How Much Bacon Can You Get from One Pig?

Nothing starts the day quite like the smell of sizzling bacon. Whether it’s part of a hearty breakfast sandwich or baked into a batch of chocolate chip cookies bacon makes everything better. But have you ever wondered just how much bacon you can get from a single pig? Let’s crunch the numbers!

Average Weight of a Pig

The amount of bacon you yield depends on the size of the pig. Here are some typical weights

• Suckling pig: 15-25 lbs
• Hog or market weight pig: 250-280 lbs
• Adult breeding boar: 350-700 lbs
• Adult breeding sow: 400-650 lbs

For our calculations, we’ll go with a 275 lb market weight hog since this is the most common size raised for meat.

How Much of a Pig is Bacon?

Not every part of the pig becomes bacon. Here is the typical breakdown of a market weight hog:

• Ham, loin, Boston butt (for pulled pork): 55%
• Belly and jowl (for bacon): 15%
• Picnic shoulder, hocks, miscellaneous: 30%

So out of a 275 lb pig, you’ll get about 41 lbs that can be cured and smoked into bacon. This 15% yield is for a relatively lean commercial breed. Heritage hog breeds tend to have a higher ratio of fat, so you may get a bigger bacon payoff.

Calculating Pounds of Raw Bacon

The 41 lbs of belly and jowl will shrink down quite a bit during the smoking and curing process. You’ll end up with about 25% less cooked bacon by weight due to moisture loss.

To calculate the yield:

• 41 lbs raw belly x 0.75 = 30.75 lbs of finished bacon

So you can expect approximately 30-31 lbs of cooked sliced bacon from a 275 lb market hog. Not too shabby!

Accounting for Shrinkage and Waste

That 30 lb estimate doesn’t account for any bacon bits that may go to waste. There is additional loss during slicing:

• The ends of the belly are often irregular shapes that get discarded. This can account for 2-3 lbs of loss.
• Packaging mishaps may lead to crumbled or torn slices being thrown out.
• Bacon grease rendered during cooking needs to be poured off.
• Burnt or overcooked pieces may also end up in the trash.

With waste and cooking loss factored in, a more realistic net yield would be in the 25-28 lb range. Still plenty for our bacon needs!

Curing Methods Affect Yields

How you choose to cure the pork belly will impact your finished quantities of bacon. Here are some common curing methods:

• Cold smoking takes longer but doesn’t cook the bacon, resulting in less moisture loss.
• Hot smoking speeds the process but can cause more shriveling and shrinkage.
• Dry curing with salts and spices leaves the bacon plumper.
• Wet curing in a brine solution draws out more moisture.

The slower, drier methods like cold smoking and dry curing will ultimately produce more cooked bacon than faster wet curing or hot smoking.

Stretching Your Bacon Supply

Assuming a 25 lb haul of finished bacon, here are some tips to make it last:

• Freeze rationed packages so you always have some ready for cooking. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Use scraps and ends for flavoring in soups, greens, beans, etc.
• Save rendered bacon grease for cooking other foods like eggs, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.
• Mix crumbled bacon into appetizers like stuffed mushrooms or deviled eggs. A little goes a long way!
• Opt for bacon bits rather than full slices on salads and baked potatoes.
• When a recipe calls for bacon, cut the slices in half or thirds to make them go farther.

With smart storage and creative use, you can get the most out of every ounce and really make that pig pay off!

Ordering Bacon by the Pig

If you don’t raise your own hogs, you can still buy whole pork bellies to process into bacon yourself. Or have it custom cut to your preferences. Buying a whole belly is cheaper per pound compared to packages of pre-sliced bacon.

You can also join a bacon-of-the-month club that ships artisanal, heritage breed bacon directly to your door. The variety will keep breakfast sizzling for months!

The Takeaway

One market weight pig produces about 30 lbs of raw bacon. After curing and smoking, expect a net yield of 25-28 lbs of cooked sliced bacon. With smart use of scraps and freezing extras, you can make a little bacon go a long way. Just imagine all the creative ways you can fry, bake, or liven up other dishes with that stash of porky goodness!