Jowl bacon (properly called pork jowl or alternately, especially in the Southern United States, hog jowl) is cured and smoked pork cheeks. It is not, technically, a form of bacon, but is associated with the cut due to the streaky nature of the meat and the similarity in flavor. Hog jowl is a staple of soul food, but is also used outside the United States, for example in the Italian dish guanciale.