Somewhere between bacon and lard, you’ll find Streak o’ Lean. It has a long and varied history in traditional southern foodways, having been used for everything from seasoning to rendering for fat. This recipe showcases it on its own, dredged in flour and fried. One of the tastiest recipes from my childhood!
I debated with myself for a long time about whether to post this recipe. A really long time. Not just because almost no one will know what it is. Those folks are going to be few and far between.
But mostly because old-time southern food has 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?)
— This post was originally published on November 30, 2012. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Southern, Vintage
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Total Time: 13 Minutes (plus a few hours inactive time)
Servings: 6
Primary Ingredient(s): Salt pork, milk, flour, oil
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
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“My grandma always called it “white side”. I remember her always serving it with white rice with tomato gravy(some sort of stewed tomato combo) and fried cornbread. She made these little silver dollar sized fried corn cakes that had just the right amount of grated onion in the batter. I miss her and her cooking. Thanks for sharing this recipe.”
— Matt
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“Thank you for this! My late pop would make this once a year- pretty much only recipe he really knew. He’d serve it with fried potatoes covered with salt… Some of my best memories…”
— JB
What the Heck is Streak o’ Lean?
To start with, you’ll hear it called various things depending on what part of the South you’re from. In my area, it’s mostly streak-o-lean (Streak of Lean). Some folks run that all together, and it comes out sounding like “stricklin.” It’s also called fatback, side meat, white meat, and just plain salt pork.
You can think of Streak o’ Lean as 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 lean streak among the fat. It’s salt pork that’s prepared by coating it in flour and then pan frying.
Now, before you send the food police around to my house and start proceedings to revoke my official food blogger’s license, just wait a minute. As crazy as the food world is today about bacon, if I had said I was flouring and 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 at least 10 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 a year (maybe decade) kinds of recipes. But be warned, once you’ve had it, you’ll never forget it. You’ll crave it. You will look for it at every buffet, and you’ll make any excuse to “just have a little bite.”
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- Part of our southern food traditions.
- Budget friendly (okay, it’s just flat out cheap).
- It’s just plain delicious!
Ingredient Notes
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- Salt Pork — Salt pork is very easy to find anywhere throughout the South. It should be available in most other areas because of its association with baked beans.
- Peanut Oil — I use peanut oil for any frying because it has a high smoking point. Canola or vegetable oil can be used as well.
- Black Pepper — No salt is needed because… *salt* pork.
- All-Purpose Flour — Makes a lovely crispy fried coating.
- Buttermilk or Regular Milk — You’ll soak the salt pork to draw out some of the salt before cooking.
Note that the amounts given in the recipe are merely estimates. It’s very hard to give exact measurements because it’s one of those old recipes where you use what you need at the moment.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Cook Streak o’ Lean
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 a pot of greens or a pot of baked beans.
Pro Tip
Salt pork is available in one whole piece or in slices. You can slice it yourself with a very sharp knife or purchase the pre-sliced to make preparation very simple.
- The first step is 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, but I prefer to draw out some of the salt first. Remove the salt pork from the milk, letting most of it drain away. Discard the milk.
- Place the salt pork on a board or pan and sprinkle it liberally with ground pepper.
Pro Tip
Any kind of milk or cream works fine for drawing out the salt. Some cooks, 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 as well.
- Then flour it well on both sides.
- Heat about a ¼ 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 – about 3 minutes on each side.
- Put the finished slices on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
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Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the milk soak. I know that many people go straight from the package to the skillet, but I prefer taking a couple of hours to draw out some of the salt before cooking. As an alternative to the milk soak, you can boil the pork for about 10 minutes, drain and dry it well and then proceed with the recipe. This option is good if time is short. As always, you do you.
- Slice evenly for consistent cooking. If you’re slicing yours from one piece, keep your slices an even thickness as possible so that the whole slice cooks at the same rate.
- Use a heavy skillet. Cast iron and stainless steel both hold heat well and create a nicely crisp exterior.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed. Too many pieces in the skillet will lower the oil temperature and lead to poor results.
Serving Suggestions
Streak o’ Lean is one of those foods that fits just about anywhere on the menu. Serve it with breakfast in place of bacon alongside hot grits, scrambled eggs, and biscuits. Or for lunch or supper with traditional southern vegetables (butter beans, creamed field corn, and sliced fresh tomatoes).
Questions About Streak-o-Lean
Streak o’ lean and pork belly are similar, but they come from different areas of the pig. Pork belly comes from, well, the belly, and streak o’ lean comes from the side (why it’s also called “side meat”) and is fattier. It’s also not bacon. Bacon is cured pork belly.
Most pork sold today already has the rind removed. If I was lucky enough to have a piece of pork with the rind, I’d leave it on just for nostalgic reasons. You might prefer to remove it, though. It’s totally up to you!
The slices should be nicely browned with a crispy exterior and no raw or rubbery texture remaining. It only takes a few minutes on each side.
More Old Southern Recipes You’ll Like
If you enjoyed this recipe for Streak-o-Lean, then you’ll also want to check out these:
Chicken Jallop
Southern Fried Quail
Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
Southern Country Fried Steak
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
Streak o’ Lean
Ingredients
- 12 ounces salt pork sliced
- 1 ½ cups milk or buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- peanut oil for frying (1/4-inch deep)
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.12 ounces salt pork, 1 ½ cups milk or buttermilk
- Pepper each slice of salt pork and then dredge lightly in flour.2 teaspoons ground black pepper, ½ cup all-purpose 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).peanut oil
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
Notes
- Salt pork is very easy to find throughout the south. It should be available in most other areas because of its association with baked beans.
- I use peanut oil for any frying because it has a high smoking point. Canola or vegetable oil can be used as well.
- Instead of soaking the salt pork in milk, some cooks will boil it for about ten minutes, drain it and then proceed with the recipe. If you’re short on time, that works well.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I just wanted to say wanted to say we love this recipe though we don’t make it often. I like to fry it up in the morning and snack on it all day. Most cured meat is very salty but the picture in the recipe shows Bear Creek brand which is my favorite but I find it not to be salty at all and I even need to sprinkle on a little salt with the pepper. I’m having this tonight along with cornbread and buttermilk. Thanks.
I enjoy Streak of Lean one orbtwice a year. My grandson and son in law really likes it too. Thanks fir posting it.
Southerners and not few and far between. We’ve all known streak O’ lean all our lives and and good Southern cook knows of many uses of it. I’m not sure we’re the flouring and deep frying comes from. I’m Georgian and I’ve never heard of it.
The idea that Southern food is inherently bad for you is actually something of a racist idea promoted chiefly by Northerners, who have never had real Southern food. While it may be true that modern, lazy Southern “cooks” consume an incredibly unhealthy diet, traditional Southern cuisine is balanced, primarily vegetable and fruit-based and quite healthy. It is also delicious when prepared by someone who carefully studied his/her grandmother’s skill.
Obesity in this country isn’t an epidemic caused by Southern food. Rather, it is the result of people cutting corners and using prepared and convenience foods instead of fresh, whole foods that are cooked using traditional methods. Somehow we came to believe that dinner should be a 15 minute effort, forgetting that healthy food takes some time and an investment of effort. Last night, I made this for dinner: fried chicken (one piece each), pink eye peas flavored with bacon (one strip for a quart of peas) and okra, roasted corn and cantaloupe. You can’t get more Southern than this. My meal provided about 600 kcal but was nutrient-rich.
I grew in North Carolina in the 40s and 50s, never saw anyone flour or pepper their streak of lean — all ways boiled it for a few minutes and then straight to the cast iron frying pan.
Yes, people have all different ways of cooking the same thing, don’t they?
Ilana – I think I’ve fixed that for you. Please let me know if it continues to be a problem, and thank you for letting me know so that I could help.
I think it’s funny many feel to need to apologize for this southern dish. My family ate streak o lean almost every day when I was young. I don’t eat it much anymore because you cant find any places that sell good quality steak o lean now (we called it sow belly). I live in north Georgia and if anyone can direct me to a location that sells good S.O.L. I will be grateful.
One other dish my dad cooked was salt fish (fish that used to be bought in small tubs packed in salt brine). He would pick out the small bones and soak the fish overnight to remove much of the salt. In the morning he would batter with flour and fry, very good. One other thing, I have eaten fried chitterlings too, they are good, however I know most will not try these.
Again if any one can direct to a place that sells good steak o lean I would appreciate it very much.
Thanks
Publix in our area has stopped stocking Streak-o-lean. I asked the manager to order some and it came in this morning. The meat market manager called me today and said it has come in. I went and bought the whole case they go in. Can’t wait for tomorrow morning for breakfast.
One of the best meals that I ever had was homemade biscuits, King Po-T-Rik Molasses and streak o’ lean! My dad and I really enjoyed that meal!
My mother, born and reared in Western North Carolina, would make what she called “Grandma Ollis Steak.” (Grandma Ollis was her mother). It was just sliced fatback with the rind, or skin, fried in a skillet. Pure fat. This would be our protein for supper or, occasionally, breakfast. I didn’t like the fat, but loved chewing on the rind.
We used to have streak-o-lean and bacon with the rind, too, but it’s just about impossible to find any with rind these days.
My grandmother was born in 1889 in Oklahoma. She called this dish “Arkansas fish” and my now 89 year old mother says it was really good .
Arkansas fish is a new one to me! Never heard that term before. So interesting.
Steak-O-Lean was my favorite!!! My grandmother “Ma” pronounced Maw, used to make it for me on my birthdays. She was from rural Mississippi. She always made, Fried Chicken and Streak O Lean, Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens with ham hocks and banana pudding.
I sure miss her and Mama cooking for 2 days for the holidays! Great times in the house.
Thanks for the recipe, you’ve brought me home!
Thanks for posting this, very informative. I just got some to season bean soup and will have plenty left over to try this. It will go so good with the “real grits” I just ordered and my hens fresh eggs. I like the buttermilk idea and reserving the leftover portion for corn bread which is a staple in hour home.
I grew up on it and I am not ashamed to say I still love it. We did not flour ours, just laid in the pan and fried it. My mother would make some homemade biscuits, open a quart of her canned tomatoes and we would feast. I miss those days.
Sounds like a fantastic supper to me, Onisha!
How nice that we’ve all kept this convwrsation going for over two years. Haha. When I posted my family’s method several years ago, I think I forgot to mention that after my parents divorced, my father eventually brought a new lady friend home to meet the family. Upon her arrival, my grandmother had made our time honored version of streak o lean that we only knew as “fried salt pork”. My fathers new friend instantly dubbed it “chicken fried bacon”. We thought that was the funniest thing we’d ever heard. So hard nowadays to find “salt cured only” pork belly. Most prepackaged salt pork has also been smoke cured. That totally changes the flavor. Not bad though. Sweet memories. Thank you all for sharing.
Thanks for your comments, Ben! It’s so interesting that I hear more from readers whenever I post an old southern recipe like this. People have such strong memories tied to food, don’t they? And I so enjoy keeping the old recipes alive for future generations to know about.
I ALWAYS HAVE SALT PORK ON HAND TO SEASON POTS OF BEANS, GREENS AND GREEN BEANS. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP WE HAD “FRESH SIDE PORK” . THIS IS UNCURED AND UNSALTED BACON. IT WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE IN THE GROCERY STORE BACK THEN. I HAVEN’T SEEN IT IN THE STORE FOR YEARS. WE ALSO RAISED OUR OWN HOGS SO WE MADE OUR OWN SAUSAGE MADE INTO PATTIES AND CANNED IN MASON JARS. WE RENDERED THE FAT AND USED THE “CRACKLINGS” IN OUR BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD MADE WITH WHITE CORNMEAL. WE SALTED THE FRESH SIDE PORK AND FRIED IT. NO FLOUR. IT HAD A TOUGH RIND ON ONE SIDE . THIS WAS ALWAYS A FAVORITE MEAT SERVED WITH EITHER PINTO OR NAVY BEANS, POLK SALIT, & CORNBREAD. WE HAD THIS MEAL AT LEAST 2-3 TIMES A MONTH. WHENEVER WE BUTCHERED A HOG MY AUNT AND UNCLE MADE SOMETHING CALLED “SOUS MEAT” I NEVER DID KNOW WHAT WAS IN IT BUT MAYBE IT WAS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE SCRAPLE DESCRIBED ABOVE. I REMEMBER IT WAS GOOD. I GREW UP IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BUT MY FAMILY WAS FROM ARKANSAS. I’M GLAD I WAS RAISED ON ALL THE WONDERFUL SOUTHERN DISHES. I STILL COOK MOSTLY SOUTHERN DISHES AND AM GLAD MY MOM, GRANDMOTHERS AND AUNTS ALL TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK. OH YEH LETS NOT FORGET DAD HE DIDN’T COOK OFTEN BUT HE WAS ALSO WELL VERSED IN SOUTHERN COOKING. MY FAVORITE DISHES HE MADE WERE POTATO SOUP, FRIED CHOCOLATE PIES AND TACOS. SORRY TO SAY HE NEVER GAVE AWAY HIS SECRETS FOR THESE YUMMY DISHES.