A meat product traditionally produced from a cut of pork that is taken from the side (belly) or back of the hog. Bacon is processed by brining slabs of the meat, smoke curing it and then cutting the slabs into strips for easier use for preparation. Strips of bacon can be cut and packaged as thin sliced, which yields up to 36 slices per pound, regular sliced, which yields about 16 to 20 slices per pound, or thick sliced, which yields about 12 to 16 slices per pound.