- City:
- Austin
- State/Province:
- MN
- Postal Code:
- 55912
- Country:
- United States
- Phone:
- (800) 523-4635
- Website:
- www.hormel.com