British bacon is mostly wet cured, that is, left in a brine for some time. As you would expect, that leaves the meat moist, looking raw (but actually not quite). The Australian bacon you had may have been dry-cured. Dry curing involves rubbing the pork belly with dry salt, sugar, and spices.
“The main difference is that traditional British bacon is cold smoked, essentially pickled or brined, not cooked,” Mick Nunn, of Salt Kitchen Charcuterie, explains.
American bacon comes from pork belly, which is a much fattier cut of meat. British bacon, on the other hand, comes from the loin which is a much leaner cut. In fact, British bacon is from the same cut as pork tenderloin. This is also where bacon gets its name; it is cut from the back of the animal (think "back-on").
Since both types of bacon are cured, it all comes down to the cut of meat. American bacon comes from one of the fattiest parts of the pig—pork belly—which explains the fatty streaks, while British bacon (known as rashers) comes from the loin, the middle of the pig's back, which is a leaner area.
British bacon is cut from the loin with a little part of the belly attached. This makes it much meatier than American bacon, but with the addition of the belly it is less dry than the Canadian bacon. Here is the USDA definition of bacon: The term "bacon" is used to describe the cured belly of a swine (hog) carcass.
English bacon only has one-third of the fat compared to American bacon, making it the healthier option.
“About 68% of the calories from bacon come from fat—and about half of those are from saturated fat—so it's definitely not the healthiest meat you can choose.” Bacon and other smoked, cured and processed meats are usually treated with nitrates or nitrites—chemical added to preserve shelf life and enhance color.
Buy uncured bacon
The first thing I want to look for when trying to eat healthier bacon is to buy uncured bacon. This is bacon that has not had any added sodium nitrate to it. This is what most bacon makers as to their bacon to preserve and color the bacon - gives it that nice bright pink color.
Bacon is soaked in salt water during the curing process to give the meat its flavour, preserve it and give the rashers their colour. Adding salt makes the meat an unfriendly environment for bacteria to grow and, as a result, bacon has a much longer shelf life than fresh pork.
American bacon is generally served in crispy strips, streaked with fat, while British bacon, also known as rashers, is chewier and thicker, served in round slices; it's closer to a slice of grilled deli meat than what an American would traditionally call “bacon.” But what, exactly, causes the difference between British ...
It tastes similar to ham, and Canadians do not call it Canadian bacon, but rather back bacon, or peameal, if it's rolled in yellow peameal (via Eat North). British bacon, or rashers, are a genius blend of American and Canadian bacon.
Princi Smallgoods have been named as the producers behind the best bacon in Australia. The Perth-based company's full rasher bacon took out the prized position after competing with more than 140 entries.
Made from only 10% Australian ingredients.
Among the bacon worth seeking out will be the winners of the Australian Bacon Awards. Zammit Ham & Bacon took out the national awards for Best Artisan Bacon and Best Full Rasher, while TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute (SWSi) Gourmet Meats received the national prize for Best Short Cut.
In light of the more recent evidence, it's best to reduce your intake of all processed meats to once every couple of weeks. Therefore, keeping your bacon intake to a minimum is recommended – eating it every couple of weeks is best.
You may be at greater risk of cancer.
Epidemiological studies estimated that eating two thick bacon slices daily increased risk of colorectal cancer by 18%, according to the Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics.
However, in general, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, pastrami, and many other processed meats are fattier, saltier, higher in calories, and contain more additives than unprocessed red meats such as beef, pork, and lamb.
Where does imported ham and bacon come from? Of the imported pork that comes into Australia, majority comes from Europe, predominantly Denmark, Netherlands and Ireland. The US accounts for about 20% and a small amount comes from Canada.
The secret is pre-cooking your bacon
Regardless of the perfect meat-to-fat ratio and peak freshness, the real secret to diner-worthy bacon is the cooking method. According to Epicurious, par-cooking it in the oven is the preferred method of many restaurant owners.
Landrace
The origin of this breed is Denmark, where it has been bred and fed to produce the highest quality bacon in the world. Large, long body. The breed is white in colour, although black skin spots 'freckles' rather common.
Each Quarter Pounder® with Cheese Bacon burger features thick-cut applewood smoked bacon atop a ¼ lb.* of 100% McDonald's fresh beef that's cooked when you order.
In Australia if you have a look in the deli section you usually see two main cuts- middle cut bacon and short cut bacon. Short cut bacon is just the 'eye' of bacon (think lean round circle of bacon), while middle bacon is usually the eye with a tail of fat.
Center-cut bacon is nothing more than regular bacon with the fatty ends cut off. If you're looking for bacon with less fat, by all means go for center-cut strips.