Member’s Mark Vs. Kirkland Bacon: The Winner Is Clear

Nitrates? Pink veins? White fat? Don’t stress, we’re comparing Member’s Mark and Kirkland Bacon to find out which one is a cut above the rest!

#Bacon #Breakfast #Kirkland

Cheaper but bigger | 0:00
Crispy and delicious | 1:41
Grams of fat | 2:52
Nitrites and nitrates | 4:08
Pink veins and white fat | 5:40
Easier to manipulate | 6:49
Sources of pork | 8:03
Salty but not smoky | 9:24
Better buy | 10:30

Voiceover by: Katlynn Millions

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Nitrates? Pink veins? White fat? Don’t stress,   we’re comparing Member’s Mark and Kirkland Bacon  to find out which one is a cut above the rest! In general, Costco gives you just  a little more bacon for your buck.   Depending on where you live, a  4-pound package of Kirkland can  

Go for about $20 — or $5 per pound. Sam’s  Club’s 3-pound package costs about $16,   which comes out to $5.30 per pound. If you  ate a pound of Kirkland every week for a year,   you’d save $15. Sadly, saving by buying cheaper  bacon probably won’t fund that trip to Hawaii.

“Just give me all the bacon and eggs you have.” If 3 or 4 pounds sounds overwhelming,  don’t worry because both brands vacuum   pack each pound separately, so you can  store extras in the freezer. Still,   bacon doesn’t maintain top quality  forever, and the National Pork Board  

Recommends refrigeration for up to seven  days, and just a month in the freezer. That doesn’t give breakfast diners much time  to use up the multiple pounds they get from   the warehouses. Imagine a family of four that  eats bacon every Saturday. If each person eats  

Two strips, which is the recommended serving, it  would take them around two months to finish off 4   pounds of bacon. They’ll have stored the savory  breakfast meat for twice as long as suggested. Bacon is cured so it won’t make anyone  sick if kept at the correct temperature,  

But it won’t taste as delicious. In that  regard, visiting your local Walmart might   actually be preferable. There, you can purchase  a single pound of Great Value bacon for $5.90,   which is just 60 cents more per pound than  Sam’s Club, and it’ll also stay fresher.

Imagine popping the perfect strip of  bacon into your mouth. It’s crisp on   the edges and just the right level of  chewy in the center. Both Kirkland and   Member’s Mark brand bacon have this heavenly  texture. What’s most important in achieving  

This is how you cook the bacon, rather  than which warehouse you buy it from. The oven is an easy method to use to guarantee  perfect bacon. Spread some parchment paper on   a baking tray and place strips of bacon on top.  Place more parchment paper over top to keep the  

Grease from splattering all over, then bake for  around 20 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit. If   that’s not crispy enough for you, leave  the bacon in for a few more minutes. The best thing about using the oven instead of a  pan is that you can make more strips at one time.  

If you prefer using a cast iron pan though, then  set the burner between low and medium. There’s   a difference between burnt and crispy bacon,  and higher temperatures usually result in the   former. Take your time, don’t forget to flip the  strips, and let them sizzle to the ideal texture.

Using the oven method with strips of Kirkland  on one tray and Member’s Mark on another results   in slices that are wonderfully crunchy  and just a little chewy in the middle,   especially the ones along  the outer edges of the trays.

The nutrition facts on the back of the packages  of bacon from Sam’s Club and Costco are telling.   Both have 80 calories per two-piece, 17  gram serving size, but in Kirkland’s case,   three-quarters of those calories come  from fat. This brand contains 7 grams  

Of fat and 5 grams of protein per serving,  while Member’s mark has 6 grams of each.   From a health perspective, that makes  Member’s Mark slightly more attractive. If you’re concerned with the fat content  in bacon, consider an alternative product,  

Like turkey bacon. It’s also available at Sam’s  Club and Costco, but not under their store brands.   Godshall’s version of this product, which is  available at Sam’s Club, contains around 45   calories and 2.5 grams of fat per 28-gram  serving. That’s quite a bit less than the  

Traditional version of the breakfast food. It has  a similar cost, though, at around $5 per pound. Canadian bacon is a second option. The circular  slices may not look like bacon, but it tastes   similar and the shape makes it easier to add to  sandwiches. There are 60 calories in a 51-gram  

Serving of Member’s Mark uncured Canadian bacon  and there’s just 1 gram of fat to 10 grams of   protein. The price tag is a little steeper, though  — this product costs around $6.50 per pound. It’s no secret: Bacon doesn’t have a great  reputation when it comes to health. It’s fatty,  

Salty, and terrible for your arteries, but the  nitrates in it could be even worse for you.   Like most other cured meats, bacon contains high  concentrations of this preservative. Your stomach   acid can’t break down nitrates, and when there are  no antioxidants or vitamin C to balance them out,  

They become nitrites, which are linked to a high  risk of cancer and complications during pregnancy. If you’re worried about nitrates or nitrites,  avoid Kirkland and Member’s Mark — both contain   these substances. Of course, all bacon does,  so don’t be fooled by labels from alternative  

Companies claiming the opposite. Some brands use  celery seed or juice as a natural preservative,   but it still contains the preservative.  In fact, WebMD says some bacon labeled as   nitrite-free has double the quantity of nitrates  as the regular stuff when measured in the lab. “I want bacon! I want bacon! I want bacon!”

This doesn’t mean you have  to give up bacon completely,   though. Stick to reasonable serving sizes and  eat it occasionally. A 2021 study published in   the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  found that processed meats, like bacon,   were associated with harmful outcomes in  quantities greater than 150 grams per week.  

To put that in perspective, a two-strip serving  weighs around 17 grams. So, you can still eat   your Saturday morning bacon and a weekly hot  dog, while staying well under that limit. “It makes me want a hot dog real bad.” You’ve probably noticed bacon is  marbled with pink meat and white fat,  

But not all bacon contains the same ratio.  The highest quality has less fat and larger,   longer areas of pink meat. Look for  this characteristic while selecting   bacon since it can vary from strip to  strip, tray to tray, and brand to brand.

Take a look at this image. On the  left, you’ll see Kirkland bacon,   while Member’s Mark is on the right. The bacon  from Sam’s Club displays far more pink and   less white than the strips sold under Costco’s  store brand. When comparing these two packages,  

The bacon on the right would be the better buy  — there’s significantly more bright red meat in   these strips. That doesn’t mean Member’s Mark will  always perform better in this category, though.   No two pigs are the same, so it follows that no  two pieces or packages of bacon will be either.

If you want to check for pink  meat before selecting a tray,   neither Member’s Mark nor Kirkland makes it  especially easy — their packaging doesn’t   reveal much of the product within. The  labeling makes it difficult to see the   whole strips and only the bottom half is  visible. At least Sam’s Club includes a  

Couple of windows on the rear so consumers  can get a better view to guide their decision. Cooks like to get creative with bacon — think  asparagus wrapped in bacon Jamie Oliver-style   or bouquets of bacon roses like Camila Alves  McConaughey makes for hubby Matthew. If you’re  

Getting bacon to use in recipes like these, you  don’t want just any slice. You need something   that’s going to be easy to manipulate  and won’t fall apart while you’re at it. In this category, Kirkland bacon comes out on top  — the strips have more attractive, smoother edges  

And every piece stays together. Some of the slices  from Member’s Mark, on the other hand, have small   pieces of pink meat that separate easily from the  rest. That’s fine if you’re just frying it up for   breakfast, but having a strip that’s sturdily held  together is necessary for more advanced recipes.

Thickness is another characteristic to  explore. The traditional bacon from the   two brands has a similar thickness, which is  perfect for producing a crispy texture. If   you prefer bacon with a chewier center,  then thick-cut could be for you. This   variety will also add toothsomeness  to broccoli cheese soup, among others.

You can get it at either warehouse although  not necessarily from the store brands. Kirkland   Signature produces this variety, but Member’s  Mark doesn’t. If you’re headed to Sam’s Club,   you’ll find thick-cut bacon by brands  like Wright and Hormel instead. Kirkland and Member’s Mark bacon comes  from pigs. Their diet and movement impacts  

The product’s quality, and conscious  consumers should take this into account   when purchasing meat. Since neither  warehouse brand specifies its source,   it likely comes from huge industrial pig farms  with poor conditions. The provenance of most bacon   sold by major brands is similar, and it isn’t  the best way to obtain a high-quality product.

For example, about 80% of sows spend their  lives in crates which seriously restrict their   movement. It’s essentially like forcing humans  to spend a lifetime in an airplane seat. On top   of that, industrial hogs eat a diet that  sometimes includes grain, chicken manure,  

And ground-up poultry feathers. The unappetizing  mix contains antibiotics to keep the animals from   becoming ill from it. Waste builds up around and  under their pens, giving off asphyxiating fumes. Supporting more hygienic practices doesn’t have  to break the bank, though. Coleman Natural Foods  

Says its farmers don’t use crates — sows have  more room to move around and their feed is   antibiotic-free. This bacon costs around $6  per 12 ounces at Walmart. On the other hand,   if you want bacon from happy pigs that  have wandered through green pastures,  

Waded in muddy puddles, and  received cuddles from their keeper,   head to your local farmers’ market instead  of a warehouse, but expect to pay even more. The biggest difference in taste between  Kirkland and Member’s Mark bacon is the   saltiness. Costco’s brand tastes distinctly  saltier than the competition. Flip over the  

Package and you’ll discover the reason why —  the sodium content in Kirkland bacon is higher.   One serving contains 320 milligrams of sodium  versus 270 milligrams in Sam’s Club’s brand. Now, if you’re eating bacon, you probably  know you’re getting a big dose of salt,  

So you may not care exactly how high it is. On the  other hand, Costco’s product seems unnecessarily   burdened by the seasoning — Member’s Mark  is pleasantly salty, not shockingly so. When it comes to the degree of smokiness, both  brands leave something to be desired. They’re  

Far saltier than they are smoky, resulting in  their presence as an ingredient going somewhat   undetected. Make a BLT with either brand of bacon  and you’ll find yourself wondering if the bacon is   missing because the smoky flavor is imperceptible.  You may have to try other brands of the breakfast  

Classic until you find one that accents your  dishes with the flavor you’re dreaming of. “Bacon, bacon, bacon.” Member’s Mark bacon wins by a nose in the  comparison between the two — but the race   is close. The product from Sam’s Club is  slightly less fatty, contains less sodium,  

And comes in a more convenient package  format. It also has larger areas of pink meat,   despite being less visually appealing  and more expensive than Kirkland bacon. On most accounts, though, buying one or the  other won’t make a lot of difference in your  

Dining experience since their taste  and texture are so similar. In fact,   you likely wouldn’t be able to tell if someone  changed the brand on you without letting you know. Most towns and neighborhoods have either  a Sam’s Club or Costco in the area,  

And most shoppers choose a membership at  one or the other, not both. Ultimately,   the most convenient bacon to buy is the  one that’s nearest and at the warehouse   store you usually shop at. If you really  are hoping to up the bacon game at your  

Dining table, you may have to look at  alternatives to these retail behemoths. Start by checking out a local butcher  or calling a livestock farm near you.   The cost could be higher, but you’ll  support your area’s economy and more   humane farming practices while  you’re enjoying a crispy strip.