Pork is part of the meats that have so many flavors and it is either you love pork or you do not love it. For different reasons, many people cannot eat pork and there is no problem with that. You may love bacon but not want the sausage or other parts of pork. We have several pork cuts varying differently across the board and it is more than sausage or just bacon. There are also pork steaks, pork chops, ham, and so many others.
You should be able to differentiate between various pork cuts and that is why we want to consider how bacon and ham differ from each other. Ham and bacon are gotten from different parts of a pig and they are not treated the same way in the process of curing and packaging. This means they are quite different as you can cure bacon with salt while you can cure ham by smoking.
In this article, we want to find out the differences and similarities between bacon and ham. We will check out the individual details and also check how they both compare to each other before we check the summary of their differences. You have to continue reading if you want to find out all you need to know about how you can differentiate between bacon and ham.
Understanding the Differences Between Ham and Bacon
Bacon and ham are different from each other. While they are types of pork that are gotten from the big, that is the end to their similarities. The ultimate thing you should understand about these meats is to understand that they’re different types of pork. You can get pork from pigs and you can cook or preserve it in several ways. Some types are treated and cured while you can make it into fresh cuts to be cooked or frozen.
There are several types of pork, check below for some varieties:
- Ground pork
- Sausage
- Pork steak
- Rib roast
- Ham
- Pork tenderloin
- Pork butt
- Pork belly
- Pork loin
- Bacon
- Porkchop
- Ribs
You will understand that you have a lot of ways that you can enjoy pork and the above list doesn’t even cover most of them, they are just the most popular ones that are well known. What we will check out in this article is to but our focus on bacon and ham and have a deep discussion about how they are similar and different.
Firstly, we will check out each of them individually with the details of what you are supposed to know before we then summarize their differences to give you simple references that you may need.
Bacon
Bacon is different from ham, it is usually made into unique things before leaving the butcher’s care or processing plant. This is quite different from a ham that a large cut is sold. Don’t worry, we will discuss ham below. Bacon is usually cured, salt-cured and it can be gotten from different pork cuts. The uniqueness of bacon means that it is not compulsorily from a particular location of a pig but the most common place to cut bacon from has to be the back or the belly of the pork.
Bacon is cut in strips that could be cut in different thicknesses and can also be prepared in several ways. Bacon can be cured or smoked in several ways with a lot of underlying flavors that can be found in multiple cuts and varieties. Bacon can be used for various things, and you should check them below.
Uses for Bacon
You can use bacon in a lot of ways. Firstly, it could be eaten alone when cooked, it could be eaten either cold and hot. During the process of cooking, bacon usually produces a lot of greases, and it could be cooked in a microwave, an air fryer, a griddle, on a stove, or an oven, bacon has a lot of versatility. It could be quite difficult to find bacon leftovers because you may make them as much as you want or as little as required and you can still do a lot of things with it. Check below for some of the uses:
- Pizza toppings
- Add to pasta dishes
- Cobb salad
- Wrap around meatloaf or meat
- Add to burgers
- Side for eggs
- BLTs
- Club sandwiches
- Bacon bits for salads
- Breakfast burritos
You cannot get tired of bacon, there are a lot of things you can do with them. Furthermore, apart from the different ways they can be prepared, there are several ways they can also be stored. You can store and preserve bacon in the fridge or inside your freezer and they are all quite simple to prepare and store.
Ham
You can consider ham as a cut part of pork from a pig’s leg. Usually, the cut is gotten from the very high part of the pig’s leg very near to the thigh. The process called curing is used to preserve ham and curing can happen in different ways either dry or wet. A process of smoking can also be included as part of the curing process or it could be skipped. We have several ways to do that, but the most important thing is that it is cured.
Ham could also be found in various cuts and sizes and it is possible to buy an entire cut of ham or see some other means which has been formed. You may find deli-sliced ham, ham legs, ham shanks, sliced ham, and ham steaks. We will move straight into those things that can be done with ham for the best result.
Uses for Ham
We have a variety of things that ham can be used for. Once it has been cooked, different things can be done with it. You will most likely have a lot of leftovers if have made your ham large. Check below for some of those things you can use ham to make apart from the entire baked ham:
- Add to pasta dishes
- Pizza toppings
- Pinwheels
- Breakfast casseroles
- Potato casserole and cheesy ham
- Sliders
- Chicken cordon bleu
- DIY Lunchable
- Beans and ham
- Cheese pastries and ham
- Cold-cut sandwiches
- Add to soups
- Cubed ham for salads
- Ham hash
Ham can be used for different things, the mentioned above are only some of the things it can be used for. You will definitely not be tired of taking your ham if you have leftovers or abundance after you have been exposed to some of the ideas we have highlighted above.
You can cook a ham in several ways and it is easy to work with and also store irrespective of whether you own your pig that was processed after being butchered or you bought the ham from your local butcher or a store. Ham can be cooked initially by baking, smoking, or by making it inside an instant pot device or in the crockpot.
You can also store ham in multiple ways including refrigerating and freezing, the preservation process is very simple.
Comparison Overview
Bacon and ham have a little thing in common and their only similarities can be considered to be that you can find them from a variety of pork and they are both cured. They both have salty flavors that are natural but it is not overly salty.
You will get to see bacon purchased in strips where it could be found in different thickness cuts but bacon cannot be purchased as a large cut just like ham. It is usually found the back or the belly but can also be from any area of a pig. Bacon is usually greasy when it is cooked but you can also cook or use it in several ways.
You can buy ham usually in large cuts and then break down into some other things and it is gotten from the leg of a pig and usually baked to be eaten. Ham can be purchased as ham lunch meat, however, it is not a natural ham formation because the finest of ham is gotten from the large cut of the pig’s leg.
Related Questions
You must have learned so much and you will now have an understanding of the differences and similarities between bacon and ham. We will like you to check out some of our provided questions and answers that will help you to understand further.
Can You Eat Bacon or Ham Raw?
Either bacon or ham can be eaten cold but not raw, bacon and ham should never be eaten raw. You have to cook them, smoke them before you proceed to consume them. You are recommended that you should cook the pork to an internal temperature around 150°F at the minimum for the best result.
Can You Reuse Bacon Grease?
Some people use the bacon grease leftover to cook their vegetables, eggs, and hash browns. Bacon grease can be stored and reused or it can be used fresh the same moment after you have fried the bacon. It is considered the easiest when bacon is fried on a stovetop.
