what kind of bacon does chick fil a use

Uncovering the Secret Behind Chick-fil-A’s Incredible Bacon

As a lifelong bacon enthusiast, I’m always seeking out the very best bacon flavors and textures. So when I bit into a smoky, crispy strip of bacon in Chick-fil-A’s Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich, I was floored. It was love at first bite. I had to know – what kind of bacon makes their sandwich so crave-worthy?

After some digging behind the scenes, I uncovered the fascinating details of how Chick-fil-A makes their phenomenal bacon. From sourcing to smoking to seasoning, their process results in bacon that’s downright addictive. Keep reading to learn all about the painstaking steps Chick-fil-A takes to create their standout bacon.

Sourced from Humanely Raised Pork

Chick-fil-A starts with ethically raised pork to create their bacon. They source fresh pork belly from humanely treated pigs raised on independent American farms. These pigs live in temperature-controlled barns with access to natural light, balanced diets, and enrichments for natural behavior.

Stress-free environments produce higher quality pork that’s juicy and well-marbled. Chick-fil-A’s focus on humane standards provides pork bellies ideal for making irresistible bacon.

Thick-Sliced and Uncured

Chick-fil-A slices their pork belly into extra thick-cut strips, around 1/4 inch versus the standard 1/16 inch. These plush slabs lend well to absorbing smoke flavor and achieving crispy bacon perfection.

They also cure their pork naturally without sodium nitrites or artificial preservatives. This results in bacon with a natural pink pork color and minimal chemical additives.

Double Smoked Over Hardwoods

Here’s where the magic happens. Chick-fil-A smokes their thick bacon slices not once, but twice over natural hardwoods for full flavor infusion.

First, they cold smoke the bacon at low temperature over maple wood, imparting a subtle sweetness. Then, they switch to hickory wood for a second hot smoking that penetrates deep smoky essence into each slice.

This innovative double smoking over real hardwoods gives their bacon rich complexity you won’t find in fast food competitors. Chick-fil-A’s from-scratch smoking process makes all the difference.

Hand-Rubbed with Secret Spices

To complement the wood smoke flavors, Chick-fil-A hand-rubs their bacon with custom spice blends. While the exact blend is secret, it contains paprika, garlic, onion, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.

Gently massaging the bacon by hand allows the spices to evenly coat for optimal flavor. This personalized seasoning provides an extra layer of savory-sweet depth.

Fried Up Fresh in Restaurants

Rather than mass produce their bacon in factories, Chick-fil-A smokes and cooks their bacon fresh on-site at local restaurants. Skilled cooks fry the bacon in small batches to guarantee ideal crispness.

The fresh, made-to-order preparation maximizes bacon flavor and texture for sandwiches. Chick-fil-A’s commitment to in-house bacon-making is astonishing in a fast food setting.

Served on Delicious Bacon-Loaded Menu Items

Of course, you can get Chick-fil-A’s sublime bacon as the star of the Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich. But they also serve it in tasty breakfast options like:

• Hash Brown Scramble Bowl – Diced bacon with eggs, potatoes, and cheese.

• Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit – A classic bacon egg sandwich.

• Bacon Scramble Wrap – Cheesy scrambled eggs with bacon in a tortilla.

• Bacon Sunflower Multigrain Bagel – Cream cheese spread with 3 bacon slices.

Chick-fil-A offers ample ways to fulfill your bacon fix throughout the day thanks to their incredible hand-crafted smoking and frying techniques.

The Reason Chick-fil-A’s Bacon is So Addictive

After learning about Chick-fil-A’s painstaking bacon production methods, it’s easy to see why their bacon is just so addictively delicious:

• Ethically raised pork provides superior fat marbling and flavor.

• Thick-cut slices absorb more hickory and maple smoke essence.

• Double smoking over real hardwoods imparts unrivaled smoky depth.

• Hand-spiced with a sweet and savory blend for extra complexity.

• Cooked fresh in-restaurant for ideal crispy, meaty texture.

From their humanely raised pork to double-smoking secrets, Chick-fil-A pulls out all the stops to create bacon that’s leagues above any fast food competitor. One taste of their smoky, spiced bacon and you’ll be hooked!