Ayrshire Bacon

This is Scotland’s only distinctive bacon cure and was first developed in the South-West where pigs were reared as an adjunct to a flourishing dairy industry. Unlike most bacon cures, the back (cutlet) and the streaky (flank) are not separated. Once boned out it is skinned and salted in wet brine for two days, then dried out before it is rolled up tightly with the fat side outermost and the streaky wrapped round the back. Because it is skinned, the carcass is not scalded after slaughter to remove the bristles. This produces an end product with a finer colour and firmer texture than bacon which has been scalded. When sliced thinly and fried the round shape makes a convenient filling for bacon rolls.