How Much Bacon Actually Comes From a Pig? The Surprising Answer

Have you ever wondered just how many delicious slices of bacon come from a single pig? As a bacon lover myself, I was curious to find out. I did some research and the answers definitely surprised me!

In this article, we’ll break down the bacon numbers and find out just how much bacon you can get from one pig. We’ll look at the different factors that affect bacon yield like breed, weight and more. Read on to satisfy your bacon curiosity!

Calculating How Much Bacon Comes From a Pig

Let’s start with some quick bacon basics. Bacon is made from pork belly the fatty underside of a pig. Pork bellies are squared off cured with salt, smoked, and sliced to make bacon slices.

The amount of bacon from a pig depends on a few factors:

• Breed – Some pig breeds naturally have more bacon-friendly fatty bellies.

• Weight – Heavier hogs yield more bacon.

• Quality – Higher quality pork bellies with good marbling produce more bacon.

• Cutting – The butcher’s cutting skills impact usable bacon.

Now let’s look at the bacon numbers

• A 240-pound hog yields a 30-35 pound pork belly.
• The belly yields 70% bacon after trimming.
• Each pound of bacon contains 18-22 slices.
• So a 240-pound pig yields about 450-750 slices of bacon!

Let’s break down the math:

• 240 lb pig x 30 lb belly = 7,200 oz belly
• 7,200 oz belly x 70% bacon yield = 5,040 oz bacon
• 5,040 oz bacon / 18 oz per lb = 280 oz bacon
• 280 oz bacon / 18 slices per oz = 504 slices
• On the high end: 5,040 oz bacon / 22 slices per oz = 756 slices

So one 240-pound pig provides over 700 slices of tasty bacon! Not too shabby.

Bacon Yields By Breed

The pig breed makes a big difference in potential bacon yield. Certain breeds naturally produce porkier and fattier bellies that are ideal for bacon.

Here are bacon yields for popular breeds:

• Yorkshire – 30-35 lb belly, 450-525 slices
• Berkshire – 35-40 lb belly, 525-600 slices
• Duroc – 33-37 lb belly, 500-550 slices
• Hampshire – 32-35 lb belly, 480-525 slices
• Hereford – 30-33 lb belly, 450-500 slices

Berkshire hogs are bacon superstars, with the largest bellies and highest fat content. Yorkshires and Durocs also produce great bacon pigs.

Heritage breeds like Red Wattles yield amazingly tasty bacon, but have lower yields of 25-30 lb bellies.

Average Bacon Slices Per Pound of Pork Belly

The amount of actual bacon slices yielded from a pork belly depends on slice thickness.

Typically, a 1-pound pork belly produces 18 to 22 conventional slices of bacon. Here is the typical yield:

• 1 lb pork belly = approx. 28-30 oz
• Regular sliced bacon is 0.7 – 0.9 oz per slice
• So 28-30 oz belly = 18-22 slices of bacon

Thicker sliced bacon contains less slices per pound. Thinner sliced bacon maximizes slices but may cook unevenly.

Factors Affecting Bacon Yield

Let’s look at some other key factors that determine how much bacon a pig yields:

1. Weight

Heavier hogs over 240 lbs produce larger bellies and more bacon. A 270-lb pig may yield up to 40 lbs of belly and 600 slices.

Super heavyweight show pigs over 280 lbs can yield nearly 50 lb bellies! That could be over 700 slices from a single massive hog.

2. Diet

A balanced pig diet high in corn, barley, and soy produces better marbled bellies with higher bacon yield. Low quality feed leads to less usable meat.

3. Processing

The butcher’s skills make a difference. A talented butcher can extract the maximum usable belly from a hog by expertly trimming and squaring off the belly. Poor butchering leads to unusable meat and bacon waste.

4. Quality

Higher quality pork bellies have excellent marbling which maximizes bacon produced. Thin or uneven bellies yield less edible bacon after trimming.

5. Curing

Proper curing and smoking helps bacon hold together in slices. Poor curing leads to excessive trimming and bacon loss.

Figuring Slices Per Packaged Bacon

Let’s say you brought home a 1 lb package of bacon from the store. How many delicious slices would you expect to find?

Again, the thickness affects slice count, but typically a 1 lb pack contains:

• Regular cut bacon – 18-22 slices
• Thick cut bacon – 14-16 slices
• Thin cut bacon – 25-30 slices

So you can estimate about 3-4 slices per ounce of packaged bacon. Multiply the total ounces by your bacon’s slices per ounce for a rough slice count.

How Much Raw Bacon Equals Cooked Bacon?

Bacon shrinks quite a bit when cooked. To get equivalent cooked bacon, you need about 1.5 times the raw amount:

• 2 oz raw bacon = approx. 1 oz cooked
• 4 oz raw bacon = approx. 2-3 oz cooked
• 8 oz raw bacon = approx. 5 oz cooked

Raw bacon loses roughly 30% of its weight when cooked. So multiply the cooked amount by 1.5 to get the raw amount needed.

The Takeaway – Pig To Bacon Breakdown

Let’s summarize how much delicious bacon you can get from one pig:

• 240 lb pig yields a 30-35 lb belly
• After trimming, that belly produces 21-25 lbs of bacon
• Each lb of bacon yields 18-22 slices
• So one pig makes 378-550 bacon slices

The exact amount depends on breed, weight, diet, and processing. Berkshire pigs yield the most bacon, while Red Wattles produce less but have amazing flavor.