Why did salt pork become cheaper than salt beef?

How did salt pork become cheaper than salt beef despite initially costing more?

Navies could obtain salt pork on a larger scale, ordering in bulk without paying to set up additional supply facilities.

Salt pork initially cost more than salt beef. The explanation for its later price advantage is that pork was available on a larger scale, allowing navies to order in bulk without paying to establish as many additional facilities. A preference for pork could keep its individual price higher while large orders still worked out cheaper. Naval provisioning therefore depended on the scale and organization of supply as well as the price of a single purchase.