How Many Slices of Bacon are in 500g?

Bacon is a versatile ingredient that takes dishes to the next level Its smoky, salty, umami flavor pairs perfectly with eggs, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, salads, and more When cooking with bacon, it’s helpful to know how slices translate into weights and vice versa. Specifically, if you have a 500g package of bacon, about how many slices will that contain?

Factors Affecting Bacon Slice Counts

The number of slices in 500g of bacon can vary quite a bit depending on several factors:

• Bacon type: Bacon comes in regular, thick-cut, extra thick, and thin varieties. Thicker slices will yield fewer per 500g.

• Brand: Bacon slice sizing is not standardized across brands. Artisanal bacons may have thicker or irregular slices.

• Packaging Some 500g packages contain full unsliced pork belly strips rather than presliced bacon.

• Curing method: Bacon cured and smoked in-house tends to have more variation in slice sizes than mass-produced bacon.

• Pork belly shape: Curvature and marbling affect how many slices fit in a slab.

So while we can estimate a range for 500g of bacon, the actual slice count will depend on the specifics of the package.

Average Bacon Slice Count for 500g

For a typical 500g package of grocery store thick-cut bacon, expect approximately:

• 18-22 slices

This is based on slices with an average raw weight of 22-28g each. Regular sliced bacon would be on the higher end, while thin would be the lower end.

As a general rule of thumb, 500g of bacon contains approximately 1 pound or 16 oz of raw meat. So the 500g slice count estimate aligns with a 1 pound package containing 18-22 thick-cut slices on average.

Again, specialty artisanal bacons may range higher or lower depending on their unique sizing, shape, and slicing.

Estimating Slice Counts from Weight

You can use the typical slice weight range to estimate how many slices you’ll get from any given weight of bacon:

• 250g bacon = 9-11 slices (1/2 pound)
• 375g bacon = 13-16 slices (3/4 pound)
• 500g bacon = 18-22 slices (1 pound)
• 750g bacon = 27-33 slices (1 1/2 pounds)
• 1000g bacon = 36-44 slices (2 pounds)

As a formula:

Total weight in grams ÷ Average slice weight (25g) = Approx. number of slices

So for example, 750g ÷ 25g per slice = 30 slices

These numbers are based on thick-cut bacon with ~25g per raw slice on average. For regular sliced bacon in the 15-20g range, the number of slices for a given weight would be higher.

Weighing Bacon for Precision

While the weight-to-slice estimates above are useful ballparks, the most accurate way to portion bacon is by weighing it.

Here’s a simple workflow:

• Place a cutting board on a kitchen scale and tare/zero it out.

• Lay down enough bacon slices to reach your desired weight.

• Adjust by adding or removing slices to reach the exact weight needed.

• Cook and enjoy your perfectly portioned bacon!

Weighing ensures consistency and allows you to customize slice counts and sizes as needed.

Estimating Cups from Slices

For cooking, it’s also helpful to know how slice counts translate to cups of crumbled bacon. Here are common conversions:

• 8 slices = 1/2 cup crumbled
• 12 slices = 3/4 cup crumbled
• 16 slices (1 pound) = 1 cup crumbled

So 500g of bacon (18-22 slices) would yield about 1 to 1 1/4 cups crumbled.

These volumes are based on typical thick-cut bacon fried until crispy. Factors like doneness, crumb size, fat content, and cooking method can affect the crumbled cup yield.

Key Takeaways

• A 500g package contains approximately 18-22 slices of thick-cut bacon.

• Slice counts vary based on type, brand, curing method, and pork belly size/shape.

• Weighing bacon provides the most control over portion sizes.

• Use 25g as an average slice weight for back-of-the-envelope estimates.

• 500g of bacon = 1 pound = about 1 to 1 1/4 cups cooked and crumbled.

• Cook bacon until crispy for accurate crumbled cup measures.

With these guidelines, you can easily shop for packages, weigh out portions, and predict how many slices you’ll need for recipes. Getting comfortable with bacon weights and measures takes the guesswork out of cooking.