side of bacon
Cured pork slab
A side of bacon is half a pig's carcass, split lengthwise along the spine, that has been cured and sometimes smoked.
This is the form in which bacon was traditionally bought before pre-sliced packages became standard.
The phrase persists in expressions like bring home the bacon, referring to earning a living, and in butcher shops or smokehouses that still sell whole sides.
A side typically includes the belly, back, and flank portions from which familiar bacon cuts are sliced.
- gammonBrined pork from hindquarters
- flitchLongitudinal cut of cured pork
- fatbackPig's back adipose
- salt porkBrined fatty pork
- curedRestored to health
pork · smoked · smoke house · breakfast · breakfast food · Sunday brunch · salting · cooking · brining · pork belly · curing · prosciutto · fatty · slicing · thick cut · pancetta · crispy · meat