Jet's Meat Processing - Waukon, Iowa

On the edge of town, in Waukon, Iowa, is a tiny meat market called Jet's Meat Processing. Jet's has won a number of awards, including several state awards just weeks before I dropped in for some bacon.

Walking in the door of meat markets I never know what to expect. Jet's looks small on the outside with no frills. They do have a retail area, but it is very small - just a few coolers, but they offer a nice variety and selection of their meats. There is fancy packaging, no fancy interior design; upon walking in to the retail store you are only steps from the meat processing machinery. These guys are all about the meats.When checking out at the cash register I inquired about their award winning bacon, but it was out of stock. It is a country bacon - dry cured - so it is a little saltier than regular bacon. I purchased their regular hickory smoked bacon and was told that it was pretty good too.

Hickory Smoked Bacon

Jet's bacon is cut very well and pleasing to the eye. It also cooks very well. I cooked it using the Bacon Scouts quick and easy bacon cooking method. I really enjoyed this bacon. It reminded me very much of a little bit of both Steve's Meat Market in Ellendale, Minnesota and McDonald's Meats from Clear Lake, Minnesota. Very tasty! Flavor is robust but not as robust as these others. The saltiness is just right and the smoke flavor is medium in intensity.The only thing that was disappointing about the bacon was the amount it shrank when cooking. This bacon started at more than 9 inches in length, but shrank to just under 6. That's some of the highest rate of shrinkage of all the bacon we have ever tried.if you find yourself in Northwestern Iowa, you can't go wrong with a stop at Jet's Meat Processing in Waukon. Their bacon tastes as good as advertised!If you have had their award winning, country cured bacon, leave a comment below to let us know what you think.