Streaky bacon is the rasher with the long fat streak — made for wrapping, topping and crisp shards. It renders more than back, so you get flavour in the pan as well as on the plate. 5lb Smoked Streaky Bacon and 5lb Unsmoked Streaky Bacon are the bulk packs for the freezer. Shop streaky bacon and bacon.
Pan and oven
Cold pan, medium heat, no oil. Streaky curls as it heats — press with a fish slice for even contact and turn often for 5 to 8 minutes until crisp. Oven is cleaner for a crowd: 200°C on a rack over a tray for 12 to 16 minutes for shatter-crisp rashers. Keep the rendered fat for eggs, potatoes and cabbage. Soft streaky for wrapping comes off a minute or two earlier so it still stretches.
Air fryer and wrapping
Air fryer: 180°C for 7 to 10 minutes, single layer, check early — fat content varies by pack. Smoked and unsmoked share the same times; pick smoke for beans and burgers, unsmoked when you want a cleaner pork note under a glaze. Wrap chicken breasts, chipolatas or meatloaf with slightly under-crisp rashers so they finish in the oven without splitting.
What to serve
On a jacket potato, over a burger, around a chicken thigh, or crumbled into a salad. For a meatier rasher in a sandwich, switch to back bacon. Build a full fry-up from breakfast meats.
Times above are a guide for home ovens and fryers — always trust a probe over the clock, and rest meat before you carve so the juices stay in the slice, not on the board. British packs vary a little in thickness, so start checking a few minutes early the first time you cook a new size, then write your own note on the fridge.