Is salt pork and slab bacon the same thing?

[Michael Cook]

I have differant recipies for the same dish callong for lardons of salt pork and others calling for lardons of slab bacon, is it the same piece of pork with differant names?

 

[Barb L.]

I don't think so , but someone else will come along and explain it better.

 

[Andy M.]

Salt pork is much fattier than bacon and it's not smoked.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Lardons can either be thin strips of pork fat used to "lard" meat (usually to add moisture to very lean cuts of meat that will cook for a long time - require the use use of larding needles) or it could be bacon that has been diced, blanched, and fried.

Like Andy M. noted - salt pork is salt cured and generally much fattier than bacon ... most bacon these days is smoke cured although you can find old-fashioned salt cured slab bacon from specialty suppliers.

What is your dish and how is the piggy-fat used?

 

[Robo410]

Slab bacon is bacon that has not been sliced until you do yourself. Salt pork is pork fat and skin that has been salted. There may be a streak of lean through it but often not. It cooks up crispy and salty. They impart different flavors as bacon is smoked. However, it is not unusual to find both as options in a recipe. Whichever you got, use! European bacon often is not smoked so if this is a French recipe for example the difference in flavor would not be that much overall.

 

[Michael Cook]

Hmmm, interesting! I'm cooking beef Bourguingnon although I also have coq au vin recipes that call for either.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Now that we know what you're cooking ... basically what you are doing is frying up some fatty-piggy to render out some piggy-fat in which to sear/fry your beef/chicken.

You can use either to achieve the same basic results. Salt pork will be saltier than bacon ... and if you use smoked bacon it will add another depth of flavor over non-smoked bacon.