I have debated with myself for a long time about whether to post this recipe. A really long time. Not just because almost nobody is going to know what it is. Those folks are going to be few and far between. But mostly because old-time southern food has had such a bad reputation. It doesn’t need me adding fuel to the fire with old recipes that just reinforce that stereotype. Yet, despite all those reasons nagging me, I still wanted to do it. So, here it is. Streak o’ Lean.
Who’s ever heard of Streak o’ Lean? Speak up. <testing, testing, is this thing on?>
Okay, well Streak o’ Lean is kind of the opposite of bacon. Where bacon is smoked and has a streak of fat among the lean meat, streak o’ lean is salt cured and has a streak of lean among the fat. Yes, that’s right, streak o’ lean is salt pork. Salt pork taken a step further by coating it in flour and deep frying.
Now before you send the food police around to my house and start proceedings to revoke my official food bloggers license, just wait a minute. As crazy as the food world is today about bacon, if I had said I was deep frying bacon some of y’all would be in a swoon right now. You know you would.
And besides, this is not something to be eaten every day of the week. As a matter of fact, the best I can remember it has been about 25 years since I last cooked Streak o’ Lean. Although it can still be found on restaurant buffet lines in rural areas of the South, it’s really one of those once or twice in a lifetime kind of recipes. But be warned, once you’ve had it you’ll never forget it. You’ll crave it. You’ll look for it at every buffet and you’ll make an excuse to “just have a little bite.”
So how do you cook Streak o’ Lean? Well, you start with some salt pork. It’s the same thing that you use to season your pot of greens or a pot of baked beans. You can buy it in one piece or sliced. Go ahead and get the sliced for this recipe.
Before you go any further you need to soak the salt pork. This step draws out a lot of the salt and believe me you don’t want to skip this. I know some restaurants that don’t soak it at all, just fry it up. I prefer to draw out some of the salt first. I happened to have buttermilk on hand and used it this time. Any kind of milk works just fine. Some people, instead of soaking, will boil the salt pork for about ten minutes, drain it and then proceed with the recipe. If you’re short on time, that works great.
Now remove the salt pork from the milk letting most of it drain away. Discard the milk. Place the salt pork on a baking sheet and sprinkle it liberally with ground pepper.
Then flour it well on both sides.
Heat about a 1/4 inch of peanut oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, carefully lower the prepared pieces of salt pork into the pan. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned, crispy, and cooked through.
Put the finished sliced on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
Enjoy! (?)
A very old deep south recipe for Streak o' Lean.
Ingredients
- Salt pork
- Milk or buttermilk
- Pepper
- Flour
- Peanut oil
Instructions
- Place the sliced salt pork in a container and cover with milk or buttermilk. Let sit for several hours to draw out some of the salt. Remove the salt pork from the milk. Discard the milk.
- Pepper each slice of salt pork and then dredge lightly in flour.
- Add peanut oil to a depth of a ¼ inch to a heavy skillet. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Carefully add the prepared salt pork slices to the hot oil. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned and cooked through (about 7-8 minutes).
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
Notes
This recipe is presented primarily for historical purposes. Nobody really eats this way every day :-)
I usually link to other similar recipes in this space, but I have to tell you there’s almost nothing on the internet about Streak-o-Lean. So, instead here are a few links about salt pork.
- Less Meat, More Flavor: Salt Pork from The Kitchn
- How to Make Your Own Salt Pork from eHow
- Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Salt Pork from Bon Appetit
- Salt Cod and Corn Chowder fromFine Cooking
- Boston Baked Beans from Fine Cooking
What I was up to:
- One year ago: Lemon and Cherry Muffins
- Two years ago: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Three years ago: Shrimp and Artichokes with Noodles
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes I admit that I look for it on buffet lines too. There is no other flavor that says South like this does. Thanks for posing this. Makes me want to go out and buy some.
Miss P told me that they have recently re-opened the restaurant at Merry Acres in Albany. They always have Streak o’ Lean on their lunch buffet. Next time you’re over that way, you might stop by there for lunch :-)
up north they have something like that called scrapple
and lana, lemme tell you…. back ‘in the day’ folks needed all the calories they could get from fat…… cause real food (not the processed plastic stuff you get nowadays) didn’t have a whole lot of fast calories…..
fats did
and fats are necessary in the diet ……. real fats not those engineered fats
Vi -
Scrapple is really pretty different from this. As my grandma used to say “it’s everything but the oink”. It includes parts of the head, the liver, heart, and various other pieces & parts – mixed with cornmeal and/or flour. I’ve never liked it but some people (particularly in Pennsylvania) just love it.
oh and if you don’t post it……… who’s going to remember their heritage?
your readers are mature enough to either not use it if they object…… or just read it with interest as ‘that’s how it was done’
Vi is right, Lana. I love learning new recipes … even when I might never make them (though I might have to try this one — the “Mr” will love it)
Hi Lana – Yes, I remember streak o lean from my South Atlanta childhood. It always was covered with white salt crystals, and was used mostly in green beans. My cousin and I would sit on the porch and string the beans. Good times.
Whoa…it has been 27 years for me! I admit I’ve forgotten about it since moving to Colorado but you’re right…a breakfast buffet without grits and streak o’ lean was simply lacking! Funny, I’m working on a grits recipe now; the holidays can make me sentimental since my girls were born in NC and those first early years with them were some of the best. This just adds to the time travel; thanks for posting.
Don’t throw that buttermilk away! Use it to make cornbread.
I’d never thought of using the buttermilk for cornbread! Good idea. Maybe a little salty, though :-)
Ok, I confess. I love streak o lean. Fried fat. With salt. That’s two of the four food groups right there. The other two food groups are sugar and chocolate, just in case somebody is counting.
And, it’s been over a decade since I had streak o lean. I may have to remedy that pretty soon.
Miss P
Yes, once a decade is about right for enjoying this recipe. And I love your four food groups! I’ll have to remember those :-)
Oh my goodness. I had completely forgotten about this! I haven’t eaten it for probably close to 40+ years. My Dad used to make it for us for dinner along with SOS on a night when he wanted some it himself.
I remember most of my siblings going “ugh”. But, not me… I loved it. Thanks for posting this and bringing back many memories.
Lana – remember when everyone in Albany would go to Merry Acres for Sunday dinner after church JUST so we could grab as many pieces of Streak o’ Lean as we could put on our plates from their Sunday buffet? We all claimed it was for their fried chicken – and that was yummy too – but I could have skipped the chicken completely for that salt pork!
Yes, lord, I remember! People would eat that Streak o’ Lean faster than the kitchen could fry it up and put it out on the buffet. I heard that the restaurant has re-opened and you just might be able to find some on their lunch buffet!
I could eat that whole plate right now!!! Let me at it!! Keep that southern stuff coming!!
You should have come over and helped us eat it, Rhonda! I probably won’t cook it again for another ten years now.
Kudos to you for making this! Yum!
I’ve heard of Streak o’ Lean!!! Of course!
I love it in green beans & potatoes :)
I am actually glad you shared this recipe! I honestly did not know what Steak O’Lean was. The process seems easy, and the end product sounds DELISH!!! Thank you for sharing, Hugs, Terra
Lana – definitely you have intrigued this gal. I couldn’t find salt pork to save my life up here in Philly (but boy – scrapple everywhere) unless I probably go to the Italian Market. Now I’m on the hunt…
Hope you find some, Aly!
Ok, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about food… but I have never heard of this… and I know my boys would flip for it (will have to quiz the oldest about it when he gets home to see if he’s had it yet!!).
Will maybe surprise them with this one morning… or save it for when “Mom” is in the doghouse and needs a “get out of jail free card”!
It’s an experience for sure, Nancy. You wouldn’t believe the number of local folks that have emailed me to say how much they still love Streak o’ Lean and wish they could enjoy it more often. It used to be a staple of the rural Southern diet, but with the knowledge we have now it has become just a very rare treat. I’ll bet your boys would love it :-)
I remember streak o’ lean and Merry Acres buffet, too. When we would have fish fries outside in our back yard, it would not be complete without some streak o’ lean.
Found this recipe because my husband requested streak-o-lean, creamed corn, sliced tomatoes and home-made biscuits tonight. I’ve cooked it maybe twice in fifty years of marriage. If you read current health literature, it seems that natural fats are no longer the bad boy they’ve been made out to be. I doubt s-o-l will ever be recommended, but now and then…… to make my husband happy……. He says his mom used to batter it in syrup before flouring it, I guess to make the four stick.
Hi Jan – never heard of putting the streak-o-lean in syrup! That’s a new one on me. Hope your husband enjoyed his dinner.
We have streak o lean biscuits almost every Saturday morning for breakfast. Have for years. I don’t wash it, just fry it in a pan (no oil) like bacon. Cut off the rind and put 2 or 3 slices in a fresh baked biscuit. Nothing better. I’ve seen my brother cook it just long enough to get some fat rendered, then remove it from the pan, dredge it in flour, let it sit a minute, then return it to the pan to finish cooking. Delicious. Nothing like living and eatin’ in middle Georgia. (Don’t tell my Doctor! : )
BTW – I never make cornbread without buttermilk.