Bacon

part of: Pig

Bacon is one of the most widely consumed cured meats in Australia, prized for its savoury, salty flavour and the way it crisps when fried or grilled. Australian bacon comes in several styles — middle bacon (with both the loin eye and a strip of belly), short-cut bacon (the lean loin portion only), and streaky bacon (pure belly), which is the dominant style in American-influenced cooking.

It’s a cornerstone of the cooked breakfast and a common ingredient in sandwiches, burgers, pasta dishes, quiches, and salads. Bacon also serves as a flavour base in many recipes, where small pieces are rendered to provide a smoky, savoury foundation for sauces, soups, and baked dishes.

Bacon is sold in rashers (sliced) or as a whole piece for dicing. It’s available smoked or unsmoked, and varies in salt level and thickness depending on the brand and cut.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Bacon is made from pork belly (or loin, for short-cut styles) that is cured in a mixture of salt, sugar, and preservatives such as sodium nitrite. The curing may be done by dry-rubbing or by injecting and soaking in a brine solution. After curing for several days, the meat is optionally cold-smoked over wood chips to add flavour. The cured slab is then chilled, sliced into rashers by machine, and packaged.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 392kcal
Protein 13.7g
Carbs 0g
Fat 37.1g
Fibre 0g Sugar 0.3g
Mass Distribution

1 slice raw is about 28 g — roughly 110 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon 7.84kg
Freshwater 602.37L
Land 11.84m²

Where it comes from

Made from
Pig, belly

In the kitchen

Used as

cured breakfast meat

Classic dishes
  • BLT Sandwich
  • Full English Breakfast
  • Carbonara
  • Bacon and Eggs

Keeping it

Keep it: in the fridge, use within 5 days of opening.

In the freezer: about 30 days (from date of purchase).

In the fridge: about 5 days (of opening).

In the fridge: about 7 days (from date of purchase).

Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromPig, belly goes well withegg goes well withcheese goes well withtomato goes well withlettuce goes well withmaple syrup goes well withonion shares a sourceGround Pork shares a sourceHam shares a sourceHot Dogs & Frankfurters shares a sourceLuncheon Meats shares a sourcePork Belly shares a sourcePork Chops & Steaks shares a sourcePork Extremities & Odd Bits shares a sourcePork Fats & Lard
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