Bacon is prepared from several different cuts of meat it is usually made from side and back cuts of pork except in the united states where it is almost always prepared from pork belly typically referred to as streaky fatty or american style outside of the us and canada the side cut has more meat and less fat than the belly bacon may be prepared from either of two distinct back cuts fatback which is almost pure fat and pork loin which is very lean bacon cured pork loin is know