Mahogany Smoked Meats, Bishop

Mahogany Smoked Meats, Bishop, California. Rated ★★★★☆

Best bacon ever.

Every time I blow through Bishop I make it a point to stop and pick up a couple of pounds — including some to give to family. I like to cook it on the barbecue: the extra fat drips through the grate and you end up with crispy, lean bacon goodness.

The jerky is good enough, though it’s fairly wet and sticky. But here’s the thing: if you like the jerky, try the bacon. That’s what they’re actually known for.

I also got the pastrami — good — and some smoked salmon I hadn’t tried yet at the time of writing. The sage honey, if it’s as good as the surrounding area smells, should be excellent. The whole Eastern Sierra around Bishop smells like honey and sage in the right season.

Bishop is a standard stop on the Burning Man return route — Reno to the 395 down through the Eastern Sierra, past Bridgeport and Bodie, through Bishop, eventually hooking back to LA.