One of the nice things about writing for the world’s best bacon news site is that people occasionally send us free stuff.

Our most recent form of free stuff was a set of coupons to go try out the new Applewood Smoked Bacon Deluxe burger at Wendy’s. No complaints here; I really like Wendy’s to begin with. They have variety – you can get a burger, chili, a potato or all three. Plus, they still have the best dessert deal in all of FastFoodia – the junior Frosty. Where else can you get the perfect amount of post-meal suckable ice cream for $0.53?

But, let me assure you that bacon remains king, and even though I like Wendy’s (and they had sent me free coupns), I went in with the mindset that if it sucked, I would tell the world about it. Frankly, I had very low expectations – I have rarely (if ever) had fast food bacon that really passes the test. Sometimes it is acceptable, sometimes it is limp and soggy, but never has fast food bacon been amazing.

Until now.

I’m not kidding.

WOW!

Here’s the thing – the Bacon Deluxe starts off like any other bacon burger. It has meat, cheese, lettuce, ketchup, tomatoes, onions, mayo, pickles and buns.

And then they add bacon. Applewood smoked bacon. CRISPY, thick, straight-from-the-breakfast-table Applewood Smoked Bacon.

At a fast food establishment, I have never met its equal. The truth is that rapid, high-volume production and bacon are not a match made in heaven. Fast food bacon is usually limp and soggy as a result. In order for bacon to be truly delicious it must be given some time, love and attention in the kitchen.

With this burger’s bacon, Wendy’s seems to have bridged the great fast food bacon divide. I don’t know how they did it, but it seems like they stole it from somebody’s kitchen table.

This is my friend Jonathan inspecting the quality of his burger before tasting. His only complaint was that the lettuce was kind of pale green in comparison to the thick, rich, Al Gore green that was depicted on the Bacon Deluxe standee that was on the floor a few feet away from us.

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And then it was time for the taste test. We were both blown away! I think it’s worth mentioning again that Wendy’s sent us free coupons for the burgers, but the burgers were ALSO delicious. No kidding. I loved this thing. The burger itself was up to snuff with all the other standard burgers on the Wendy’s menu, but the bacon blew this thing off the charts. The Bacon Deluxe unequivocally has the best fast food bacon I have ever tasted.

This is one of me testing out the bacon by itself. Mmmm…

It’s good, fellow Baconites. It’s really good.

Jonathan’s Smaste™ Rating: 38.000

My Smaste™ Rating: 44.971

– Mike

This just in…

Hi Bacon Today Editors,

Thought you’d enjoy this thread:

Cookbook author Michael Ruhlman is the expert-in-residence on CHOW.com this week. He’s answering the Chowhounds’ queries about everything charcuterie, including your beloved bacon, of course! Got questions? He’s got the answers: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/657226

Thanks for taking a look!

Thanks for the link, Mallory!

– Mike

I try to avoid cliche and kitsch as a general rule in my life, but I do have a few exceptions that don’t follow any sort of hard and fast rule.

Today’s exception? Bacon Bark.

Anything that is called “bark” but is made to be edible is usually very cute. It generally has chocolate or toffee or peppermint or peanuts. It very rarely has actual wood. This is a good thing.

Today we have learned about bacon bark. according to packaging, it is comprised of “fresh pieces of crispy, crunchy, salty bacon smothered in Malley’s creamy smooth milk chocolate.”

If you’ve had the pleasure of bacon bark, please share your experience with us.

– Mike

Someone tore a page out of a magazine that I think is called Geek Monthly and handed it to me. At the top of the page was an article about a new flavor of Bigs Sunflower seeds that’s flavored with Bacon Salt.

Oh yum!

There’s a cute little blog called Faux Paw where they talk about… well, a little bit about everything. Seems like the topics vary, which is one of the reasons I like reading their stuff so much. Not too long ago they actually took a cue from the bacon nuts at Bacon Today and carried forth the love of bacon by creating a Bacon Top 40. Over the next week or so I’m going to share that top 40 with you. I’ll show you one picture and give you the list. You’ll be able to click over to their site to see the other pictures and read the blurb about each item.

Bacon Top 40: Part I

40. Bacon watch: What time is it? It’s BACON TIME!

39. Squeeze bacon

38. What Would Bacon Do? Decision Maker

37. Gummy bacon

36. Bacon wallet

35. Bacon-flavored toothpicks

34. Chocolate covered bacon

33. Maple-bacon lollipop

32. Bacon floss

31. Bacon cone (Editor’s Note: I was privileged to actually be able to eat a Bacone at Bacon Camp last Spring. Amazing!!)

Check back next time for #30-21.

– Mike

Occasionally, we find a little gem out there that shows that people do still take the time to study and discuss bacon. Such is the case at xkcd. They wrote a doctoral thesis (we wish) on the health-to-bacon relationship.

– Mike

img source:   http://xkcd.com/418/

BT reader Amrit R. submitted this article…

Hi there,

I’m writing to let you know that we’ve just published a new info-graphic showing which countries are eating the most meat every year, on a per capita basis, and which are eating the least. An increase in the consumption of meat is directly correlated to an increase in a country’s economic development. As a country becomes richer, its citizens generally eat more meat, a much denser source of protein than is available in poorer countries. But the range of the amount of meat eaten in different countries around the world is truly astounding, from barely enough for a few hamburgers to the weight of several people.

I’d love for you to check it out and share it with your readers.

Here’s the article: http://www.good.is/post/transparency-which-countries-eat-the-most-meat/

And the direct link to the large graphic: http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/0909/let-them-eat-meat/flat.html

Enjoy,

Amrit

–Mr. B

The Santa Cruz Chili and Paste Company has been on the BT radar for quite some time. They have sent us several samples of their hot sauce and chili pastes, which we have tried with a lot of stuff. Tortilla chips, hot dogs and now, with this new recipe, we’ll be able to try them with bacon, too.

Here’s the full recipe, as featured on the Santa Cruz Chili Facebook page…

This week, National Public Radio did a story from Tucson on Sonoran Hot Dogs NPR.org.

These flavorful hot dogs originated in Hermosillo, Mexico but have become quite popular throughout Arizona. Sonoran Hot Dogs are the latest crossover of Mexican flavors with an all American classic. They originated as a late night snack for hungry party animals heading home after closing time. Their zest comes from building your dog just the way you want it, but building off the basics.

Here is a mouth-watering recipe for Sonoran Hot Dogs using Santa Cruz Chili ingredients.

Ingredients:

All beef hot dogs
Hot dog buns
Bacon
Pinto beans
Chopped onions
Chopped tomato
Mayonaise
Mustard
Cheese
Roasted Green Chilies

Preparation:

Wrap the hot dog in the bacon and cook before making your hot dog. Mix and match your preferred ingredients, but be sure to top it off with Santa Cruz Red Chili Paste for a mild, savory finish,or Santa Cruz Green Chili Paste for a bright, tangy flavor, or (my favorite) Santa Cruz Chipotle Paste for a smoky, hot kick.

Sonoran Hot Dog with Santa Cruz Chili Paste

Be sure to post your feedback and/or photos of this recipe on our Facebook wall – we’d love to hear how you liked your Sonoran Hot Dog!

Like what you’re reading? You can buy Santa Cruz Chili Paste here.

– Mike

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about spam. You might remember that a while back we were offered 3.6 million British pounds of bacon.

A few days ago, we got yet another proposal to our bacon todaty email account that sounded just so heartfelt.

Hello Dear,
My name is joy, a good looking young lady with love and care, i saw your email on google search and i decide to contact you for a good love relationship hoping you will accept my request,if you accept my request ,please reply to my email address so that i will send you my photos and more about me,i believe we can make good friends,let distance not be a barrier but lets love connect us,because love is a bridge connected far distances to be close Yours joy.

Oh, to be in love with a bacon website. We feel for young Joy. Sadly, her love will remain unrequited, because we just can’t love a spammer, but at least she’s trying to scam a bacon website, which wins her a very small place in our hearts.

– Mike.

My sister drank a bacon bloody mary. Probably because she had been drunk the night before. Or because she wanted to be drunk this morning.

Most likely, though, it’s because she cares about the proliferation of all things bacon.

– Mike