Difference between: thick-cut bacon and center-cut bacon

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And Canadian bacon because Canada

Note, this article has been revamped and updated as of 08/24/20.

Center-cut bacon is thick bacon, no? Once upon a time I thought so, but no. So what’s thick-cut bacon, and regular bacon, and is there a difference in nutritional value? Don’t get me started on Canadian bacon.

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Center-cut bacon: from the center

First, center-cut bacon. Center-cut bacon is taken from the middle of the pork belly, close to the bone, from a less-fatty section. The lower fat content won’t help that much since, you know, it’s still bacon, but this type is recommended for when you’re adding bacon to an existing recipe and don’t want too much fat – like if you’re wrapping asparagus or scallops in bacon.

It’s generally assumed that center-cut bacon is of the highest quality compared to other types of bacon. It also tends to be more uniformly sliced, which makes consumers happy.

Thick-cut bacon: twice as thick

Thick-cut bacon is sliced 1/8″ thick, which is literally twice as thick as regular slices, which are 1/16. This type of bacon is great for a BLT because its more meaty, but you do give up some crispiness, as it’s tougher to dehydrate the “lean” part of the meaty portion.

There is no industry standard for either center-cut or thick-cut bacon.

Canadian bacon, eh?

If you know what Canadian bacon looks like you already know it’s more ham-like than bacon-like. Canadian bacon is typically cut from the loin, is lean, and is usually not cured or smoked. Classic American bacon is heavily cured, salted, and typically smoked.

While bacon as we think of it will always be superior to Canadian bacon nothing beats an eggs Benedict.

A final note, mostly unrelated to bacon

I was prompted to update this post by SeriouslySmoked.com when it was pointed out to me that I had a broken link to a source I used, Recipe.com. Apparently that popular site is gone now, and they wrote about it here if you would like to check that out.

You might also like the difference between cured and uncured bacon >>

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3 thoughts on “Difference between: thick-cut bacon and center-cut bacon”

  3. Center cut bacon just means that the fattier ends of the slab trimmed off before it’s sliced. That’s why the slices are shorter.

    But if you really want to have a higher meat/fat ratio, find Irish/British style back bacon, which is cut from higher up on the side so it includes a lean section of the loin, but still has some of the streaky side attached.

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