Best bacon ever.

x3 just went thru about 7 pounds of Thielens Bacon on our houseboat trip. Bacon and eggs, BLT’s and bacon wrapped venison . I have some family that was also raised on Thielen’s that swears RJ’s Meats in Hillman is as good or better, but I haven’t given it the taste test yet.
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The wifes cabin is just down the road from RJs. Last time i went into RJ’s i didnt see a butchery there but they did have some meat available. next time youre around give me a call – we can grab a beer at the cave bar

X4 on Theilen’s

-J.

glenn57 wrote:

I never understood the fascination with bacon??? . I eat it on BLT’s when my garden tomatoes come in but that’s it.

Please don’t ban me!!

Glenn you’re a sick puppy!

i’ve been called worse!!!!!!!1 i look at all that fat and go yuck!!!!

Is Thielen Meats of Little Falls and Thielen’s Meat Market in Pierz one in the same? Will be driving right through Little Falls this weekend so might have to pick up some bacon to try.

dhpricco wrote:

Is Thielen Meats of Little Falls and Thielen’s Meat Market in Pierz one in the same? Will be driving right through Little Falls this weekend so might have to pick up some bacon to try.

I always thought they were, but technically no. The one in little falls is owned by relatives if the pierz place. From the guys I know that have bought stuff at both, the pierz place is better, especially when it comes to things like sticks!

dhpricco wrote:

Is Thielen Meats of Little Falls and Thielen’s Meat Market in Pierz one in the same? Will be driving right through Little Falls this weekend so might have to pick up some bacon to try.

Kind of. Thielen’s in Pierz is the original, and been around since 1922. Two brothers (Keith and John) ran it with their mom after their Dad passed away, and John eventually opened the Little Falls location in 1989. They have pretty much all the same recipes and smoking processes. And personally I don’t think there’s much, if any, difference. Today Pierz is ran by Keith’s 3 sons, and Little Falls is run by John’s son and daughter, and they are all great hardworking people that are almost always there. 4th generation small businesses still doing great!

http://www.thielenmeatslf.com/our-story?adlt=strict

I am biased as the Thielen’s are family friends, but the NYT, Martha Stewart and Oprah have all featured Thielen’s Bacon. And their cousin Amy Thielen had them on numerous times when she was on the Food Network, including Bologna Wednesday’s which I’d recommend stopping by the Red Rooster in Genola if you’re ever nearby mid-week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/09/dining/temptation-bacon-with-meat-to-it.html?adlt=strict

glenn57 wrote:

i’ve been called worse!!!!!!!1 i look at all that fat and go yuck!!!!

Says the guy that puts emulsified fat with sugar in it (aka Miracle Whip) on a BLT. Gross!

Planning to pick up some boutique bacon from Hagbergs in Lake Elmo today. I will report back.

My FIL owned two cabins side by side on Lake Sullivan. One his father bought in the 70s and my FIL bought the property next to it a few years ago. We sold the original cabin to Joe Theilen about 5 years ago. Very nice people!

BigWerm wrote:

They have pretty much all the same recipes and smoking processes. And personally I don’t think there’s much, if any, difference.

I’ve always wondered this too. Thanks

oh that picklerick is a funny guy!!

suzuki wrote:

Planning to pick up some boutique bacon from Hagbergs in Lake Elmo today. I will report back.

Texture was great unfortunately I couldn’t taste it but my wife said it was very good. Since being sick in Jan my sense of taste and smell alternates between barely and none.

I love stopping at meat shops and trying out the bacon and some other cuts. I haven’t found a bad one yet. Everybody has an “award winning” bacon it seems. I like to get 2 packages and do 1 in the oven and 1 on the stove. Kind of a Sunday after church tradition now.

Lake country meats on the North side of Alexandria has some great bacon. The beef bacon from there is delicious as well.

Paul and Kathy’s in Upsala has great bacon and the brat selection is ridiculous.

I’ll have to get over to Theilens and pick up some soon.

Schmidt’s in Nicollet is solid too, and I tried their beef bacon recently for the first time. It was a solid replacement of pork bacon, but I wouldn’t say it’s as good or better imo.

Pailofperch wrote:

Paul and Kathy’s in Upsala has great bacon and the brat selection is ridiculous.

This is absolutely a hidden gem! We fish in that area fairly often and typically go in and get some on the way home. I have yet to try their bacon, but agreed on the brat selection and their beef sticks!

I’ve had beef bacon from 2 different places here in central Iowa. 1st from a small specialty shop that is doing dry ageing and I was impressed regardless of the price. And it was not cheap.

2nd place was an other small mom-n-pop shop it was a meh.

I’ll stick to my own pork belly for now. I’ll be trying some new techniques on my fall batches. I most likely will be doing 150 lbs this winter. I did over 100 last season.

I’ll be stopping by Thielen in Little Falls in Oct. Gonna get bacon and picnic hams! Then will see about their brats! Yum Chicken n pineapple! a few others.

Oh and wild rice meatloaf mix.

Denny O wrote:

picnic hams

Get their double smoked hams, the best!

Just tried bacon from a newer meat market in the SW Metro, Jack Cooper Meats in Cologne (between Cologne, Carver and Waconia) and it’s very good. Not quite Thielens good, but the best I’ve had in the metro. With the endless supply of tomatoes coming out of the garden, BLT’s are a weekly or biweekly meal, and I’m not sick of them yet!

MX1825 wrote:

Left some Weber bacon for BK years back on a Pool 4 visit.
He messaged me after wondering if the pigs ate maple syrup down here in SW Sconny!

That was some great bacon! Too far to drive but never turn it down!
Son of a…looks like Glenn was banned.

BigWerm wrote:

Just tried bacon from a newer meat market in the SW Metro, Jack Cooper Meats in Cologne (between Cologne, Carver and Waconia) and it’s very good. Not quite Thielens good, but the best I’ve had in the metro. With the endless supply of tomatoes coming out of the garden, BLT’s are a weekly or biweekly meal, and I’m not sick of them yet!

I’m with ya on the BLTs, Werm! If you want a little variety, just grab some deli ham and turkey and a slice of cheddar and thrown it on there, too. Then you got yourself a club sandwich – and you don’t even have to be a member!

But BLTs with good, thick bacon, garden tomatoes and fresh corn on the cob are a summertime staple around here.

Ya made me look BK!

This is a test.

BK next time you are on a Miss River excursion down by Dubuque let me know I’ll deliver some Weber bacon to ya!

I have had them for years now! Just in the last 6 or so years I’ve been picking up their picnic hams, They are de-lish!

glenn57 wrote:

This is a test.

Northbound Smokehouse on 38th Street and 28th Avenue in Minneapolis sells bacon by the pound that they make on site and use in their brew pub food. Order ahead and pick it up along with a crowler of their Smokehouse Porter beer, also grab an order of ribs and extra crispy jo-jo potatoes from Ted Cook’s 19th Hole a block to the east on 38th Street. Bacon is fantastic on BLTs, lower salt than most bacon I have had.

Right on my way to work, well if the ever open Hiawatha-thanks Brad