# Why does bacon taste like bacon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022 "2008-12-06T18:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/1 "2008-12-06T18:28:22Z")
Silly sounding question, but here’s the deal. Turkey bacon, made not of pork and fat but of turkey light and dark meat, tastes exactly like bacon. It LOOKS like bacon. They put the strips of light meat and dark meat together and it could pass for real bacon. But it’s a totally different meat, with virtually no fat. So, what is it in bacon that gives it the bacon flavor? We’ve become total converts to the turkey stuff, it tastes (and feels) so authentic. But I don’t get the deal with the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/2 "2008-12-06T18:41:49Z")
To be fair, ordinary bacon doesn’t taste very much like pork either, but it is smoked and/or cured so it probably picks up most of the flavour in the manufacturing process. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/3 "2008-12-06T18:42:51Z")
The taste of bacon comes from the curing - soaking or rubbing the meat with salt and/or sugar - and smoking processes. Do the same to any cut of meat without a lot of flavor of its own, and it’ll taste baconey. [Bacon production.](http://www.dbmc.co.uk/bacon_facts/cuts_cures_index.asp) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/4 "2008-12-06T18:44:56Z")
Turkey bacon tastes somewhat like bacon, but I can tell the difference without any problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/5 "2008-12-06T19:09:58Z")
Try pancetta for the sake of comparison. Modern American Industrial Bacon tastes of salt and smoke. You can put those on squash and it would probably taste like “bacon”. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/6 "2008-12-06T19:24:56Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Try pancetta for the sake of comparison. Modern American Industrial Bacon tastes of salt and smoke. You can put those on squash and it would probably taste like “bacon”. Perfect example. If the Italians, creators of all things delicious thought that Turkey bacon was as good as pancetta, don’t you think that they would be using it? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/7 "2008-12-06T20:29:39Z")
The smoke of applewood is commonly associated with bacon and pork-like flavors. It’s great with beef… you get the beefiness of beef with some bacon notes in there as well. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/8 "2008-12-06T20:57:00Z")
If you’ve had turkey bacon that tastes like real bacon then I’d like to know the brand. I haven’t eaten real bacon in almost 20 years and have yet to find a single turkey bacon that I’d be willing to eat a second time (and I loved real bacon before giving up pork). ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/9 "2008-12-06T22:19:52Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > If you’ve had turkey bacon that tastes like real bacon then I’d like to know the brand. I haven’t eaten real bacon in almost 20 years and have yet to find a single turkey bacon that I’d be willing to eat a second time (and I loved real bacon before giving up pork). I’d be happy to. We have been using \*Thin & Crispy \*Turkey Bacon by Butterball. My wife has never eaten pork (except for a time when I made both types of bacon and she mistakenly nibbled on a real piece). And this is a real treat for us - me, because I get to eat more bacon, and her, because she gets to eat bacon. I may not have the discriminating palate that others evince, e.g. **beowolff** , but it’s bacon to me. Great with breakfast, great on BLT’s, etc. Has to be well done, of course, and that may be a significant difference for some, but when it is…mmmmmmmm. xo, C ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/10 "2008-12-06T22:25:26Z")
Turkey can be quite similar to pork in other contexts - diced thigh meat grilled over charcoal on a skewer is strikingly similar to pork prepared in the same way. The dark meat from the drumstick is even more pork-like, but it’s a nuisance to prepare, because it contains lots of tough tendons. I made [Pork-Less Pies](http://www.atomicshrimp.com/st/content/pork_less_pies) using turkey drumstick - and they were almost indistinguishable from the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/11 "2008-12-06T22:49:08Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Try pancetta for the sake of comparison. Modern American Industrial Bacon tastes of salt and smoke. You can put those on squash and it would probably taste like “bacon”. You say that like it’s a bad thing. We Americans learned the use of hickory smoke for flavoring from Native Americans. It is a quintessentially American flavoring, and it is freakin’ delicious. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/12 "2008-12-06T23:03:50Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I’d be happy to. We have been using \*Thin & Crispy \*Turkey Bacon by Butterball. I believe I’ve tried this before and didn’t like it. But I’ll check it out again, maybe I haven’t actually had it, or maybe I didn’t cook it to its best advantage. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/13 "2008-12-06T23:14:19Z")
At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I’ll say that we tried the regular Butterball turkey bacon and it was not good at all. The texture was weird and the flavor was lacking. The key was finding the very thin stuff, called _Thin & Crispy_. Then, I cook it like it’s bacon, but I flip it a lot more times, until it looks like it’s getting well done, just early scorch. Dry it out on paper towels like real bacon, and, voila! bacon. I’m saying that if it breaks like bacon when it cools a bit, it’s bacon. And if it does, it will taste like it, too. Mmm. Look for it at your grocer’s. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/14 "2008-12-06T23:21:43Z")
You’ll get a lot of answers to this question. Some will say it’s from smoking and some will say it’s from curing. The real truth is, bacon tastes the way it does because they add [Bacon Salt](http://www.baconsalt.com/). The important question is, “How did Bacon Salt get its name?” ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/15 "2008-12-06T23:25:45Z")
I don’t care what the marketing department calls it, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no such thing as Turkey Bacon. Imitation bacon made from Turkey, sure, but IT’S NOT BACON! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/16 "2008-12-06T23:43:28Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I don’t care what the marketing department calls it, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no such thing as Turkey Bacon. I would think so too. What do those Muslims in Turkey know about bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/17 "2008-12-07T00:09:59Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I don’t care what the marketing department calls it, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no such thing as Turkey Bacon. Imitation bacon made from Turkey, sure, but IT’S NOT BACON! :smack: Does it destroy the sanctity of real bacon or something? If you don’t like it, can’t you just ignore it? ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/18 "2008-12-07T02:09:15Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > You say that like it’s a bad thing. We Americans learned the use of hickory smoke for flavoring from Native Americans. It is a quintessentially American flavoring, and it is freakin’ delicious. Not necessarily a bad thing. I love smoked everything (although smoking meats is not a skill I have). All I am saying is that most of the flavor of supermarket bacon is smoke and salt, and that it is not terribly hard to put those flavors on anything else. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/19 "2008-12-07T02:17:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Does it destroy the sanctity of real bacon or something? If you don’t like it, can’t you just ignore it? I guess I just don’t like fakes. I really don’t know how they are even allowed to use the name bacon. To me, bacon is sliced off the pork belly. Then there’s what’s called Canadian bacon in the US. Don’t have any problems with that. At least it’s pork. Were you Irish, would you not be bothered by something called Turkey Guinness? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022/20 "2008-12-07T06:50:25Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The taste of bacon comes from the curing - soaking or rubbing the meat with salt and/or sugar - and smoking processes. Do the same to any cut of meat without a lot of flavor of its own, and it’ll taste baconey. > > [Bacon production.](http://www.dbmc.co.uk/bacon_facts/cuts_cures_index.asp) I agree. When you cure and smoke a meat it takes on either a hammy or a bacon-like flavor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-bacon-taste-like-bacon/476022.md?page=2)