A very old deep south recipe for Streak o' Lean (deep fat fried salt pork). Presented for historical purposes - nobody really eats this way every day.
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?>
What the Heck is Streak o' Lean?
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. And it's 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 will look for it at every buffet, and you'll make an excuse to "just have a little bite."
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 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, but 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 as well.
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 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.
Put the finished slices on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
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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
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 health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
charles says
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
Jeff DeRamus says
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.
Mary Gray says
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!
Catherine says
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.
Lana Stuart says
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.
Elaine Gibson says
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 .
Lana Stuart says
Arkansas fish is a new one to me! Never heard that term before. So interesting.
Dave says
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!
Debbie says
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.
Onisha Ellis says
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.
Lana Stuart says
Sounds like a fantastic supper to me, Onisha!
Ben coleman says
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.
Lana Stuart says
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.
TAMARA says
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.