Unraveling the Mystery Behind Spalding Bacon
In the world of processed meats, the name Spalding is synonymous with sports equipment and balls. Yet curiously enough, you can also find Spalding bacon sold at some grocery retailers. This seeming disconnect has left many shoppers wondering—who exactly makes Spalding bacon?
The history behind this little-known bacon brand is nebulous at best. But we’re here to get to the bottom of the Spalding bacon mystery. Read on to learn about the origins of the company, their bacon-making process, product reviews, and where to buy this enigmatic pork product.
The Spalding Company Origin Story
The Spalding name first gained fame in the late 1800s through sporting goods. In 1876, pitcher and baseball team manager Albert Spalding founded the A.G. Spalding company in Chicago. His goal was to bring innovation and standardization to sports equipment manufacturing.
Spalding’s company started by improving production of baseballs and bats. But they soon expanded into other sports like golf, tennis and football. By the early 1900s, Spalding was a leading athletic outfitter producing everything from sportswear to gymnastic equipment.
During World War II, Spalding pivoted to help the war effort. They joined five other companies to form the New England Small Arms Corporation, producing M1918 rifles for the U.S. military.
So how did Spalding go from making baseball mitts to processed meat? The full timeline is hazy, but it’s believed Spalding first entered the bacon market sometime in the 1970s or 80s. As a large company with distribution networks already in place, Spalding likely saw bacon as a profitable new revenue stream.
While Spalding still produces some sporting goods today, they appear more focused on their food products which include eggs, turkey, chicken, and of course—bacon.
Inside the Spalding Bacon Production Process
Spalding plays their bacon-making process rather close to the vest. But we can make some educated guesses on how they churn out those packs of breakfast bacon.
First, Spalding likely sources fresh pork bellies from hog processing facilities. The skinless bellies are then cured—soaked in a brine solution of water, salt, sodium nitrite, and spices. This cures the meat while adding flavor.
After curing, Spalding probably cold smokes the pork for hours using frictionless smoke generators. This imparts a smoky taste without cooking the bacon.
The bacon is then sliced, packaged, and distributed to grocery retailers across North America. Based on their nutrition labels, Spalding doesn’t appear to use any preservatives or artificial ingredients in their cure.
Of course, without a behind-the-scenes look at their process, we can’t say for sure how Spalding makes bacon start to finish. But the above steps align with traditional artisanal bacon production.
What Consumers Are Saying About Spalding Bacon
So who buys Spalding bacon? Apparently Canadians, for the most part. Spalding products frequently pop up at retailers like Giant Tiger, Metro, and Food Basics in Canada. The company seems less common south of the border.
As for reviews, Spalding bacon gets mixed feedback from shoppers. Some praise it for good value and a pleasantly smoky maple flavor. But others claim the bacon looks measly and lacks the same quality as other brands.
One Reddit user called Spalding “literal dog food” compared to thicker, artisanal bacon. Other complaints cite a lack of meat on each slice and an overly hard texture when cooked.
Of course, taste is subjective. The consensus seems to be that Spalding produces a very average, mass-market bacon but not a premium gourmet product. For a budget-friendly bacon fix, Spalding gets the job done according to many reviews. But bacon snobs may want to splurge for something higher-end.
The Takeaway: An Affordable Bacon Option
While it’s no boutique, hand-crafted bacon, Spalding brings home the bacon (pun intended) for shoppers wanting a quick pork fix on a budget. For under $5 per pack, their bacon delivers on basic bacon flavor and could satisfy any craving in a pinch.
Yet Spalding still feels like an outlier in the processed meat space compared to longstanding bacon brands like Oscar Mayer and Hormel. The company’s sporting goods legacy makes their push into pork peculiar. While not the tastiest bacon around, Spalding remains an intriguing option worth trying if you see it at your local market.
Next time you’re browsing the meat case, keep an eye out for the Spalding name next to the bacon. This athletic brand taking a page from the pork playbook could be just the cure for your breakfast blues.
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What should you look for when choosing a Bacon brand?
When choosing a Bacon brand, consider these key nutrients and ingredients: Sodium: All bacon will have sodium, which gives it its signature salty and savory taste. However, some brands have more than others, which may be unnecessary and make it hard to stick to your daily sodium limit.
How many bacon brands were tested in the article?
In the article, our culinary staff fried up eight bacon brands, including mom-and-pop options and the biggest name in the business, in efforts to find brands worthy of being called Test Kitchen-Preferred. Eight brands were tested in this delicious test, and each strip was judged according to these standards:
Is Wright a good brand of bacon?
Wright Brand Real Wood Smoked Applewood Thick Cut Bacon If loving bacon is wrong, I want it to be Wright. The brand offers one of the best thick-cut options on the market with a somewhat muted smoky flavor so that the pork speaks for itself.
What is inside a bacon?
What’s inside: Generally, a bacon’s ingredients list will only mention the ingredients that are used to cure the bacon. (That’s right, the pig gets no credit.) Oscar Mayer uses a fairly standard set of ingredients for industrial-cured bacon: water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, and sodium nitrite.