I know a funny quote about bacon. “That’s too much bacon” – said no one ever. Indeed, it’s like the fairy dust of the food community. Are you thinking of eating Canadian bacon raw? Wait, read the article first.
What is Canadian bacon? What is it made of?
Canadian bacon is a pork product that is made of the center part of a pig’s back. But you can get different products if you ask for Canadian bacon in different parts of the world.
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In America, Canadian bacon is salted and smoked like regular bacon. But in other parts of the world, Canadian bacon is a different meat product, prepared in different ways.
Canadian bacon is often referred to as back bacon. The bacon is smoked, salted, and cured. In America, Canadian bacon is thickly sliced and fully cooked.
Some Canadian bacon is made from the belly of a pig. That bacon contains more fat than back bacon. They both have different tastes and cooking styles.
From 100g Canadian bacon, you will get 185 calories, 8.44g fat, 1.35g carbohydrate, and 24.24g protein. It also contains sodium, calcium, iron, and potassium.
Can you eat Canadian bacon raw or uncooked?
Don’t eat raw Canadian bacon. Even after curing and other processing, Canadian bacon can still cause notorious disease if it’s not handled correctly. There is an initial temperature of smoking that makes Canadian bacon safe. But, you can’t always guarantee the bacon is smoked perfectly.
Cooking Canadian bacon is a big mess. You will have to do a few clean-ups and dishwashing after cooking bacon. But that’s not a good reason to eat the bacon raw. Because that may cause dangerous bacterial diseases or food poisoning.
Yes, it’s possible to eat from the package. Most of the time you should be okay. But why should you compromise when it comes to your health?
Meat is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Not just for us, it’s true for bacteria and other microorganisms. Meat can be contaminated before you blink.
Some bacteria are very hardy to high temperatures. Some disease-causing bacteria can even live in 140° F temperature.
So if your bacon is not smoked at 145°F for a certain time, there are risks of foodborne diseases, tapeworm, trichinosis, and toxoplasmosis.
Let’s talk about raw and undercooked bacon,
Raw Canadian bacon:
You should never eat raw Canadian bacon. No raw bacon is completely safe. Why not?
Well, all Canadian bacon goes through a curing process which includes letting the meat in salt water. The salt absorbs all the moisture from the meat. The fact is the salt removes some bacteria and stops the growth of bacteria by dehydrating the meat.
The process slows down the rotting process of meat. But it can’t stop contamination if not handled accordingly.
Canadian bacon also goes through the smoking process. The meat should be smoked to 145° F to become fully safe. But you never know if the bacon is processed correctly.
Undercooked Canadian bacon:
You can eat slightly undercooked bacon if you cook it at 145° F. That temperature is necessary to remove all the germs of the bacteria.
Some of the disease-causing bacteria form special spores that can resist high temperatures. 145°F temperature is needed to break the spore. You should cook for at least 10 minutes to remove all the germs at that temperature.
If you follow the procedure, and the bacon stays undercooked, it’s safe to eat.
Usually, most Canadian bacon recipes suggest cooking it at 350°F to 400° F.
What happens if you eat Canadian bacon without cooking it?
Most Canadian bacon is cooked, smoked, and cured perfectly. Most of the time, it would not cause any harm. But, you can’t be sure. Raw Canadian bacon can cause mild to severe health problems if not processed correctly.
First of all, food poisoning and diarrhea is the most common disease caused by raw bacon.
If you are unlucky enough, it can cause typhoid by salmonella bacteria. Toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, and tapeworm infections can also be caused by raw bacon.
Trichinosis is the most dangerous illness that can be caused by uncooked bacon. It causes fever, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, nausea that can last for months.
So, even if it would not cause any harm in most cases, it’s not safe considering the health risk factors.
Is Canadian bacon already cooked or raw?
Canadian bacon or back bacon is fully cooked, cured, smoked, and thickly sliced. Some leading bacon companies claim their bacon can be eaten raw from the package. While it’s always safe not to eat raw bacon.
Canadian bacon is mainly cooked by smoking the loin or belly part of the pigs. The smoking process should be at 145° F to cook and make it germ-free.
But bacon should always cook again to ensure absolute safety. The cooking process also enhances the flavor and taste of Canadian bacon.
The smoking process adds flavor and cooks primarily so you need less time while cooking the bacon.
Can I eat Canadian bacon out of the package?
You should not eat Canadian bacon out of a package. Canadian bacon producer companies suggest that you can eat Canadian bacon out of a package. They claim their bacon is perfectly processed and safe to consume without cooking.
Although food safety specialists suggest not to eat bacon raw. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 48 million people in America get food poisoning. Even in this advanced era of medical technology, about 3000 people lose their life due to foodborne diseases.
Are these Canadian bacons fully cooked?
Check out if these companies’ Canadian bacon is fully cooked.
Hormel:
Hormel is one of the biggest Canadian bacon producers in the USA. It is fully cooked, cured, and smoked.
Jones:
Jones is one of the leading producers of Canadian bacon. It is fully cooked and smokey flavored.
Back label:
Black label bacon is another product from Hormel. It is fully cooked and processed.
Celebrity healthy Canadian style bacon:
Celebrity healthy Canadian-style bacon is pre-cooked and cured with brown sugar instead of salt.
How do you cook Canadian bacon?
There are different methods of cooking Canadian bacon. Find out the best one for you.
With a pan:
First, heat a pan to medium heat. Put oil in it. Don’t heat the oil too hot. The fats of Canadian bacon need to warm up slowly. Put the bacon on the pan. Keep a one-inch distance from each bacon. Cook each side of bacon for two minutes.
Keep rotating the sides of the bacon until it becomes brown and crisp.
Boiling:
Put the Canadian bacon in a pan. Fill up the pan with 3 inches of normal water. Now heat the water until boiling.
Now lower the temperature and keep it for 5 minutes. Then put the bacon on a plate, and drain the water using a paper towel. You can also use the boiled water as bacon stock.
Microwave:
Microwaving is one of the easiest ways to cook Canadian bacon. Take a microwave-safe plate. Put three layers of paper towel.
Place the bacon on the plate. Keep a one-inch distance from each bacon and don’t overlap. Use some oil if you want. Microwave at 400° F for 6 minutes.
There are thousands of recipes to cook Canadian bacon. But those are the basic methods of cooking it.
Is Canadian bacon Healthy? Is Canadian bacon considered processed meat?
Canadian bacon is healthier than other bacon. As it contains the loin part of pigs, it has low-fat content and bad cholesterol for health.
Like other bacon, most Canadian bacon contains high amounts of sodium that can cause health problems like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. So it’s risky to eat too much Canadian bacon too often.
Canadian bacon is among the processed meat products and it’s the most popular processed meat product around the world.
What’s the difference between Canadian bacon and regular bacon?
Canadian bacon is leaner and meaner than traditional American bacon. Canadian bacon is smoked and precooked while regular bacon is heavily salted and smoked traditionally.
The major difference that bacon is regular bacon provides 120 to 150 calories and 10-12 gram fat but Canadian bacon provides only 30 calories with less than 1 gram of fat. That makes it a lot healthier than regular bacon.
Canadian bacon has a lower risk of gaining weight and weight-related physical complications. Although both kinds of bacon are heavily salted and it can cause other health problems.
Final thoughts
You should never eat raw bacon considering the diseases it can cause. Cook it straightforwardly with enough heat and enjoy. Cooking makes Canadian bacon tastier. So why would you risk your health eating raw bacon if you can get delicious cooked bacon with minimum effort?