Proteins

Streaky Bacon

Bacon cut from the belly, with alternating streaks of fat and meat (American-style). Crisps to a shatter when fried; the classic for crumbling, wrapping, and breakfast plates.

Streaky bacon is cured and smoked pork belly, cut into long thin slices that show the cut's defining feature: clean horizontal stripes of fat and lean running the length of each piece. The belly primal sits along the underside of the pig, beneath the loin, where the muscle is interlarded with sheets of soft fat rather than marbled through. Sliced across that lamination, the result is a strip almost designed for the pan — enough fat to baste itself, enough lean to hold its shape, and enough surface area to crisp in a few minutes.

The cut matters because streaky bacon's behavior in the pan is dictated by its structure. Heat renders the fat first, then the lean stripes brown and crisp in their own fat. Cooked correctly, each strip finishes brittle and shattery with a concentrated salt-and-smoke flavor, and the rendered fat — typically 40 to 50 percent of the raw weight — becomes a prized cooking medium in its own right. In the United States, "bacon" without further qualification nearly always means streaky; in British and Irish butchery the word "streaky" is used specifically to set it apart from back bacon (cut from the loin), which is itself often the default "bacon" in the UK.

Streaky bacon is also the starting point for two of Italy's most important cured meats — pancetta and guanciale — and the base for nearly every bacon-driven technique in Western kitchens, from wrapping and braising to crumbling and candying. Learning to cook it well is largely about controlling render: get the fat out cleanly, get the lean brown, and capture what is left in the pan.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate

Find it in

MeatDeli

Types & varieties

Smoked streaky bacon

Cold-smoked after curing; the standard in the US and UK and the benchmark 'bacon' flavor

Unsmoked (green) streaky bacon

Cured but not smoked; preferred when you want pure pork flavor without competing smoke, or in dishes where smoke would clash

Thick-cut streaky

6–10 mm slices; holds its shape, good for sandwiches, BLTs, and pan-frying like a small steak

Thin-cut streaky

1.5–2 mm slices; crisps in under three minutes, ideal for wrapping dates and scallops or crumbling over dishes

Slab bacon

Whole unsliced cured belly, often thick; cut to order at the counter and fried like a steak or braised

Ends and pieces

Irregular trimmings from the slicing line; inexpensive, perfect for stews, baked beans, stocks, and lardons

Maple-cured streaky

Cured or glazed with maple syrup; sweet-savory, excellent for candied bacon and breakfast plates

Pepper bacon

Coated in cracked black pepper during curing; assertive seasoning that pairs well with eggs and steak

Dry-cured streaky

Cured with a dry salt mix rather than wet brine; denser texture, deeper flavor, and less shrinkage in the pan

Pancetta

Same belly cut, cured without smoke, often rolled and tied; the closest Mediterranean analogue

Guanciale

Cured pork jowl rather than belly; richer and more intensely porky, prized for carbonara and gricia

Rendering for crispness

Streaky bacon's signature texture — a brittle, glass-like crackle that snaps when you bend it — depends on rendering the fat fully before the lean overcooks. The classic method is a cold-pan start: lay the strips in a dry skillet over medium-low heat without crowding, and let the fat slowly melt out into the pan. As the strips shrink and turn translucent, then golden, then deep amber, they are essentially confiting in their own fat. Drain them on paper towels and reserve the liquid gold left behind.

Cold-pan, medium-low start renders fat before the lean browns, giving flat, evenly colored strips without charred edges or violent curling.
A wire rack set over a foil-lined sheet pan in a 200°C / 400°F oven gives even crispness in 15–20 minutes, with a single halfway flip.
Patting slices dry with paper towels before cooking speeds rendering and helps the surface brown.
Strain the rendered fat through a fine sieve into a jar; refrigerated, it keeps for weeks and is one of the best cooking fats for eggs, potatoes, greens, and cornbread.
Reserve the burnt ends and trimmed bits for stock or for seasoning dried beans while they soak — they carry a surprising amount of flavor.

Streaky and its cured cousins

Streaky bacon sits inside a small family of cured pork products that share a method but differ in cut and smoke. Pancetta is the Italian version of the same belly, cured without smoke and usually rolled tight; it is interchangeable with streaky in most cooked applications and slightly more delicate. Guanciale is cured pork jowl, fattier and more intensely flavored than either, and is the traditional choice for pasta all'amatriciana, gricia, and carbonara. Back bacon (called Canadian bacon in the US and rashers in Ireland) is cut from the loin and behaves like ham; it does not render the way streaky does and is a different ingredient, not a substitute.

Common uses

Pan-fried for breakfast, drained on paper towels and served alongside eggs fried in the rendered fat.Baked on a wire rack over a sheet pan for flat, evenly browned strips ideal for BLTs and burgers.Wrapped around scallops, Medjool dates, prunes, chicken livers, asparagus spears, or pork tenderloin medallions, then seared or roasted.Rendered slowly to produce bacon fat for frying eggs, hash browns, cornbread, and sautéed greens.Diced and fried to start braises of greens (collards, kale, chard), baked beans, lentils, and bean soups.Substituted 1:1 for pancetta or guanciale in pasta sauces — carbonara, amatriciana, gricia — when smoke is welcome.Layered in club sandwiches, BLTs, breakfast sandwiches, and burgers for crunch and salt.Crumbled over baked potatoes, mac and cheese, salads, clam chowder, and corn chowder as a finishing salt.Caramelized with brown sugar or maple for candied bacon, bacon jam, or cocktail garnish.Added at the soak or simmer stage to deepen baked beans, split pea soup, and other long-cooked bean dishes.

Tips & pitfalls

Start in a cold pan over medium-low heat: the fat renders before the lean browns, giving flat, even, shatter-crisp strips rather than curled, charred edges.
Reserve the rendered fat — strain it through a fine sieve and refrigerate; it keeps for weeks and is excellent for frying eggs, grilled cheese, or roasting vegetables.
Pat slices dry with paper towels before cooking if you want maximum crispness and faster rendering.
Never crowd the pan: trapped steam prevents browning. Cook in a single layer in batches, or use a sheet pan in the oven.
For oven baking, set a wire rack over a foil-lined sheet pan at 200°C / 400°F for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway.
Use thin-cut for wrapping (dates, scallops) and crumbling; use thick-cut for sandwiches and anywhere you want a meaty bite.
Salt content varies widely by brand — taste a small piece before salting the rest of the dish.
Do not fry on high heat from the start: the lean streaks burn before the fat has a chance to render, leaving bitter, unevenly cooked bacon.

Nutrition

309kcal

Energy

1293 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 14%Carbs 6%Fat 80%

Protein

11.7g

23% DV

Carbs

5.3g

2% DV

Fat

29.5g

38% DV

Fiber

2.6g

9% DV

Sugars

of which

Sodium

1465mg

64% DV

Notable micronutrients

Thiamin (B1)367% DV

Niacin (B3)47% DV

Vitamin E46% DV

Riboflavin (B2)37% DV

Vitamin B628% DV

Iron13% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · approx. Bacon, meatless

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In the shops

Matched grocery products

Pork Fatback
190 g · Mercadona
€1.48
Pork Bacon Strips
CASA TARRADELLAS · kg · Bonpreu
€1.99
Smoked Cooked Bacon
BONPREU · kg · Bonpreu
€1.85
Bacon Strips
Hacendado · 260 g · Mercadona
€2.20
Oscar Mayer Bacon Slices
Oscar Mayer · 150 g · Mercadona
€2.35
Smoked Cooked Bacon Bonpreu
BONPREU · kg · Bonpreu
€2.89

Good to know

Cut from: Pork belly (ventral side of the pig)
Also called: American bacon, side bacon, belly bacon
Composition: Long horizontal stripes of fat and lean meat running the length of each slice
Slice thickness: 1.5–3 mm (thin) up to 6–10 mm (thick cut)
Cure: Salt, often with nitrites or nitrates; sometimes maple, brown sugar, or cracked pepper
Smoke: Usually cold-smoked over hickory, applewood, or other hardwoods; unsmoked versions exist
Cooked yield: Loses 40–50% of raw weight as fat renders out
Cooked texture: Brittle and shattery when the fat is fully rendered

Substitutes

Pancetta — Italian cured pork belly, rolled, usually unsmoked; interchangeable 1:1 in cooked dishes, flavor slightly more delicate and less smoky
Guanciale — Italian cured pork jowl; richer and more intensely porky than streaky, the traditional choice for carbonara and gricia
Salt pork — Cured but unsmoked belly or back fat; needs a brief soak or blanch to draw out excess salt, then renders like bacon
Smoked pork belly (uncured slab) — Uncured slab smoked at home; similar fat content and texture, slightly less salty than standard streaky
Canadian bacon / back bacon — Loin cut, lean and ham-like; only a substitute when you want the smoky saltiness without the rendered fat
Turkey bacon — Lean and low-fat alternative; lacks the fat-to-lean ratio and depth, useful for wrapping but not for rendering
Vegetarian bacon / coconut bacon — Smoked coconut or tempeh strips that mimic texture and smoke; useful for vegans, not a substitute for rendering fat