Irish Bacon

[Rail Paul]

I noticed an Irish butcher in Adare had interesting subcategories of bacon available for sale the other day. I haven never seen these breakouts. Would anyone be able to provide a thumb nail description of the differences?

Collar of bacon

Breast of bacon

Shoulder of bacon

The market was open from 9 am to noon, and 230 to 6 pm, so I didn't have the opportunity to actually enter it and examine the wares. Looked like a wide range of black, red, and other sausages were available, too.

[FoodMan]

I am assuming it refers to what cut of the critter the bacon is made of. Collar Bacon from the collar, Shoulder from the shoulder....

he difference would probably be in the fat content and connective tissue between the different cuts.

FM

[spqr]

While we're on the subject...

I've heard the Two Fat Ladies mention "proper" English bacon on one or two of their shows, and I always wondered what proper bacon is and what is improper bacon. Were they making a distinction between supermarket bacon and that which can be procured from the pig farmer? Different cuts from the hog? Or what?

[mamster]

Perhaps they meant as opposed to streaky bacon?

[spqr]

Perhaps they meant as opposed to streaky bacon?

Okay, so what is "proper" bacon? Is it from the loin, like Canadian bacon? How is it processed? Does it taste like "bacon" or what?

[Adam Balic]

While we're on the subject...

I've heard the Two Fat Ladies mention "proper" English bacon on one or two of their shows, and I always wondered what proper bacon is and what is improper bacon. Were they making a distinction between supermarket bacon and that which can be procured from the pig farmer? Different cuts from the hog? Or what?

I think in the context they were speaking of they ment "no water filled, synthetic smoke flavoured pig product". They also could have been refering to the fact that much of the bacon avalible in Britian is Danish. More a statement of quality then anything else.

Proper English bacon can be streaky style or mid-rasher (and several other cuts aswell I think), green or smoked.

Paul - are any of those Irish cuts big enough for Irish boiled bacon? - yum!