Traditional Bacon & Dry-Cured Meats

Traditional Bacon & Dry-Cured Meats

At Swaledale, we make heritage breed bacon using traditional dry-curing methods practised in Britain for centuries. Originally a way of preserving meat, dry-curing also concentrates flavour and firms the texture of well-reared, properly matured pork.

For our bacon and pork cures, we use outdoor-reared heritage breeds including Tamworth and Middle White. The same whole-muscle cuts we supply fresh to restaurant kitchens are selected for curing, so the quality of the pork comes first.

The pigs are reared outdoors, where they can root, wallow and move naturally. Given time to mature at their own pace, they develop good marbling and a generous covering of fat, exactly what you want for bacon, hams and other traditional cured pork.

19 products

What Is Dry-Cured Bacon?

The demands of mass retail have changed the way much of Britain’s bacon and cured meat is produced. Bellies, hocks and hams were traditionally prepared with skill and patience, then dry-cured or cold-smoked over natural wood. Today, these slower methods are often replaced by brine injection, artificial smoke flavourings and vacuum tumbling, prioritising speed and consistency over flavour, texture and character.

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Dry-curing means applying the cure directly to the meat rather than pumping it with brine. Salt is given time to draw out moisture and season the meat gradually, producing bacon with a firmer texture, less water and a more concentrated flavour.

At Swaledale, the process is deliberately unhurried. Curing recipes and times vary with the cut, and some products are then cold-smoked over natural wood. We use the same quality whole-muscle pork for curing that we sell fresh, rather than treating curing as a way of disguising an inferior cut.

The range goes beyond back and streaky bacon to include dry-cured pork belly, ham hocks, York-style ham, smoked pig’s cheek and bacon lardons, alongside traditionally cured beef such as salt beef and ox tongue.

For cooking guidance, see How to Cook York Ham, or browse our Pork Recipes for dishes using bacon, ham and other cured pork.

Benefits of Swaledale Butchers