Pork, cured, bacon, unprepared

Raw cured bacon comes from the pork belly, salted and cured (often with a bit of sugar and smoke) before it's sliced into strips, but it's meant to be cooked, not eaten as-is. Pan-frying over medium heat is the standard method, rendering out much of the fat and turning the strips crisp at the edges while leaving some chew in the center; it's also baked on a sheet pan for a large batch, or chopped and rendered as a base for dishes like carbonara, wrapped around dates or asparagus, or crumbled over a wedge salad. The rendered fat left in the pan is often saved to cook eggs or sauté greens in the same skillet.

Store raw bacon in the refrigerator and use it within about a week of opening, or freeze strips in a flat layer so they thaw quickly and separate easily for longer storage. Per 100 g, this bacon has 393 calories, 37.1 g of fat, and 751 mg of sodium, reflecting the curing salt used to preserve it, alongside 13.7 g of protein, a genuinely high 27% DV. That protein content is the reason bacon is often used as a flavor-forward addition to a protein-centered breakfast or a way to add savory depth to salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes rather than a food eaten in large single-serving quantities.