Lexi PurvisOxford is not only known for being the home of the Rebels but also as home to mouth-watering, savory, home-cooked cuisines, and one of the many things Oxford does best is bacon. With National Bacon Day approaching on Saturday, I took it upon myself to find the best bacon in town.
Best Breakfast Bacon: Historically and today, bacon is a crucial part of any breakfast. Waking up to the smell of bacon is almost like waking up to piles of presents under the Christmas tree. In the words of Michael Scott, “I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon. Sue me.” So, without further ado, the best breakfast bacon in Oxford goes to Big Bad Breakfast. Who doesn’t love the bacon there? It’s a part of the BBB experience. In fact, its bacon is so famous that it sells it by the pound. The bacon has a slight spicy twang to it that makes it almost addictive. It’s as if the bacon tucks your taste buds into a comfortable bed of savory spice and flavor. It is flavored with Tabasco, which makes BBB’s bacon distinct from other places. Going to BBB and not ordering its bacon is kind of like going to the grocery store without buying any groceries. I’m very confident if I were blind folded and had to try different pieces of bacon, I’d easily be able to pick out which one is BBB’s signature bacon.
Best bacon burger: This next category was a little more difficult to decide, as there are numerous factors that come into play when deciding on the best bacon burger. I concluded that the best bacon burger in Oxford belongs to Neon Pig’s Famous Smash Burger, which looks exactly how it sounds. Neon Pig prides itself in only using local pork, beef and fish in its food, which makes it even more delicious than most places. The Famous Smash Burger is a combination of filet, ribeye, sirloin and bacon, ground together and served on a ciabatta bun with bacon bits, cheese, onions, pickles and signature sauces. This combination of meats, bacon, cheese and sauces feel as if a piñata full of flavor exploded all over your taste buds. Neon Pig’s unique practice of combining various meats and bacon into one burger has earned it the title of the best bacon burger in Oxford.
Best BLT: The bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is an American classic. The best BLT in Oxford, however, puts a bit of a twist on the time-honored sandwich. Even I was surprised about selecting this winner, but it’s hard not to with such a different style of a BLT. Bouré, one of the most popular spots in Oxford, is home to the best BLT in town. Bouré serves a grilled salmon BLT with delicious salmon, guacamole, bacon, spinach and tomato on toasted sourdough bread. I’m not a huge fish fan myself, but I had to give this special BLT a shot, and I was most certainly not disappointed. The flavorful salmon paired with tasty, scrumptious bacon covered in rich guacamole is what earned the salmon BLT as the best in town.
Best bacon grilled cheese: This category was difficult to decide on because all grilled cheeses taste the same, right? I learned that grilled cheeses are unique like snowflakes, and no two are exactly the same. I tried various places, but once again, Neon Pig was the overall winner of best bacon grilled cheese in town. Neon Pig serves a sandwich named “Sweet Grass Dairy Grilled Cheese” which has a deliciously southern ring to it. The grilled cheese consists of Thomasville tome cheddar, bacon, tomato, and signature sauces only found at Neon Pig. The harissa sauce is paired with the bacon grilled cheese and has a red roasted pepper flavor along with the restaurant’s hoisin sauce, which is an Asian-style barbecue sauce. The combination of flavors makes this bacon grilled cheese far from a plain old grilled cheese sandwich.
National Bacon Day is a great way to go out and try the best bacon at your favorite places. Besides, it’s a legitimate excuse to just eat all of the bacon you can stand. The next time you need a bacon fix, I’d recommend giving any of these Oxford highlights a shot to cure all of your bacon needs.
