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Jowl vs Belly

Two cuts people weigh against each other at the counter — here is what actually separates them.

Side by side

JowlBelly
Tenderness 70 64
Marbling 88 92
Umami 84 90
Price 62 70
Jowl
Drmies at English Wikipedia (Later version(s) were uploaded by Hohum at en.wikipedia.) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Jowl

Cheek · guanciale · pork collar

The cheek and throat, worked constantly by chewing, so lean muscle and fat end up laced through each other rather than stacked in layers. Cured it becomes guanciale, the fat that makes a carbonara; grilled fresh it is the cut Korean barbecue calls hangjeongsal, and a whole pig yields only a few hundred grams of it.

High heat, briefJust past pink

Look for a marbled cross-section rather than one solid fat seam — the laced pieces are the ones worth the price.

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Belly
Rainer Zenz · CC BY-SA 3.0

Belly

Samgyeopsal · pancetta · side pork

Alternating strata of fat and lean with no connective tissue to fight — the most straightforwardly delicious geometry on any animal. Cured and smoked it is bacon, sliced thick and grilled it is samgyeopsal, braised whole it is dongpo pork. Three cuisines, one slab.

Slow, then hotCrisp the outside

Count the layers: three or more clean bands of fat and lean is what the Korean name literally describes.

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Which one to buy

  • Better forJowl : Belly
  • GrillingAbout the same92 : 95
  • CuringAbout the same80 : 85
  • BraisingBelly55 : 88

Other comparisons

→Jowl vs Shoulder→Jowl vs Loin→Shoulder vs Picnic shoulder→Shoulder vs Leg→Picnic shoulder vs Hock & trotter→Picnic shoulder vs Leg→Loin vs Tenderloin→Loin vs Belly

All cuts

Beef Primals

→Chuck→Ribeye→Striploin→Sirloin→Round→Brisket→Short plate→Flank→Shank→Head & cheek→Oxtail

Pork Primals

→Jowl→Shoulder→Picnic shoulder→Loin→Tenderloin→Belly→Leg→Hock & trotter

Lamb Primals

→Neck→Shoulder→Rack→Loin→Leg→Shank→Breast

Chicken Portions

→Breast→Wing→Thigh→Drumstick→Tenderloin→Oyster

Beef Offal Map

→Tongue→Heart→Liver→Rumen→Omasum→Abomasum→Small intestine→Large intestine

Bluefin Tuna Cuts

→Kama→Akami→Otoro→Chutoro→Tail belly

← Back to the chart

Temperatures are guidance for whole-muscle cuts. Ground meat and poultry need 71°C / 160°F throughout.