It was a warm August football Friday night when my guests arrived to my home to the unfamiliar smell of…bacon. REAL bacon. My younger brother – always the skeptic to my cherished health principles – was most taken aback. It truly has been 20 years since I’ve prepared pork in my home. No, we are not Muslim or Jewish. Yes, our eating practices are mindfully spiritual but the decision to avoid pork for me didn’t originate from religious doctrine but from nutritional science and personal experience.
Before you write me off as a hater or not worthy of my Midwestern heritage, hear me out. I promise to still inspire you to try this month’s product review, not avoid it. This is just my story and my beliefs as I live them out today – a personal disclosure before I review a product I don’t actually consume nor have much experience consuming, not a lecture. Personal beliefs aside, many of the healthiest and most fruitful folks around me enjoy well-sourced (pro-tip) pork just as much as I assume you do if you’ve landed on this post.
Growing up, we would spend long, sweaty summer weekends on my uncle’s hog farm, helping him with chores and the annual pig roast and community barn dance. Also being raised village style by a large farm animal veterinarian as my ‘second’ dad, my brother would come home after exhausting days of castrating pigs and bring with him the distinct aroma of our uncle’s hog farm that seemed to me to linger for weeks. To me, pork always just tasted exactly as it smelled. Call it my sensitive nature, my ‘bionic’ nose, or my earlier inclinations towards vegetarianism, let’s just say even the dreaded corn detasseling was my preference over the other Midwestern summer ‘child labor’ options. No, I’ve never been much of a pork eater, but I wouldn’t trade these childhood memories for anything.
Most recently we spent a night in Kansas City with my cousin who was raised on said Century hog farm and I meandered lazily upstairs to the breakfast table to find my children – sheepishly seizing the moment to be out of mom’s jurisdiction – drizzling their REAL bacon with maple syrup and some sort of fancy salt that was the highlight of their entire trip. Haha, really! Bacon has that kind of power, especially in my home when considered a taboo food EVEN though I work my hardest not to be like ‘that’. Ultimately, I want my health principles to be taught, understood, and practiced at home, but I am a ‘find your own balance’ kind of health seeker and set few rules that can’t be mindfully broken from time to time – including the pork and shellfish ‘rule’. As guests in other peoples’ homes we graciously accept and enjoy what everyone loves about bacon. It brought me joy to see my kids swoon.
The menu for my son’s football watch party was classically Midwestern for late August – BLTs. It was also much higher carb than normal, but when paying homage to my heritage I decided to break more than one rule – with much celebration from those around me. The food and the mood was just vibin’ good that night, a testimony to how grace and balance work on a higher plane than rigid doctrine.
The star of the meal was, hands down, the Sugar-Free Pork Bacon from USWM – although a BLT just isn’t magic without each ingredient making itself well known. We had a slow tomato year in the garden but managed to harvest a few heirloom beefy ripe red ones sliced thick and dusted with Redmond’s Real Salt. The romaine lettuce was chilled and perfectly crisp. The sourdough bread was warm and freshly baked, utilizing my St. Hildegard food wisdom by using sprouted spelt flour in the traditional long fermentation process. Avocado mayonnaise and Sir Kensington brand Special Sauce was available for the perfect tangy accouterment. This all made for the most flavorful, messy, mouth-watering sandwich you’ve ever had – TRUST. My good (and super disciplined) friend John Wood, owner and farmer at USWM is probably cringing at the amount of CHO-indulgence to this meal…but dang, it was well worth it. Every. Bite. On the side, I served Iowa sweet corn with grass-fed butter, and avocado oil potato chips (because what is a sandwich without chips?).
As for the bacon, I baked it on parchment at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes although I’d shorten it by about 2. It was crispy and perfect for sandwiches, but perhaps a little too much for stand alone eating. My brother and another guest – both avid bacon consumers – were amazed at the flavor being sugar and preservative free. This is exactly why this product is a number one seller in the USWM lineup – so few Whole 30 Approved options exist in this category that are actually worth eating.
The customer reviews of this product reflect these sentiments with 5-star after 5-star rating, even with a consistent recognition that the higher price tag of this bacon is worth its value. True health seekers get it! The simplicity of this product – pork and sea salt – should not overlook the mindfulness behind it and the very reason customers are willing to pay a premium. The delicious flavor can be attributed to the cold smoking process over real hickory chips and the clean taste and purity of this bacon is result of the regenerative farming and animal husbandry practices of USWM family farms. These are the happiest of pigs. They spend their entire life roaming large open pastures with acres of green grasses and fresh forage and enjoy a clean supplemental diet of barley, oats, hay, turnips, raw protein, and corn. All are pasture-raised, antibiotic and hormone-free, GAP certified, Prop 12, raised with USDA organic practices (or better), and free from artificial pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs, or other synthetic contaminants. In my world, this is the only pork worth consuming at all really, and stands alone without price or quality comparison.
I even used the rendered fat to honor my dad’s childhood favorite from the farm – kettle popcorn made with lard (instead of coconut oil). This was the perfect crowd pleasing halftime snack served with root beer kombucha and raw chocolate for over-the-top satisfaction. My son also scored a touchdown so winner-winner for this BLT dinner!
Post article funny: This consumer’s review strategy in rating the Sugar-Free Pork Bacon with 1-star had me chuckling….
“Don’t buy this bacon, because I want it all to myself. It is seriously so good that I gave it 1 star just to persuade you to go somewhere else. But it’s 5-star bacon. Really the only negative thing I can say about it is that my kids eat most of it before I can. Same with the liverwurst. I should give that 1 star too even though it should get 6 stars.” ~Jordan F
Indulge in the rich, smoky goodness of Real Heritage Sugar-Free Pork Bacon from US Wellness Meats. Crafted with care, this premium bacon is naturally flavored with hickory smoke from real hickory wood and enhanced with a dash of sea salt for a perfect balance of savory flavors. Free from added sugars, it’s a healthier option without compromising on taste. Savor the fire-grilled smokiness and rich texture in every bite – a truly irresistible treat for any bacon lover! For this and more riveting articles from trusted sources, visit our Discover Blog today!
Katy Brown, BSHN
Katy has a Human Food and Nutrition degree and almost 20 years of experience in various health and wellness roles. In 2020, she shifted her focus to prioritize family life. She follows a balanced, intuition-driven approach to food and enjoys investing in projects that promote health and explore ancient wisdom. As a homeschooling wife and mother of 3 (with one on the way at 42!), she spends her time on freelance writing and cultivating a simple life at her urban homestead in Des Moines, Iowa.
