Sam’s is where I used to get my Wright bacon, but about a year ago they stopped carrying it. (I could still get it at the Super Walmart, but I don’t shop there very often.) Sam’s had replaced Wright with Member’s Mark. Eh. I’m not afraid of MM items; in fact, they are often just rebranded mainstream products. A lot of them are outright superior! (I can’t make basil pesto as good as the rebranded Rana sold as MM.) But bacon can be touchy. MM might be rebranded Wright, or it might be rebranded Oscar Meyer. Who knows? Not me. Not taking the chance.
Well, Wright is back, alongside MM. So I picked up one of each, in hickory smoked, to compare.
I like the sliced slabs over the fanned out packages, because it’s easier to pick lean/fatty. I don’t have a preference; both lean and fatty are delicious, delicious bacon. I like to pick a balance.
It took a while to eat my way through… EIGHT POUNDS OF BACON. That’s two 2 lb packs of each. Even though it’s bacon. Sorry, no photos, when I started this I wasn’t planning on doing anything more than eating bacon. But it looks like bacon. I could pick some photos off the internet, but you get the idea.
Verdict: both are actually excellent. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. The MM is a little bit sweeter, in my opinion. It cooks a little bit darker. But the little extra sweetness isn’t worse; it’s just different. And it isn’t intrusive; without the comparison, it’s not a sweet product. Eating it, I think, “This bacon is delicious.” It’s good bacon. The fat crisps up nicely and the meaty part has a nice bite.
If you’ve had Wright, then you know it’s one of the best widely available bacons on the market. It’s got a great pork flavor, the fat crisps up nicely, the meaty part also has a nice bite, and it’s smoky but not intrusively so.
The difference is price, and we as consumers are given a price to value equation. And here there is no right answer, just a choice. Member’s Mark bacon is $16.24 for 4 lbs, $4.06/lb. Wright is $21.47 for 4 lbs, $5.37/lb. Let’s do the math! 4.06/5.37=75.6%. Is MM 75% as good as Wright?
Absolutely. But that isn’t the question. The math is only one part of a value equation. The real question is, if you like Wright bacon better, would you spend an extra $1.25/lb for it?
Which brings us to the whole point of this (other than that I like to ramble on about stupid stuff, and I think I found an audience to indulge me): don’t be afraid to try the Member’s Mark bacon and decide for yourself. It’s good enough that you might actually prefer it. In fact, it is really close to the store brand sold in Weis Markets, here in the Mid Atlantic, which I was buying when I couldn’t get Wright (or didn’t want to deal with shopping in Walmart). I hate our local Weis Market, so now I don’t have to go there for bacon.
Well, Wright is back, alongside MM. So I picked up one of each, in hickory smoked, to compare.
I like the sliced slabs over the fanned out packages, because it’s easier to pick lean/fatty. I don’t have a preference; both lean and fatty are delicious, delicious bacon. I like to pick a balance.
It took a while to eat my way through… EIGHT POUNDS OF BACON. That’s two 2 lb packs of each. Even though it’s bacon. Sorry, no photos, when I started this I wasn’t planning on doing anything more than eating bacon. But it looks like bacon. I could pick some photos off the internet, but you get the idea.
Verdict: both are actually excellent. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. The MM is a little bit sweeter, in my opinion. It cooks a little bit darker. But the little extra sweetness isn’t worse; it’s just different. And it isn’t intrusive; without the comparison, it’s not a sweet product. Eating it, I think, “This bacon is delicious.” It’s good bacon. The fat crisps up nicely and the meaty part has a nice bite.
If you’ve had Wright, then you know it’s one of the best widely available bacons on the market. It’s got a great pork flavor, the fat crisps up nicely, the meaty part also has a nice bite, and it’s smoky but not intrusively so.
The difference is price, and we as consumers are given a price to value equation. And here there is no right answer, just a choice. Member’s Mark bacon is $16.24 for 4 lbs, $4.06/lb. Wright is $21.47 for 4 lbs, $5.37/lb. Let’s do the math! 4.06/5.37=75.6%. Is MM 75% as good as Wright?
Absolutely. But that isn’t the question. The math is only one part of a value equation. The real question is, if you like Wright bacon better, would you spend an extra $1.25/lb for it?
Which brings us to the whole point of this (other than that I like to ramble on about stupid stuff, and I think I found an audience to indulge me): don’t be afraid to try the Member’s Mark bacon and decide for yourself. It’s good enough that you might actually prefer it. In fact, it is really close to the store brand sold in Weis Markets, here in the Mid Atlantic, which I was buying when I couldn’t get Wright (or didn’t want to deal with shopping in Walmart). I hate our local Weis Market, so now I don’t have to go there for bacon.
Comment