If you’re a bacon lover chances are you’ve tried or at least heard of Berg Bacon. With its signature lean cuts and smokey maplewood smoked flavor, Berg has become a popular choice for anyone looking to enjoy a delicious slice of bacon. But just where does this tasty bacon come from? As a food blogger and bacon enthusiast I set out to uncover the origin story behind one of Australia’s most iconic bacon brands.
A Family Recipe Passed Down Through Generations
Berg Bacon was founded in 1922 by Herbert Berg, a third generation butcher from New South Wales, Australia. The Berg family had been mastering the art of curing and smoking bacon for years, passing down their special family recipe from father to son Herbert decided to share his family’s mouthwatering smoked bacon with the rest of Australia, launching his own brand
Initially, Herbert sold Berg Bacon locally within New South Wales. However, word quickly spread about the unrivaled smokey maplewood flavor of Berg’s lean bacon slices. Before long, Berg Bacon was being stocked in butcher shops and grocers across the country.
Over the decades, five generations of the Berg family have dedicated themselves to perfecting their secret curing process and premium smoking method. While the exact recipe remains a closely guarded family secret, it’s this generations-old smoking technique that gives Berg Bacon its uniquely delicious flavor.
Why Berg Bacon is So Lean
Part of what sets Berg Bacon apart is its exceptionally lean cuts. The Berg family uses a special breed of pasture-raised Australian pigs called Large Whites. These pigs are specially bred to have less backfat and more lean meat. Less fat means you get more pork-y tasting bacon with that perfect balance of meaty flavor and smokiness.
Berg sources all their pork from trusted Australian pig farmers who raise their Large Whites on open pastures. The pigs enjoy spacious barns, fresh air, and well-balanced non-GMO feed. Happy pigs mean better tasting bacon! The humane care and diet contribute to the pigs developing plenty of tasty lean meat.
From Farm to Smoker
Once the pork bellies arrive at the Berg processing facility, they are trimmed to remove excess fat. Then the magic happens – they are cured and smoked using the original Berg family recipe.
The pork bellies soak for days in a wet brine cure packed with natural flavors like maple syrup, sea salt, brown sugar, and secret savory spices. This slow curing process allows the brine to thoroughly penetrate deep into the meat.
After curing comes cold smoking. Berg uses a special blend of maplewood and beechwood chips to infuse the bacon with its signature maplewood smoked taste. The pork bellies hang in the smoker for up to 14 hours, slowly absorbing the smokey essence of the fire-kissed wood chips.
Finally, the smoked pork bellies are sliced into perfectly proportioned rashers. After almost a century of honing their craft, the Bergs have artfully mastered how to coax the most flavor out of their premium pork bellies.
Why Berg Bacon is a Pantry Staple for Aussies
From its humble family butcher shop beginnings, Berg Bacon now enjoys nationwide popularity in Australian households and restaurants. Food critics and home cooks alike praise Berg for its well-balanced maplewood smoky flavor and smooth, meaty texture.
Here are some of the key reasons Berg Bacon has earned its reputation as a pantry staple:
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Uniquely Lean Cuts – With less fat and more porky flavor, Berg’s lean cuts make for perfect bacon every time.
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Maplewood Smoked Goodness – The signature maplewood smoking process gives Berg Bacon a subtly sweet, smoky taste.
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Humane Farming – Berg only uses humanely raised pigs, so you can feel good about the ethics behind your bacon.
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Aussie Family-Owned – As a 5th generation family business, Berg takes pride in bringing joy through quality bacon.
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Convenient Packaging – Berg Bacon comes vacuum-packed in portioned packs, so it’s easy to store and prepare.
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Versatile Ingredients – With its well-balanced flavor, Berg Bacon enhances everything from breakfasts to burgers.
berg bacon quality dropsI have been using Berg bacon various cuts from Aldi for many years. Last purchase was short cut bacon delicately smoked. I changed to this because of the dropping quality of the meat, flavour and mostly excess water content of the full rashers. Sadly for me the same thing has happened to the short cut getting worse over time. Excess water, rashers stick together in packet, lack of flavour unless cooked over open flame. When using frypan to cook it tends to stew when the water leaches out from the bacon. I believe it’s added water not left ove
“Berg” with the pretentious dots on the e give genuine European charcuterie a bad name. Why not charge a little more for real quality? I’ve tried their products several times and they were always very disappointing. This is so sad! The small pickles made in India don’t taste European or good; they just taste hot. Please ALDI stop searching for cheap products – there is enough rubbish around anyway. Another good thing about ALDI is that they have a lot of good foods, especially cheese, butter, and milk. I will still shop there.