How Does Wendy’s Cook Their Bacon? A Behind-the-Scenes Look

The Baconator and Baconator Fries are two of Wendy’s most famous bacon-based dishes. But have you ever thought about how they cook all that tasty, crispy bacon?

As a fast food giant, Wendy’s needs to churn out piles of perfectly cooked bacon every day to meet customer demand So what’s their secret?

In this in-depth guide we’ll uncover how Wendy’s really cooks their bacon from ingredients and storage to cooking methods and equipment. You’ll get an insider’s look at the Wendy’s bacon cooking process from start to finish.

So grab a Frosty and let’s satisfy your bacon curiosity!

Wendy’s Bacon Ingredients

The first step to great bacon is using high-quality ingredients. Here’s what goes into Wendy’s applewood smoked bacon:

• Pork belly from USDA inspected pork
• Water, sea salt, sugar, and natural smoke flavoring
• Cured using celery powder and sea salt

Wendy’s bacon contains no artificial preservatives or colors It’s simply pork belly that’s been naturally cured and smoked to add flavor.

The thickness of the cut also matters. Wendy’s uses a thicker slab-style pork belly to produce hearty bacon slices with a meaty bite.

How Wendy’s Bacon Is Stored

To maintain freshness and prevent spoilage, Wendy’s stores their raw bacon in the refrigerator until cooking. Despite some claims, Wendy’s bacon is not left sitting out for extended periods before use.

The bacon is kept in food-grade plastic bags or containers to protect it from cross-contamination with other ingredients. Proper chilled storage keeps the bacon fresh and safe before cooking.

Wendy’s Bacon Preparation Process

Before cooking up all that delicious bacon for your Baconator, Wendy’s kitchen staff follow specific prep steps:

• Bacon slabs are removed from refrigerated storage to temper before cooking
• The slabs are sliced into uniform strips, usually around 1/8 inch thick
• The slices are separated and portioned out for cooking orders
• Grills, flat tops, and other cooking surfaces are preheated before cooking
• Utensils and work stations are thoroughly cleaned to prevent cross-contamination

Proper prep sets up the bacon for fast, quality cooking.

How Wendy’s Cooks Bacon – Step by Step

Here’s a look at how Wendy’s executes perfectly cooked bacon day after day:

1. Griddle Pre-Heating

Wendy’s kitchens use large flat-top griddles to cook bacon in high volumes. The griddles are switched on and preheated to the ideal bacon cooking temperature before the first batch hits the grill.

2. Bacon Portioning

Pre-portioned stacks of bacon slices are arranged on the hot griddle to fully utilize the large surface area. Multiple portions can cook at once.

3. Turning and Checking Doneness

Kitchen staff frequently check and turn the bacon with tongs as it cooks. This ensures even crisping on both sides.

4. Removing and Draining

Once the bacon reaches the desired level of crispness, it’s removed from the griddle and allowed to drain on paper towels to remove excess grease.

5. Holding and Serving

The cooked bacon is placed in warmers until orders come in for bacon menu items. Then it’s quickly assembled into your food and served up hot and fresh.

Wendy’s cooking process utilizes commercial equipment and techniques tailored for high volume bacon production.

Wendy’s Bacon Cooking Equipment

To achieve rapid cooking results, Wendy’s kitchens are equipped with specialized high-output equipment:

• Flat-top griddles – The workhorse bacon cooker that allows quick, even cooking in bulk.

• Convection ovens – Circulating hot air helps bake large volumes of bacon simultaneously.

• Commercial broilers – Provides intense overhead heat to finish or crisp partially cooked bacon.

• Holding cabinets – Keeps just-cooked bacon warm until it’s needed for service.

The right tools allow Wendy’s to keep bacon cooking continuously to meet customer demand.

Why Wendy’s Bacon Tastes So Good

Wendy’s bacon hits the mark on flavor and texture because:

• It’s made from fresh, never frozen pork bellies

• Natural smoke flavoring and cure provides real smokey, bacon-y taste

• Thick cut bacon has meatier mouthfeel and bite

• It’s cooked only to order, not reheated or held for long periods

• Griddle cooking gives it a crispy, grease-drained texture

Simple high-quality ingredients and proper cooking delivers bacon goodness every time.

Food Safety at Wendy’s

When cooking large volumes of food, safety is a top priority. Here’s how Wendy’s keeps their bacon safe:

• Refrigerated storage inhibits bacteria growth in raw bacon

• Separate prep tools prevent cross-contamination

• Frequent hand washing and glove changes for staff

• Cooking to safe minimum internal temperatures

• Holding at safe serving temperatures after cooking

• Routine kitchen cleaning and sanitization

• Employee training on food safety procedures

Through strict safety protocols, Wendy’s minimizes risks when producing tons of bacon for customers daily.

Should You Be Concerned About Wendy’s Bacon?

There are always some food safety risks when dealing with a processed meat like bacon. However, Wendy’s has safety systems in place to mitigate concerns.

As long as you have no personal food sensitivities, their bacon is likely no more concerning than other restaurants. Stick to fully cooked menu items if you have immune or allergy issues.

Satisfy Your Bacon Craving at Wendy’s

After learning how the bacon pros get it done, you may have an even greater appreciation for your next Wendy’s bacon creation.

Their cooking process and equipment allows them to churn out the mountains of crispy bacon needed to satisfy customer demand day after day.

So next time you get a hankering for smoky, savory bacon flavor, grab your keys and head to Wendy’s. Just be prepared for non-stop bacon heaven courtesy of their mastery of large-scale bacon cooking.