Difference Between Bacon and Smoked Meat

In some areas, people often have the habit of eating smoked meat or cured meat. Although both are made of meat, many people do not know how to distinguish them. Whether it is smoked meat or cured meat, there is a big difference between them. Cured meat refers to meat that is marinated and then exposed to the sun, while smoked meat is marinated and then hung high up and slowly fumigated with fire and smoke. They are different in taste and production process.

Difference Between Bacon and Smoked Meat

Bacon refers to processed meat that is marinated and then baked (or exposed to sunlight). It is divided into two categories: smoked and non-smoked. In the past, bacon was processed in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar (December), so it was called bacon. Bacon is a general term, including bacon that is pickled and then air-dried and bacon that is pickled and then smoked, that is, smoked meat. In other words, compared with ordinary bacon, smoked meat goes through the process of smoking in addition to being salted and air-dried.

That is, cypress branches, sugarcane peels, Chinese toon bark or firewood are slowly smoked over a fire, and then hung up and slowly dried with fireworks. Or hang it on the top of a wood-burning stove, or suspend it above a wood-burning stove, and use the smoke to slowly dry it. The western region has lush forests and abundant grass, and almost every household burns firewood for cooking or heating, which is a favorable condition for smoking bacon.

Different types of bacon from different regions

Bacon is mainly divided into: Hunan bacon, Sichuan bacon, and Cantonese bacon.

Hunan bacon and Sichuan bacon are mainly smoked bacon. Hunan Shapoli bacon emphasizes the original flavor, so no spices are added before smoking, while Sichuan bacon is smoked after adding spices.

Cantonese bacon is mainly sun-dried and air-dried, without the smoking process. Cantonese bacon is a traditional delicacy in Guangdong and belongs to the Cantonese cuisine.

The difference between bacon and salted meat

Both bacon and cured meat are raw meat products and need to be steamed and cooked before they can be eaten. But they are very different:

1. Pickled and cured products

Bacon, simply put, is meat that has been cured with salt, such as beef or pork. Salted meat is often made by adding salt to the meat to make it hypertonic, which inhibits or kills certain microorganisms in the meat. At the same time, the hypertonic environment can also reduce the oxygen content in the meat and inhibit the activity of enzymes in the meat, thereby achieving the purpose of food preservation. The most famous bacon is produced in Jiangsu, Sichuan and Shanghai, and is mainly produced in Zhejiang.

The national standards for bacon are that it should be dry and clean in appearance, with firm and dense meat, a smooth and shiny cut surface, red muscle, white or reddish fat, and have the inherent flavor of bacon. Salted pork is produced in winter, can be stored for a long time, and is available on the market all year round.

In addition to being salted, bacon is also air-dried, exposed to the sun or baked. The cured meat called bacon no longer simply refers to the meat in the twelfth lunar month. It mainly refers to a general term for a type of product with the processing characteristics and flavor characteristics of cured meat. This product not only prolongs the storage period of meat, but also increases the flavor of pickled meat. Bacon has strong anti-corrosion ability, can extend the shelf life, and add a unique flavor, which is the main difference from bacon.