Is It Safe to Eat Raw Bacon?

I love bacon, I make tons of content with bacon and I love figuring out new was to use this delicious food.  It’s probably the best food ever created.  It can be used in a LOT of different ways and is a staple in the United States, and many parts of the world.  It’s not only delicious but also makes other food taste better.  Hard to beat it.  Lately, though, there’s been a buzz on social media about the possibility of being able to eat raw bacon.  

I want to be very clear with this – NO, it’s not safe to eat raw bacon.  Beef tartare is one thing, bacon tartare is most definitely not.  There are a lot of reasons why it’s not safe to eat, and we’ll dig into a bunch of those and other items below.

Why Handling Raw Bacon is Important

Let’s talk about the importance of food safety as we talk about the possibility of eating raw bacon (don’t do it).  Anytime you’re working with raw meat, raw pork in this example there are some essential rules to follow to not only keep people from getting sick, but also legal reasons if you’re a food-service business.

Bacon, in its uncooked state, is not safe to eat because of the risk of contamination from harmful bacteria. As delicious as bacon is, you can’t skip the cooking process. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), raw bacon can carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, both of which can cause severe food poisoning. 

Bacon needs to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165F to ensure that any bacteria that could be present is killed and to prevent future growth inside the meat.

It’s important to make sure that proper meat safety protocols are being followed to make it safe to eat for everyone and to avoid the possibility of cross-contamination in your kitchen or cooking area.

One common misconception is that cured meat, like bacon or other deli meats, is safe to eat raw. However, bacon’s high-fat content and processing method make it different from other cured meats like ham or salami. Without cooking, bacon remains a raw meat that can carry bacteria and parasites, which can lead to serious health risks, including parasitic infection.

How to Store Raw Bacon

Since we’ve talked about food safety briefly above, let’s dive into what to do with uncooked bacon, specifically how to store it.  Generally speaking, uncooked bacon is safe to eat from about 2-3 days of being opened if it’s being stored in an airtight container.  With that said there’s no hard and fast rule for this.  Let your senses guide you and err on the side of caution.  

If it looks or smells even a little off of where it normally should be, err on the side of caution and throw it away.  It’s not worth it.  The unopened package of bacon that you bring home from the store, can generally be left for upwards of a week if it’s sealed well.  Same rules still apply though.  Follow your nose and don’t rely too much on the shelf life.

However, once you break that seal, you’ve got to be careful about how long you keep it and where you store it. If you’ve got any leftover bacon after cooking, or if you’re only using part of the entire package of bacon, it’s best to store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will limit bacterial growth.

It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the time and make sure to store bacon properly. If you’re ever in doubt, trust your nose and eyes. Spoiled bacon will have a slimy texture, and the outer layer may start to change color.!

If you’re a pet owner like I am, it’s worth noting that we need to be equally cautious of not letting our furry friends, uncooked bacon isn’t safe for them either.  Raw bacon can have as large of ramifications for pets as well.

The Risks of Eating Raw Bacon

Why risk eating raw bacon?

Any idea why people were asking about eating raw bacon?  Me neither. Some of the confusion comes from bacon’s curing process, which preserves the meat and gives it that irresistible bacon taste. But curing doesn’t eliminate bacteria or parasites, which is why cooking is still required. If you eat raw pork, you run the risk of catching diseases like Trichinosis, a parasitic infection caused by eating undercooked or raw meat infected with a specific parasite. In addition, raw pork can contain bacteria that may lead to gastrointestinal infections or more serious conditions.

As much as I understand the temptation to nibble on a strip of bacon while you’re cooking it, trust me, it’s not worth the health risks. 

Cooking and Enjoying Bacon

What’s the best way to cook bacon?  It just depends on personal preference. My PERFECT BACON recipe will get you a great start though. The most important part though is that it’s cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165F.  The ensures that there’s no harmful bacteria that will survive the raw bacon and make it’s way to your digestive tract.

My method above gets me perfectly cooked bacon every time.  Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil that hangs over the edges of a baking sheet. Bake it in the oven.  It’s just that simple, you cook more and quicker than pan frying.

Cooking your bacon properly isn’t just about avoiding illness; it’s about bringing out that full, smoky flavor that we all love. The smoking process bacon goes through during production is only part of what makes it taste so good. The heat from cooking causes a chemical reaction that enhances the flavors and makes it irresistible. 

You get a crispy piece of bacon and an easy clean up by just throwing away the foil after it cools.

Wrapping It All Up

In conclusion, raw bacon is not, under any circumstances, safe to eat.  As mentioned above, it’s important to follow proper safe food handling practices and cooking.  The risks are plentiful from food poisoning to a parasitic infection, just make sure it’s not spoiled and cooked correctly.  Store your uncooked bacon in a sealed container and wash your hands frequently when holding any kind of raw meat.  Be sure that your furry friends don’t get into raw bacon either!

Cook it correctly and enjoy your bacon taste!