slab bacon or salt pork

Slab bacon and salt pork are both preserved pork products derived from the belly or side of the hog, differing primarily in curing method and intended use. Slab bacon is pork belly that has been cured with salt and nitrates (or nitrites), then typically smoked, yielding a lean to moderately fatty cut with a distinctive savory-smoky flavor profile. Salt pork, by contrast, is pork belly preserved through dry-salt curing without smoke, resulting in a very salty, unsmoked product with dense fat content intended for long-term preservation and cooking with legumes or vegetables. Both cuts are characterized by alternating layers of lean meat and adipose tissue, though salt pork tends to be fattier and more heavily salted than slab bacon.

Slab bacon is sliced and fried as a breakfast protein, diced and rendered for soups (particularly bean and vegetable soups), or cut into lardons for braised dishes and salads. Salt pork, traditional in American, New England, and Creole cuisines, is diced and used as a base for bean soups (Boston baked beans, Senate bean soup), clam chowder, and vegetable preparations where its rendered fat adds essential flavor and the salt seasons the dish. Both products benefit from blanching before use if excessive saltiness is undesirable. Slab bacon is more versatile in contemporary cooking, while salt pork remains essential in traditional regional American and Caribbean cuisines.