Bacon: How It Is Made and How to Cook It Right

Bacon is pork belly transformed. Cure it, smoke it, slice it, and you get the salty, smoky, meaty strips that make almost everything better. It is the most beloved pork product in the world, and it is also one of the simplest to understand once you know it starts as a slab of belly. Whether you buy it or cure your own, a little knowledge helps you pick better bacon and cook it so it turns crisp instead of burnt.

How bacon is made

Bacon begins as pork belly, the fatty underside of the pig. That belly is cured with salt, usually along with a little sugar and a curing salt that keeps the color and guards against spoilage, then often smoked over hardwood and sliced. The cure can be wet, a brine the belly soaks in, or dry, a rub massaged into the meat and left for days. Dry-cured bacon tends to be denser and more intense, while wet-cured bacon is the common supermarket style. American bacon comes from the belly and is streaky with fat, while British back bacon comes from the loin and is leaner and meatier.

What it tastes like

Salty, savory, smoky, and rich, with the ribbons of fat that make bacon crisp and render at once. The smoke gives it depth, the cure gives it that meaty savor, and the fat carries all of it. Quality varies a lot: cheap bacon is pumped with water and shrinks and spits in the pan, while good dry-cured bacon from a well-raised pig stays firm, crisps cleanly, and tastes of pork rather than just salt and smoke.

How to cook bacon

Low and steady beats hot and fast. Our favorite method is the oven: lay the strips on a rack over a sheet pan and bake at around 375F until the fat renders and the bacon turns crisp and even, with no flipping and no splatter. In a pan, start the bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat so the fat renders slowly before the meat crisps, which keeps it from burning at the edges while staying chewy in the middle. Pour off and save the rendered fat, which is a prize for cooking eggs, potatoes, and greens. We cook bacon in cast iron or on a metal sheet, never on plastic, and drain it on a rack rather than paper when we can.

Watch it closely near the end, since the sugar in many cures makes bacon go from perfect to burnt in seconds. Pull it a shade before it looks done, as it crisps further while it cools.

Curing your own

Homemade bacon is one of the most rewarding kitchen projects. Rub a slab of skinless pork belly with salt, sugar, and a measured amount of curing salt, then refrigerate it in a sealed container for about a week, turning it daily. Rinse it, dry it, and either smoke it low or roast it gently to an internal 150F, then chill and slice. The result is firmer, meatier, and far better than most store bacon, and you control the salt, sugar, and smoke. We cure in glass or stainless, never reactive metal or thin plastic.

Common mistakes

Cooking bacon too hot is the classic error, burning the sugary cure before the fat renders. Keep the heat moderate and be patient. Crowding the pan steams the strips instead of crisping them, so cook in batches or use the oven. Throwing away the rendered fat is a waste of a great cooking fat, so save it. And buying watery, pumped bacon leads to shrinking, spitting strips, so seek out drier, better-cured bacon.

How to buy it

Look for bacon with firm, evenly distributed fat and meat, not a slab that is mostly fat or soaked in liquid. Dry-cured bacon and bacon from pasture-raised heritage pigs cost more and cook and taste far better. Thick-cut suits breakfast and burgers, while thin-cut crisps fast for salads and toppings. Ask your butcher or find good pork through our Find a Farmer directory.

Good substitutes

Pancetta, Italian cured belly that is usually not smoked, stands in for bacon in pasta and braises with a cleaner pork flavor. Guanciale, cured jowl, is the traditional choice for carbonara and amatriciana. Turkey bacon is a leaner, smokier-tasting alternative, though it lacks the fat that makes real bacon crisp. Lardons cut from a slab of belly give a chunkier bite for stews and salads.

Storage and leftovers

Unopened bacon keeps to its date in the fridge, and once opened it lasts about a week. It freezes well for a couple of months, and rolling the strips or freezing them flat makes it easy to peel off a few at a time. Cooked bacon keeps four to five days sealed and reheats in seconds. Store rendered bacon fat in a sealed jar in the fridge for months and use it as a cooking fat.

Nutrition

Bacon is high in protein and fat and, because it is cured, high in sodium. It delivers real flavor in small amounts, which is how it is best used, as a seasoning and an accent as much as a main. Draining the rendered fat lowers the amount you eat, and dry-cured bacon from a good pig gives more flavor per strip, so you tend to use less.

Frequently asked questions

What part of the pig is bacon from?

American bacon is cured, smoked pork belly. British back bacon comes from the loin and is leaner. Both start with the same idea of curing pork.

What is the best way to cook bacon?

The oven is our favorite: bake on a rack at around 375F for even, crisp strips with no splatter. In a pan, start in a cold skillet and render slowly.

Can I make bacon at home?

Yes. Cure a slab of pork belly with salt, sugar, and curing salt for about a week, then smoke or roast it gently, chill, and slice.

Why does my bacon burn?

Usually the heat is too high, so the sugar in the cure scorches before the fat renders. Cook at a moderate heat and pull it just before it looks done.

What to serve with it

Bacon is a team player. It crowns burgers, crumbles over salads and baked potatoes, wraps around dates and chicken, and anchors a breakfast plate with eggs and toast. Its salt and smoke lift beans, greens, and pasta. A little goes a long way, so use it to season a dish as much as to fill it.

Learn more

Back to the pork belly guide and the Pork Meat Wiki. For the fresh cut bacon starts as, see the pork belly cut, or find good pork through Find a Farmer.