Bacon is beloved for its smoky, salty, umami flavor. But sometimes store-bought bacon can be overly salty. If you want to enjoy bacon without the salt overload, there are several methods to remove or reduce salt from bacon.
In this article, we’ll explore simple techniques to desalinate bacon at home. With a few easy prep steps, you can have tasty low-sodium bacon to incorporate into healthy recipes.
Why Removing Salt from Bacon Can Be Useful
Here are some reasons you may want to remove excess salt from bacon
- You are limiting sodium for health reasons like high blood pressure or kidney disease. The average slice of bacon contains over 350mg sodium.
- You find most store-bought bacon to be too salty for your taste preferences
- You want to use bacon in a recipe but control the amount of saltiness.
- You cured and smoked your own bacon but it ended up too salty.
- You want to use bacon in a lower-sodium diet like keto or paleo.
While salty bacon provides great flavor, removing some sodium allows you to balance that with other seasonings and enjoy bacon more.
Effective Ways to Remove Salt from Bacon
Here are some simple methods to draw out or reduce excess salt from bacon:
Boiling/Simmering
Boiling bacon in fresh water helps leech out salt into the water. After boiling, discard the water to discard salt.
- Place bacon slices or pieces in a pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1-3 minutes.
- Drain water and rinse bacon thoroughly. Repeat if needed.
Soaking in Water
Soaking allows bacon to leech out salt over time without cooking it.
- Place bacon in a bowl and cover with cold water. Use plenty of water.
- Refrigerate 1-12 hours. Drain water and cover with fresh water.
- Repeat soak and rinse cycles 2-3 times until bacon is less salty.
Partial Cooking
Pan fry bacon until just starting to brown but still pliable. Some salt will render out.
Rinsing Thoroughly
Rinse cured raw bacon under cold running water before cooking. Pat dry.
Scrubbing Surface
For very salty bacon like country ham, scrub the surface while rinsing to remove excess salt.
Blotting Before Cooking
Blot bacon dry before cooking to remove surface salt that can crystallize when pan-frying.
How to Tell When Bacon Is Less Salty
It can take some trial and error to find the desalting method and duration that suits your taste. Here are some ways to evaluate if your bacon is less salty:
- Cook a test slice and taste it. Compare to a regular slice.
- Saltiness can vary batch to batch. Taste each time.
- If boiling or soaking, start with less time and increase if needed.
- Add desalted bacon to a recipe and adjust general seasoning.
- Check for plumpness and tenderness vs. overly cured meat.
Taste as you go to catch bacon before it gets under-salted. With the right technique, you can achieve bacon balanced for your preferred sodium level.
Potential Drawbacks of Removing Salt from Bacon
While desalting bacon is simple, keep in mind:
- Some flavor is lost along with the salt. The bacon may be less rich.
- Smoke flavor may diminish if boiled too long. Stick to brief simmer.
- Bacon loses some preservatives, so cook within 2 weeks.
- Repeated soaking can turn bacon spongy. Limit soak time.
For best results, use high-quality thick bacon and remove only the excess salt needed to suit your taste.
How to Use Desalted Bacon
Once you’ve removed excess salt from bacon, you can use it just like regular bacon in all your favorite dishes. Here are some recipe ideas:
- Breakfast sandwiches or omelets
- Classic BLT sandwich
- Bacon cheeseburger
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon
- Potatoes au gratin with bacon
- Bacon mac and cheese
- Bacon onion jam
The possibilities are endless! Reduced-sodium bacon offers flexibility in seasoning and salt control for various diet needs.
Cooking Tips for Low-Sodium Bacon
To get the best texture and flavor, adjust cooking methods for desalted bacon:
- Pan-fry over medium to medium-low heat to render fat slowly.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F on a rack lined sheet pan.
- Blot cooked bacon on paper towels to soak up grease.
- Let bacon cool before crumbling so it stays crisp.
- Store cooked bacon in the fridge up to 1 week.
Buying Lower Sodium Bacon
If home desalting seems too tricky, look for reduced or low-sodium bacon options when shopping:
- Check nutrition labels and choose lower sodium brands.
- Look for bacon cured without nitrites/nitrates.
- Search for low-sodium or no-sodium-added labels.
- Check deli or meat counters for less-processed bacon.
- Ask your butcher for custom-ordered low-salt bacon.
While less convenient than regular bacon, specialty lower sodium versions can provide an easy shortcut for limiting salt intake.
Make Your Own Low-Sodium Bacon
For the most control over ingredients, consider making your own bacon at home. You can customize the amount of salt and method of curing and smoking.
Home curing requires meticulous methods for safety and proper preservation. But the payoff is personalized bacon exactly suited to your dietary needs. Look into resources on the full home curing and smoking process to make great reduced sodium bacon.
Enjoy the Smoky, Savory Flavor Minus the Salt
With the simple tricks in this article, you can remove excess salt from store-bought or homemade bacon. While it does take some trial and error, properly desalinating bacon provides flexibility to use it in healthy, low-sodium diets.
The goal is to draw out just enough salt to suit your taste preferences. Take care not to over-desalt and end up with bland bacon. With the right technique, you can balance that signature smoky bacon flavor with customized salt levels.
So explore methods like boiling, soaking, and rinsing to find your ideal salty-smoky bacon bliss. Start cooking up those crave-worthy bacon dishes minus the salt overload. Just fry up a test batch to dial in the perfect salt balance for your needs.