Cured vs. Uncured Meat; Does it Really Matter? By Felicia, on March 29th, 2014. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-cured-and-uncured-bacon.htm. · The difference between cured and uncured bacon has to do with the difference in the pork preservation process. Cured bacon is. Bacon is a cured meat, made by letting a slab of pork belly (or side or loin or fatback) sit in brine or salt for a while to preserve it. So if all baco. Uncured bacon, or bacon that does not have added nitrates, is derived from pork bellies. Uncured bacon is a misnomer because manufacturers still cure the.

The Definitive Guide To Bacon Labels, From 'Applewood- Smoked' To 'Uncured'Shopping for bacon should be a joyous experience. But all too often these days, it's just confusing. Some supermarkets sell dozens of varieties. As bacon has gained in popularity, labels such as "applewood- smoked" and "dry rubbed" have proliferated to the point where the bacon section can be completely bewildering - - even to a professional food writer like me. And with bacon prices hovering near all- time highs, it would be irresponsible to make a choice without full knowledge. To help make sense bacon labels, I enlisted Joseph Sebranek, distinguished professor of animal sciences at Iowa State University, one of the country's foremost experts on cured meat.

It turns out some labels are actually pretty significant, but others can be safely ignored. How To Cook Frozen Leg Of Lamb. Here's what Sebranek had to say about labels you're likely to encounter.

Labels About Curing"Curing refers to the interaction of the nitrates with the meat to develop the color, some of its antimicrobial properties and also a bit of taste," Sebranek said. It's basically what sets bacon apart from raw pork belly. The conventional bacon- curing method is to inject the belly with a solution of salt, sugar, phosphates and nitrates. If you don't see any curing- related label, you can probably assume the producer used this default method.

But not all of them do. Sugar cured and maple bacon: These two terms usually refer to the ingredients used in the curing solution. Since the default solution includes sugar, "sugar cured" isn't very significant. Maple bacon, though, is usually cured with a solution that includes some maple syrup, which could affect the flavor. Sebranek said you can always confirm the makeup of the curing solution by looking at the ingredients listed on the package. If there's really maple in there, it should say so. Reduced sodium: Most bacon contains about 2 percent to 3 percent salt by weight when it's cooked, according to Sebranek.

Reduced sodium" bacon contains less, which means the curing solution contains less salt than usual. That's great for people who, for whatever reason, are trying to cut down on sodium. But Sebranek said there are also drawbacks. Salt is an important part of that bacon flavor," he said. You can take some of that out, but if you go too far, the product starts tasting flat.

What Is Uncured Bacon Vs Cured Bacon

So there's a limit to how far you can reduce the sodium."No sugar: This means that the curing solution contains no sugar. Obviously. Uncured: This is perhaps the trickiest label of all.

The difference between cured and uncured bacon lies in the ingredients used in the curing process. Uncured bacon is actually cured, but it is cured using naturally. · Sebranek traced the popularity of so-called "uncured" bacon to a series of scientific papers published in. The Definitive Guide To Bacon Labels, From. Read the cured bacon, uncured bacon discussion from the Chowhound food community.

According to Sebranek, most so- called "uncured" bacon is actually.. It's still injected with a solution that sets its color and keeps it from spoiling. The difference is that the solution used in "uncured" bacon doesn't include artificial nitrates. Instead, the nitrates come from natural sources - - usually celery juice or celery extract, which is naturally rich in nitrates, but sometimes sea salt with high levels of nitrates."If you look carefully at the label, you'll see that these naturally cured products have to say something like, 'Contains nitrates from celery extract,'" he explained. Sebranek traced the popularity of so- called "uncured" bacon to a series of scientific papers published in the 1. Subsequent research hasn't been so definitive, but the American Cancer Society says studies show an increased cancer risk from eating even a small amount of processed meat over many years.

• Uncured bacon is still cured, it just contains no nitrites.
• Uncured bacon is sometimes shoulder cut pork but also pork bellies that haven't been preserved with salt or sugar.
• Big breakfasts and BLTs are not whole without one essential ingredient: bacon. Although most bacon is made from the belly of a swine, different types use other types.

If you're trying to avoid nitrates altogether, Sebranek said you should look for bacon that's brown or grey rather than red, often a telltale sign that the product never underwent a true cure. But he said such products are exceedingly rare, and they taste very different from cured bacon. Dry cured or dry rubbed: This one's legit.

The makers of "dry cured" or "dry rubbed" bacon apply a dry mixture of ingredients to the surface of the bacon, rather than injecting an aqueous solution into the meat. It takes weeks, or even months, for this method to completely cure the meat, whereas conventional injecting takes mere minutes."The connoisseurs in the industry often claim that they experience a different flavor with dry- cured meat," Sebranek explained.

I think there's some potential good reasons for that. It's a different process completely. It doesn't involve as much water. The bacon ends up with a higher salt content."Of course, the time and effort involved means dry- cured bacons tend to be significantly more expensive than their traditional counterparts. Labels About Smoking.

Once a pork belly has been cured, it's traditionally smoked and heated to about 1. This adds the distinctive smoky flavor we all love, helps set the red, cured color, and makes the bacon easier to slice. But today, industrial bacon manufacturers often cut corners in the smoking stage by applying a concentrated smoke liquid, then heating it, instead of putting the belly in an actual smoker. Hardwood smoked or naturally smoked: If a bacon is labeled "hardwood smoked" or "naturally smoked," though, it has actually gone into a smoker, instead of just being injected with liquid smoke. Applewood smoked or mesquite smoked: Many bacon labels are even more specific than that - - specifying the kind of wood used to generate the smoke. There's a significant difference between them - - you can see that in the chemistry - - though it's fairly subtle," Sebranek said. It's kind of like wine.

Some connoisseurs pick up different notes that they might think are better or worse, but most of us can't tell much of a difference."Sebranek said apple and mesquite are especially prized by the people who care about such things. Hickory smoked: This one is a bit of a ruse, Sebranek said."Hickory is used more frequently as a smoke source than most other words - - it's fairly conventional," he said. Most of the products, if they're indicated smoked, but not a specific type of wood, more than likely, it was hickory. Putting 'hickory' on there just makes it a little more attractive to people, I guess."Labels About Type. Organic: For most foods, "organic" is one of the most tightly regulated labels - - and bacon is no exception. To quality as USDA organic, the belly used to make the bacon must have come from a pig that was fed all USDA- certified organic feed and never given non- therapeutic antibiotics or growth hormones. In addition, the bacon can't include any artificial preservatives or additives, including artificial nitrates.

That's why organic bacon is often labeled "uncured" as well. But these regulations cost serious money to meet, so Sebranek said organic bacon often costs more than twice as much as conventional bacon. Center cut: This refers to bacon that comes from the center of the pork belly, as opposed to the periphery. There's a connotation of this is a more premium cut," Sebranek explained. It eliminates the ends, which tend to have a little more fat, so it may be a little more lean than other bacon.

But as far as the taste goes, it's going to be the same."Thick cut: This one's pretty self- explanatory - - the bacon is cut into thicker slices than normal. But Sebranek said the term is unregulated, so the actual thickness of "thick cut" bacon is at the discretion of each manufacturer.

One brand's "thick cut" might be another brand's normal. If you're looking for especially thick bacon, the best thing to do is ignore the labels and compare the size of the slices by eye, keeping in mind that all bacon loses a lot of volume when it's cooked. Microwave ready: There's nothing unusual about the bacon in this one - - the difference is in the packaging. Microwave ready" bacon is contained in sleeves that are specially designed to facilitate cooking in the microwave.

You pop the whole package in the microwave, zap it for the indicated amount of time, and you're done. Storing Fresh Bread. Sebranek compared it to the microwave- ready packages of popcorn that have been staples of at- home movie nights for years. Fully cooked: Fully- cooked bacon is crisp and ready to eat straight from the package.