salt pork
Heavily salted pork belly or side meat used to season a pot.
Also called fatback, side meat, middlin' meat.
Updated September 24, 2026
salt pork pronunciation
/SALT pork/
Meaning
Salt pork is cured pork, usually from the belly or side, packed in salt so it keeps without a fridge. Southern and Appalachian cooks drop a chunk in beans, greens, or cabbage to give the pot fat and flavor. It is kin to fatback and side meat, but not the same as smoked bacon. Before refrigeration it was pantry insurance. At the table it is why the pot liquor tastes like home.
How folks use it
- “Throw a piece of salt pork in with them beans and let 'em simmer all afternoon.”
- “We fried the salt pork crisp and crumbled it over the greens.”
Origin and etymology
Salt curing pork is old European practice that came hard into American farms and ships' rations. In the South and Appalachia the cut stayed central to vegetable cooking because it was cheap, kept well, and stretched a mess of greens. Folks also call related cuts fatback, side meat, or middlin' meat.
Frequently asked questions
Is salt pork the same as bacon?
Close cousins, not twins. Salt pork is salt-cured and usually not smoked. Bacon is typically smoked and leaner in the pack.