BACON. Need we say more?

Let’s face it…just about everyone loves bacon. Many people have called it “the gateway meat” and its salty, smoky charm can even turn some vegetarians back into carnivores. The demand for the Bacon Leek pizza that won our recipe contest last year proved so strong that we knew we had to bring it back. This year we are using an all-natural uncured bacon from Hempler’s Food Group, just up I-5 a stretch in Ferndale.

Hans Hempler and his wife Emmy bought a small meat and sausage shop in Bellingham in 1934 and, using techniques that Hans had learned in his native Germany, started to produce their own unique brand of sausages, bacons, and hams. From this little shop they have expanded and Hempler’s now operates out of a 30,000 square foot facility in Ferndale.

The bacon that we are using this year is free of nitrates, nitrites or any other preservatives, and is as minimally processed as possible. That means no antibiotics or hormones, either. The ingredients are simply pork, honey from Oregon, and sea salt. Their pigs (somewhat ironically) are fed a vegan diet. Hempler’s likes to say that they make the “Leanest Bacon on the Planet Earth”, so that there is less fat and more delicious porky goodness in their bacon.

We are proud to be using their bacon on our pizza, and hope that you enjoy it as much as we do! Bacon is also available as a pizza topping while the Bacon Leek is on the menu, so if there is a combination that you have wanted to try, now is the time!

Enjoy!