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What is Cottage Bacon?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Cottage bacon is bacon made from the shoulder of a pig, resulting in lean pork meat without the characteristic fatty streaks many consumers associate with bacon. It can be used exactly like regular bacon, but tends to be a bit healthier, depending on how it is prepared. Just as with other cuts of bacon, the flavor of cottage bacon can vary widely, depending on the cure. Many butchers and grocers stock this type of bacon, or can special order it for customers who would like to try it out.

The shape of cottage bacon varies from a squat rectangle to a circle. Usually, thin threads of fat are scattered across the meat, rather than distributed in thick layers as they are in other cuts of bacon. Typically, the bacon is brined and then cold smoked to partially preserve and flavor it. Like many other cold smoked meats, cottage bacon must be kept under refrigeration until it is used, because it has not been cooked, only cured for flavor.

Cottage bacon is made from the shoulder of a pig.
Cottage bacon is made from the shoulder of a pig.

Some producers make cottage bacon which tastes more like ham, with a hint of sugar in the brine so that the bacon tastes sweet as well as salty and slightly smoky. Others make a spicy version, cured with ingredients like chilies to make it taste more zesty. In some cases, cottage bacon is also precooked so that it can be used like a lunch meat. The precooked type can either be briefly heated to warm it up, or used cold on sandwiches and other foods.

Pork that's undercooked can contain food borne illnesses.
Pork that's undercooked can contain food borne illnesses.

In addition to being fried as a alternative to streaky bacon for breakfast, cottage bacon can also be baked or used to wrap grilled foods. Because it tends to be lower in fat, care must be taken to ensure that it does not dry out, unless this is desired. The lean nature of the meat also makes it less assertive and aggressive in flavor, making it a good alternative to bacon in dishes which would be overwhelmed by conventional bacon.

Some producers make cottage bacon which tastes more like ham, with a hint of sugar in the brine so that the bacon tastes sweet as well as salty and slightly smoky.
Some producers make cottage bacon which tastes more like ham, with a hint of sugar in the brine so that the bacon tastes sweet as well as salty and slightly smoky.

As is the case with all pork meat, consumers should fully cook cottage bacon before consuming it. Undercooked pork can harbor food borne illness. The food should also be carefully handled, and kept under refrigeration when it is not being worked with. Try to use a separate cutting board to handle meats, if possible, limiting the possibility of cross contamination between meats and fresh vegetables or fruits, which may be eaten raw.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Planch

If you ever get the chance to try cottage bacon of UK origin, you should definitely jump on that.

Everybody makes fun of British food (sometimes rightly so), but let me tell you, they can produce some fantastic breakfast meats.

Every ham or bacon that I've had from Britain has been simply without compare -- just so rich in taste and savory, complex and just straight up delicious.

So if you ever get the chance to try UK cottage bacon, you absolutely should. In my opinion, it's far better than what you can get in the States.

rallenwriter

I'm going to have to try that -- I really like the bacon taste, but I hate the really fatty, greasy parts. This sounds like it would be a good version for me to try, kind of a compromise between bacon and ham.

Oh, and @copperpipe -- bacon essays? Awesome!

CopperPipe

Do you know, I had to learn about this when I was in culinary school? I always thought that I was a diehard bacon fan, but after learning that there are so many different kinds of bacon, I realized that I was a neophyte.

I even had to write a bacon essay, describing all the different kinds of bacon, and some situations in which they would be used, what foods they would compliment, good recipes for them, etc.

It's really a lot of work -- of course, I was totally worth it to get to taste the class samples though!

Definitely one of my best experiences in culinary school -- thanks for brining back the memories.

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    • Cottage bacon is made from the shoulder of a pig.
      By: caspernhdk
      Cottage bacon is made from the shoulder of a pig.
    • Pork that's undercooked can contain food borne illnesses.
      By: Ruslan Olinchuk
      Pork that's undercooked can contain food borne illnesses.
    • Some producers make cottage bacon which tastes more like ham, with a hint of sugar in the brine so that the bacon tastes sweet as well as salty and slightly smoky.
      By: Mat Hayward
      Some producers make cottage bacon which tastes more like ham, with a hint of sugar in the brine so that the bacon tastes sweet as well as salty and slightly smoky.