Here's The Difference Between Bacon And Pork Belly

If you've ever spotted slices of pork belly at the market or perhaps at a Korean barbeque restaurant and mistaken them for bacon, you were not far off. In fact, anatomically, you were right on target because most bacon is prepared from the cut of meat known as pork belly. This cut is notable for having a small amount of meat layered with fat and connective tissue, sometimes with the skin attached. It's a delicious specialty meat with luscious, tender texture when cooked properly.

Pork belly becomes transformed into bacon through a process known as curing, which involves salt and seasonings. American-style bacon is also sometimes smoked. Salting pork belly is an ancient preservation technique that can be traced back to China and has been adapted to include western flavor profiles. You'll see some other cuts of pork around the world also called bacon, notably in Ireland and Canada, where bacon is created from meaty cuts of pork that's also cured for longevity.

Pork belly is a large cut of fatty meat from the underside of the animal. You'll find pork belly in several forms, including larger pieces with the skin on, smaller rectangular shapes an inch or two thick, and in thin, bacon-like strips. The pieces with the skin still intact make for a deliciously crunchy contrast when roasted. All that white tissue layered with the pink meat is not just fat, there are sections of connective tissue in the layers, and those are the key to the distinctive meltingly tender texture of a properly cooked pork belly.

Slow, low-heat moist cooking techniques like braising transform all that tough connective tissue into the wonderful tender consistency you find in other similarly chewy cuts like pork shoulder or ribs. The flavor of pork belly is mild, which makes it the perfect vehicle for flavorful additions, like you'll find in an aromatic twice cooked pork. Some braised pork belly chunks are also pan fried to add a crisp brown contrast to the soft meat.

Luckily for us, that ancient technique of salting pork belly traveled the world, picking up new spices and flavors as it encountered new cultures, eventually becoming the bacon we know and love. Most American-style bacon is not only salted, but also includes some form of nitrate to keep the meaty stripes an appealing pink color. The nitrate can be from a chemical called pink salt, or from other natural sources like celery juice.

You'll normally find bacon pre-sliced in various thicknesses, but it's also possible to buy slabs and packs of the odd cut ends. Although every cook has their set of tips to cook the absolute best bacon just like with pork belly, lower heat and a longer cooking time will yield a slice of bacon that's crisp-tender and perfectly bronzed all over. Other forms of bacon made from turkey or plant proteins may look similar, but they don't have the advantage of that perfect ratio of meat, fat, and connective tissue that makes bacon such a delicious treat.