  Where does BACON come from…?   Basically this shows you the
pork belly with the spare ribs attached. The spare ribs are then
“scooped” (or cut) off the belly. In the bottom right is what an
UNCURED pork belly looks like, it is then cured meaning it is
put into a brine made up of basically salt, sugar, and nitrites.
Nitrites are an essential ingredient when curing. They not only
help kill bacteria (especially botulism), but also produces a
characteristic flavor in cured meat and gives cured meat a pink
or red color. After it goes through the curing process, it is
then smoked (essentially cooked), sliced, and packaged for
retail sales.  I know in the past there has been a lot of hype
about nitrites. But in order for the product to be classified as
a “fully cooked, cured” product, it must contain nitrites
according to USDA. There are other methods of “organically”
curing which use a substitute such as celery root juice, etc.
BUT as a customer, please don’t be conned into thinking it is
“nitrite-free”. It doesn