Shop products for Bacon 
The bright, pleasing flavour of bacon makes it a favourite ingredient of everything from salads to pasta.
The tangy smell and crackle of bacon sizzling in the pan make it a favourite Sunday breakfast ritual for many Americans. Bacon has a bright, pleasing flavour that is prized not only as a breakfast treat, but also as a flavouring for everything from stews to pasta and salads.
Varieties
American Bacon
American bacon, also called side bacon or, in Britain, streaky bacon, is the bacon most commonly sold sliced and packaged in the supermarket. Bacon is the cured and smoked meat and fat from the belly of the pig. To make bacon, processors inject brine into the pork, then either smoke it or inject smoke flavouring. For sliced bacon, the rind is trimmed from slab bacon and the meat is sliced into 36 pieces per pound for thin-sliced styles, 16 to 20 for regular, and 12 to 16 for thick-sliced. Slab bacon is pork that is still attached to the rind. Side bacon (without the rind) also comes precooked and canned. To achieve the desired crispness when cooked, bacon must have a fat content of one half to two-thirds of its uncooked weight.
Canadian Bacon
Canadian Bacon (called back bacon in Canada) is the cured, smoked, cooked eye of pork loin. It resembles ham more closely than bacon and is much less fatty than American bacon. Canadian bacon comes either in individual slices, or in a cylinder-shaped chunk.
Pancetta
Pancetta is Italian bacon, made from pork that is cured but not smoked. It has a subtler flavour than American sliced bacon and makes a tasty accent in green salads.
Salt Pork
Salt pork is salt-cured but not smoked meat from the belly of a pig. It’s a favourite component in Southern cooking, especially with beans and collard greens.
Availability
Bacon and Canadian bacon are commonly available in grocery stores. Ask at the service counter for salt pork. Pancetta is available at butcher shops or specialty markets.
Preparation, uses, and tips
To cook American sliced bacon, lay slices in a cold skillet then turn heat up to medium high. As the bacon begins to shrink and brown, turn it with a fork and make sure the slices lie flat. When the bacon is crisp and brown, remove and drain on a paper towel.
To microwave American sliced bacon, place a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate, arrange slices of bacon on the paper towel, alternate layers of bacon and paper towels, and cook on high 45 to 60 seconds per slice or 15 to 17 minutes per pound (445g).
Canadian bacon is precooked and simply needs to be heated by frying, broiling, or heating in the oven. It is also eaten cold in sandwiches.
