What is Uncured Bacon? Everything You Need to Know

Bacon is a beloved breakfast food for many, adding a salty, smoky, crispy texture to dishes like eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, and more. While most bacon on the market is cured, you may have noticed some types labeled as “uncured”. This can be confusing – isn’t all bacon cured? What does uncured actually mean and how does it differ from regular cured bacon?

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about uncured bacon including how it’s made, how it compares to cured bacon, and whether it’s healthier.

How Bacon is Traditionally Cured

First, let’s look at how traditional cured bacon is made.

Curing is the process of preserving and flavoring meat using salt, spices, sugars, and other ingredients. When it comes to bacon, here are the main steps:

• Salting – Pork belly is salted heavily using a dry brine or wet brine. This draws out moisture, which makes it harder for bacteria to grow.

• Adding Curing Agents – Nitrates and nitrites are commonly added to bacon brines. These prevent bacterial growth like botulism and give bacon its characteristic pink color.

• Smoking – After brining, bacon is smoked to further preserve it and give flavor. This is done at low temperatures over an extended time.

• Cooking – The final step is cooking the bacon to desired doneness before packaging

Traditionally cured bacon uses nitrates or nitrites during brining. This is what gives it color and preservation. The curing agents used can be synthetic or organic.

What Makes Uncured Bacon Different

Uncured bacon differs in that it skips the nitrates/nitrites during curing. However, it’s important to understand that uncured bacon is still cured in other ways. Here’s how it’s done:

• Brining – Pork belly is still brined using salt, sugar, spices, and water to draw out moisture. Brining time may be longer without nitrates.

• Celery Powder – Uncured bacon uses natural sources of nitrates like celery powder, which gives some preservation and color.

• Smoking & Cooking – After brining, uncured bacon goes through the same smoking and cooking steps.

So in reality, all bacon is cured through brining. The term “uncured” means curing without artificial nitrates/nitrites. Celery powder provides natural nitrates for some preservation and color.

Why Some Choose Uncured Bacon

There are a few reasons why some people prefer uncured bacon:

• Avoiding additives – Some choose uncured to avoid synthetic nitrates/nitrites found in cured bacon.

• Perception of health – There is a perception that uncured is healthier since it skips artificial preservatives. However, more studies are needed to confirm if this is true.

• Taste – Some find uncured has a different, more natural taste compared to cured. But this can vary widely by brand.

• Environment – Uncured uses ingredients like celery powder rather than synthetic chemicals. So some prefer it for environmental reasons.

While health claims are still unclear, the main appeal of uncured bacon is avoiding synthetic additives. Keep in mind though that all bacon, cured or uncured, is high in sodium and saturated fat.

How Uncured Bacon Stacks Up Nutritionally

When comparing cured vs uncured bacon, you’ll find the nutrition is fairly similar. Here’s a look at the numbers per 3 oz serving according to USDA data:

Cured Bacon (pan-fried)    Uncured BaconCalories: 458               Calories: 458Fat: 41g                    Fat: 39g  Sodium: 1079mg              Sodium: 996mgNitrates: 1.3mg             Nitrates: 0.9mg  

As you can see, uncured bacon only contains slightly less sodium and nitrates. The calorie and fat content is nearly identical.

This small difference in nitrate content is unlikely to make a major health impact. More research is needed to determine if uncured bacon poses less cancer risk long-term.

Does Uncured Bacon Taste Different?

When it comes to taste, cured and uncured bacon are quite similar. You may notice subtle differences like:

• Saltiness – Some find uncured less salty since it isn’t cured with nitrites. But this can vary by brand.

• Smokiness – Uncured may have a less smoky flavor depending on smoking method.

• Color – Uncured tends to be darker red rather than pink since it lacks nitrites.

• Flavor – Some detect more “natural” or “vegetal” notes in uncured from ingredients like celery powder.

However, these differences are slight. Most people would be hard-pressed to tell cured and uncured bacon apart in a blind taste test.

Is Uncured Bacon Better for You?

The question of whether uncured bacon is healthier than cured bacon has not been conclusively answered. But here are a few key considerations:

• Nitrite content – Uncured bacon contains slightly less sodium nitrite. But the difference is small and more studies are needed on whether this impact cancer risk.

• Ingredients – Celery powder is perceived as more natural than sodium nitrite. But it’s unclear if this makes a major health difference.

• Preparation – Frying bacon of any kind produces compounds like aldehydes, nitrosamines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that may be carcinogenic.

• Nutrients – From a macronutrient standpoint, cured and uncured contain nearly equal amounts of calories, fat, carbs, and protein.

• Processed meat – Both cured and uncured bacon are considered processed meats, which should be limited for cancer prevention.

Based on current evidence, uncured bacon does not appear to be significantly healthier than cured bacon. Both should be eaten in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet.

The Bottom Line

While the terms can be confusing, here are the key takeaways on uncured vs cured bacon:

• Uncured bacon is cured through salt and spices, but without artificial nitrates/nitrites like pink salt.

• It uses celery powder or other natural sources to provide some nitrates and color.

• Uncured bacon skips synthetic additives, but it’s still high in sodium and saturated fat.

• Research is unclear if uncured bacon is significantly healthier than cured.

• For best health, limit