What if bacon… but BEEF? 🥓🥩

For kitchens looking to diversify their breakfast and brunch offerings, or for those catering to non-pork-eating guests, beef bacon presents a highly profitable and flavourful option. This technique, demonstrated by Certified Angus Beef, focuses on the beef navel, a cut sourced from the plate section of the carcass. Similar to pork belly, the navel offers the ideal balance of meat and intramuscular fat required to achieve that classic bacon texture.\n\n## Understanding the Cut\nThe beef navel is the anatomical equivalent of pork belly, located on the underside of the steer in the plate section. Historically utilised for pastrami or cured beef products, it features distinct layers of lean meat and rich fat. When cured and smoked, it mimics the structure of traditional bacon. For chefs, sourcing the navel allows for a higher-yield alternative to other beef cuts that might dry out during the curing and frying process. The high fat content ensures the meat remains succulent while the edges crisp up beautifully under heat.\n\n## Portioning and Pan-Searing Technique\nTo prepare beef bacon, chefs should focus on thickness. A thick-cut slice provides a more substantial bite and prevents the beef from shriveling into tough strips. Slicing the cured beef navel to a uniform thickness is essential for even cooking across the flat-top or skillet.\n\nDuring service, the goal is to renderRenderTo slowly heat fatty tissue so that its fat melts away. the heavy fat layers slowly while crisping the lean meat. Cooking the slices over medium heat allows the fat to liquefy and fry the meat in its own tallow, producing a deeply savoury, crisp exterior with a chewy, tender centre. This method avoids the common pitfall of burning the lean sections before the fat has fully rendered.\n\n## Menu Integration and Applications\nBeef bacon brings a robust, deep umamiUmamiThe savoury taste associated with compounds such as glutamate and certain nucleotides. profile that stands up well against strong breakfast flavours. It can be featured on classic breakfast platters, used to wrap lean cuts of game or poultry, or layered into high-end burgers. Because it renders rich beef fat, this fat can be salvaged and used to fry eggs or roast potatoes, adding another layer of value to your kitchen's prep cycle.