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Bacon Tech Journal 1/30/08 12:00 PM Page A-1

EXCLUSIVE

2008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES BACONBACON 101101

A supplement to The National Provisioner TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL Bacon Tech Journal 1/30/08 10:29 AM Page BTJ-1

THE AUTHORITY ON THE BUSINESS OF AND PROCESSING 2008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES

BACON TECHNOLOGY 101 Creating bacon from bellies is an old story that has evolved into a modern rendition, thanks to the evolution of science and equipment automation.

A NATIONAL PROVISIONER RESEARCH PROJECT BY BARBARA YOUNG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA WHITE, RESEARCH ASSISTANT PART ONE: OVERVIEW

acon has given birth to the development of with the invaluable tools that have evolved over the sophisticated technology featuring such years. As a source guide, the bacon technology B innovations as high-speed, high-volume journal is designed to assist bacon processors slicing equipment, curing and injection systems, maximize their production potential, especially with smokehouses, chilling and packaging improvements. tips concerning best practices from their industry Current capabilities concerning slicing equipment, counterparts. for example, include advanced computer and vision technology enabling the bacon industry to view and Bacon primer measure a cross section of a slab of bacon to produce consumption of pork including cured a more accurate and efficient slice. An additional meat, meaning primarily a salted product, reportedly benefit is the machine’s ability to produce greater began centuries ago in , France and Germany volumes of more accurate slices to a closer tolerance with bacon as the favorite, especially among the with consistent thicknesses. Such systems also ensure working classes of those early days. Bacon’s a reduction in front-end trim waste, less butt-end historical connection as a is waste and the elimination of poorly produced thick understandable since were cheap and easy to and thin slices. , given that their diets included virtually To be sure, technology is a key driver behind anything. efficiency and growth in the food-production realm. Broadly defined, bacon refers to a category of The National Provisioner is producing a series of cured and processed pork bellies that end up in strips technology journals covering various aspects of the or else formed into circular patterns. Bacon varieties processing side of the industry. These in-depth include middle bacon or rashers in the familiar shape reports delve into the science and technology that of a thin strip of belly pork with a lean round piece of support the business foundation of meat- and at one end. Streaky bacon is the same cut, minus poultry-processing programs. the round loin end. Pork pressed into a pseudo-bacon This Bacon Journal is the first in the series. It is a shape is known as picnic or café bacon. is a study of the science behind bacon production along specialty of the United Kingdom that is a joint of Continued on page BTJ-2

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BACON TECHNOLOGY 101

pork, not the belly, and is cured and NATURAL BACON necessary to destroy pathogenic prepared in the same manner as FORMULATION . regular bacon. Bacon grease, the Water 66.38% Bacon weight and yields are also rendered from cooked bacon, is a Sea 22.00 governed by federal regulations. Cane 10.40 useful byproduct as a , Weight of cured pork bellies labeled Celery power 1.20 particularly in the southern United as “uncooked” must not exceed the Starter culture 0.02 States. Cracklings, also popular in weight of uncured pork bellies. For Source: The American Association (AMSA the South, is produced from diced White Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007, p. 10) labeling purposes, cooked or and fried bits of bacon rind. Canned precooked bacon produced from bacon is precooked, needs no cured pork bellies must show a yield NATURAL BACON refrigeration and is popular with PROCESS factor of not more than 40 percent campers. Bacon bits are crisp pieces 1. Trim pork bellies. the weight of uncured pork bellies. of bacon that are preserved and 2. Prepare pickle prior to use. Translated this means a requirement dried, and must be refrigerated. 3. Dissolve the following in water: of 60-percent shrinkage from the sea salt, cane sugar, Vegetable-based imitation green weight or the initial and starter culture. “bacon-flavored” bits, may be stored 4. Pump pork bellies to 115% of weight. at room temperature. green weight. Ed , owner and operator of Roger Mandigo, professor of 5. Place the pumped pork bellies Woods’ Smoked Inc., Bowling on bacon hooks and smokehouse meat science at the University of Green, Mo., discusses the uses of process. Nebraska in Lincoln, identifies two 6. Chill and slice. lightweight and heavyweight bacon kinds of systems for producing Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSA in the following dialogue. bacon in the United States — dry White Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007, p. 10) During 55 years as a smoked cure or pickle cure. A mixture of cur- meats processor, Woods’ company ing ingredients is rubbed on all sur- BACON has won numerous national and faces of the green bellies to produce PROCESS international awards for its branded the dry-cure effect. Most commercial- 1. Grade and sort - some grade Sweet Betsy from Pike products ly processed bacon is pickle-cured, manually and sort automatically by including its line of smoked cured which involves injected bellies with a weight bacon. Before owning his business, 2. Dump and convey bellies to solution made up of salt and injector Woods headed the bacon water. 3. Some companies trim bellies department of the defunct Oklahoma “These two systems go back 4. Mix pickle City, Okla.-based Wilson hundreds of years,” Mandigo 5. Inject bellies Corp. In those days lightweight 6. Check pump percentage confirms. 7. Hang on bacon combs important bacon slabs were used for lean, USDA generally defines bacon as 8. premium-grade bacon, and cheaper the cured belly of a swine carcass. 9. Chill grades were produced from heavier Certain cuts and characteristics are 10. Slice slabs, he reports. Pork processors 11. Package more narrowly defined, however, Source: Robert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., Associate operated with three grades of bacon such as smoked bacon. Professor, Science Department, in 1970: 10-14 pound-slabs Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif. USDA-certified bacon means that it comprised the top grade, 14-20 has been treated for Trichinella pounds represented the middle spiralis, a zoonotic agent. Zoonosis is a grade and 20 pounds and above indicated the cheap passed from to . Trichinella spiralis grade. is an intestinal worm producing larvae that migrate “Hogs have changed over the years and are leaner to and encyst in muscles of a number of animals, than in the past, so standards have changed,” says particularly swine. Humans sicken from consuming Woods, noting that slabs can now be purchased infected pork that is undercooked. The culprit cysts derinded or with skins attached (see “Breeding then live in the muscles of the human hosts. quality pigs”). Tapeworms and roundworms generally are readily destroyed at cooking temperature and time Bacon history combinations less rigorous than the combinations The 17th century gave birth to the American pork

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industry thanks to Hernando Cortez’ TROUBLE-SHOOTING meaning . The modern French introduction of hogs to New GUIDE word for bacon means any cut of coupled with sows Sir Walter : Not usually a problem for pork, usually salted. The French took companies with established Raleigh brought to Jamestown their bacon seriously, to be sure. processes but over- or under-smok- Colony in 1607. As the 17th century ing related to color can be an Consider that Repas Baconique was closed, the typical owned issue. a French festival at which pork was four or five pigs, supplying Dirty smoke house: Smokehouse the exclusive menu item. must be cleaned regularly (depend- and bacon for his table with Notably, the English perfected the ing on the plant and the system surpluses sold as barreled pork. several times a week to weekly). technique of salt curing and smoking Frank Preston Johnson of Kewanee, This is important to avoid soot on belly pork. In 12th century England, Ill., in Henry County and a state the bacon. bacon was used as a synonym for the Hanging: Bacon must be hung prop- representative in his day, succeeded native term flitch, meaning side of erly to maximize the slice yield. in winning approval for his Chilling: Bacon can be under- cured meat. By the 14th century, hometown’s designation as “Hog chilled and therefore very hard to however, it applied to cured meat. Capital of the World” in 1948. His slice and can be over-chilled and To be sure, preserved pork, then shatter when sliced. argument included the fact that including sides salted to make bacon, Leakers: Bacon can be a challenge babies were weaned on bacon rind in to package due to leakers. was an important source of food in a neighboring county and the daily Metal from broken bacon combs: the diets of early British citizens. of athletes in his hometown Part of the bacon comb can break British pigs for both fresh and salted off and, if not found manually or included “Henry County bacon.” meat improved significantly in the with metal detection, can cause In 1924, introduced serious problems with slicing. 18th century. The first large-scale the first packaged sliced bacon, for Source: Robert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., Associate bacon curing business was set up in Professor, Animal Science Department, California which it received a U.S. government Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif. the 1770s by John Harris in Wiltshire, patent. That innovation brought which continues as the main bacon out of the meat case where it PRE-COOKED BACON bacon-producing area of Britain. was in the hands of , who USDA defines pre-cooked bacon as In northern England, thousands of having been cooked to a finished sliced and wrapped it for customers. families mostly ate bacon as their pri- yield of 40 percent or less. When a The self-serve bacon package 1-pound package of raw bacon is mary meat. Bacon or “pickled pork” featured shingled slices wrapped in cooked to 0.4 pounds or less, it gained favor in southern England. cellophane and placed in a may be labeled as fully cooked Some flitches of bacon were salted bacon. Most pre-cooked bacon is cardboard frame. and then plain-dried. Meanwhile the considered shelf stable (may be The Romans recognized ham stored safely at room temperature) best bacon was hung in the chimney (perna) and shoulder bacon (petaso) because it is vacuum-sealed, has a breast to smoke. Sliced bacon as two separate meats, and devised high-brine concentration, and the were a special English cut of bacon is low enough to different recipes for their preparation. that was fried with eggs. Most prevent the outgrowth of pathogenic Reportedly, both were to be first organisms. home-cured bacon was cooked into a boiled with dried figs, but ham would pease or bean pottage. then be baked in a flour paste, while GLOSSARY Along with the introduction of bacon was to be browned and served Bacon: back and sides of a hog the bacon-curing process, with a wine and pepper sauce. Bacon salted and dried or smoked; usually commercial bacon production fat or was a particular favorite sliced thinly and fried reportedly started as early as 1770 in : cut of meat from a hog among the Anglo-Saxons who used it England. John Harris of Clane in or pig for cooking and also as a dressing for Side of bacon, flitch: salted and Wiltshire, while watching pigs at rest vegetables. cured abdominal wall of a side of during a break on their travel from Based on an Oxford University pork to London, came up with the Gammon: hind portion of a side of Press account, the word bacon dates idea of curing them on the spot. bacon back to prehistoric times when the Bacon strip: a slice of bacon Huge, fat pigs were bred to be killed Germanic base of bakkon originated. Bacon rind: the rind of bacon at any time of year. The meat was The English version is derived from Canadian bacon: from a boned strip cured quickly, which meant that it of cured loin bakko, the Old French word also tainted quickly. As the quality Continued on page BTJ-4

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NATURAL BACON rubbing them well with warmed treacle, and adding SMOKEHOUSE SCHEDULE salt, saltpeter, ground , and pepper. They also Dry Bulb (ºF) Wet bulb (ºF) RH (%) Time (minutes) were to be rubbed and turned every day for a week. 110 (42ºC) 92 (35ºC) 70 75 145 (63ºC) — — 60 The meat was then suspended in a current of air and 145 (63ºC) — — 15 later coated with bran or pollard and smoked. 134 (57º) — — 90 The two large categories of bacon currently 140 (60ºC) 120 (49ºC) 55 Core temperature marketed in America, include minimally processed 128ºF (53ºC) bacon stocked in stores primarily in 1-pound Estimated 180 minutes packages, and microwave bacon with a more Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSA White Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007, p. 10) extensive ingredient legend. Noting that bacon now is a center-of-the-plate was poor, this bacon was sold immediately and item, Mandigo traces its transformation from an cheaply in country markets to the impoverished accompaniment to eggs to an entrée. class. In spite of this, William Ellis considered bacon a “There is a significant shift in the way bacon is “seviceable, palatable, profitable, and clean meat, for used,” he says. “It has changed from breakfast meat ready use in a country house.” entrée to a for almost anything — from Bacon could also be spiced. An 1864 recipe, in “The toppings to an ingredient in casseroles and for Art and Mystery of Curing, Preserving, and Potting . Bacon is very different and we make all kinds of Meats, and ” suggested taking different kinds of bacon for different applications, some pieces of pork “suitable for your tub,” such as Arby’s pepper-coated bacon.” NP

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PART TWO: BACON PRODUCTION BASICS

acon is derived from hog flesh — especially smoke hog bellies. Small processors rank among the animal’s sides, belly, or back. Meat from culinary artisans who prefer the dry-cure method that B other animal may also be cured or involves rubbing bacon slabs with a dry mixture of otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, such as chicken ingredients including salt and sugar. and . bacon is also marketed, Larger bacon manufacturers instead usually employ although to a lesser extent. the injection technique involving penetrating slabs Notably, most cured-meat products are not with a liquid brine mixture of salt, sugar and, perhaps necessarily also smoked and/or cooked, and more liquid smoke for . The ingredient recipe likely accurately should be included in a precise category of includes for moisture retention cured/and or smoked meats. Cured and during processing and cooking. Sodium ascorbate or products are primarily made from the primal cuts of is used to accelerate the curing pork consisting mainly of ham and bacon. process while also facilitating color retention. Curing Bacon refers to different cuts in different countries. salt, including sodium , inhibits bacteria, assists In the United States it usually means the side between in setting flavor and acts as a color-enhancing agent. the fifth and the hipbone. In , the word Preserving meat using salt or curing techniques is bacon generally refers to one half of a fattened pig. the oldest known processing application. However, its Bacon has one of the highest fat contents of any cut of historical origin is uncertain. History indicates that meat. Fat gives bacon its sweet flavor and tender was determined a naturally occurring 1 2 crispness, thus its proportion ideally should be ⁄2 to ⁄3 of contaminant in salt, prompting chemists to isolate that the total weight. Sliced bacon generally has been compound and intentionally add it in the form of trimmed of rind, sliced and packaged. It comes in thin saltpeter (). Chemists eventually slices (about 35 strips per pound), regular slices (16 to recognized that nitrite (NO2) and not nitrate (NO3) 20 per pound) or thick slices (12 to 16 per pound). Slab was responsible for the beneficial color and flavor bacon comes in a chunk to be sliced and is less costly properties that enhance pork. than pre-sliced bacon. Rinds usually remain intact on slabs, but are generally removed prior to slicing. Nitrite When nitrite (NO2) is combined with meat, it Chemistry of cured meat eventually is reduced to (NO). Such Although bacon continues to be home cured in reduction is often accelerated by the use of ascorbate or some rural communities, the bulk of its manufacture is erythorbate. Nitrite is responsible for cured meat flavor in large industrial meat-processing plants equipped to characteristics. Flavor difference in part may be due to slaughter, dress, cure, smoke, and sell on a large scale. the suppression of lipid oxidation by nitrite. Other It is essential to note that differences exist between , meanwhile, produce no cured meat the way large and small bacon operations cure and flavor. Continued on page BTJ-6

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USDA, which initially authorized the use of sodium OTHER BACON nitrite in cured meat in 1925, continues to allow the restricted use of nitrite and sodium ascorbate or CATEGORIES sodium erythorbate (isoascorbate) in bacon. Beef bacon Addressing pumped bacon, meaning bacon injected Generally classified as breakfast bacon, beef with curing ingredients and massaged or tumbled, the bacon is made from boneless beef short plates, regulation specifies the use of at 120 which are cured and processed much like pork parts per million (ppm) ingoing or an equivalent bellies. Current beef bacon processors include the amount of potassium nitrite used at 148 ppm ingoing. following: Sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate (isoascorbate) Local Harvest, a CSA (Community Supported “shall” be used at 550 ppm. The regulation notes that ) organization in Santa Cruz, Calif., offers sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate carries a smoked grass-fed beef bacon, marketed as molecular weight of approximately 198. Hydrated “smoked the old fashioned way in a real hickory forms of these substances should be adjusted to attain smokehouse.” Ingredients include grass fed beef the equivalent of 550 ppm of sodium ascorbate or , water, salt, and . sodium erythorbate. Monticello, Mo.-based U.S. Wellness Meats, Since under certain conditions nitrite in cured meat markets beef bacon processed without adding sodium product contribute to the formation of , a nitrite. known carcinogenic, the USDA in-plant inspection Porcino Foods Company, City of Industry, Calif., system calls for pulling samples of pumped bacon. produces beef bacon “from trimmed domestic steer Such samples are analyzed to determine the level of beef plates, cured and hickory smoked to produce a nitrosamines using a Thermal Energy Analyzer (TEA). regular bacon flavor profile with 45-percent less fat If TEA confirms a positive level of nitrosamines, than pork bacon.” additional samples are collected and subjected to analysis using gas chromatography. Presumptive Canadian bacon positive must be confirmed by mass spectrometry The boneless loin from large sows of a live weight before actually deemed positive. If any one of the of more than 360 pound is often cured and used as original samples collected by USDA for confirmation is Canadian bacon. It is manufactured from the large found to contain confirmable levels of nitrosamines, all muscle of pork , the strip or sirloin muscle. The pumped bacon in the producing establishment and all extremely lean characteristic is accomplished by future production will be retained. USDA will then trimming most of the external fat and introducing sample and analyze such retained pumped bacon for minimum amounts of intramuscular fat. Stitch- nitrosamines on a lot-by-lot basis. pumped boneless loins spend two- to five-days in According to the American Meat Science cover pickle to be washed in cold water after Association, even though nitrite is recognized as a removal. The product next is stuffed into cellulosic potentially toxic compound, its controlled use in casings or stockinettes. It is hung in a smokehouse processed meats does not represent a toxicity risk and processed to an internal temperature of between under normal circumstances. 150ºF and 155ºF. Smokehouse schedules for Canadian bacon are similar to requirements for ham Processing methods processing. Graduated or single-temperature Bacon processors continuously seek ways to help schedules in either case are acceptable. improve product yield, which is accomplished through automation. New and innovative technology is a key Jowl bacon driver in this regard. Today’s systems not only offer Considered a substitute of sorts for regular bacon, high efficiencies but also come in stand-alone machines jowl bacon is fashioned from fresh, trimmed hog or fully-integrated programs. jowls using the same curing, cooking and smoking “To make high-quality retail bacon you need a belly procedures for bacon made from bellies. Cuts range injector, a smoke house, bacon press, slicer and a from 5-inch to 8-inch squares. Jowl bacon generally packaging machine,” summarizes Robert Delmore Jr., carries more fat. Ph.D. Delmore is an associate professor in the animal science department at California Polytechnic State Continued on page BTJ-8

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University in San Luis Obispo. Although he offers this simple and direct answer to the question concerning what equipment is absolutely necessary to produce quality bacon, he knows that bacon equipment manufacturers must meet processors’ demands for innovation and automation. Consider vision technology that employs a high-speed camera to scan the face of the product before slicing. It not only measures the area to determine fat-to-lean ratio, but also makes adjustments to ensure the ideal thickness. A Smoking technology: vision slicer can be integrated into automated lines from the smokehouse to the plant handling fixed-weight retail and bulk packaging. smoke has been used to preserve food while also providing flavor, aroma, and color, no doubt since Natural and organic cured bacon: the discovery of fire. For centuries, moreover, wood scientific and regulatory smoke has been used as an agent to treat products in components traditional smokehouses. In the late 1800s, E. H. Bacon qualifying as natural and organic must Wright, a Kansas City pharmacist, developed and conform to USDA regulations prohibiting the addition patented a crude method for distilling vaporous of nitrite or nitrate as ingredients. smoke. He sold the “liquid smoke” to through “Natural and organic must carry the claim assuring his apothecary and small brokers as a product for the no added , but in looks this bacon has the same home curing of and bacon, as well as a flavor color as [regular] cured bacon,” offers Roger Mandigo, ingredient for other food products. Smoked meat professor animal science, University of Nebraska. “In flavor comes from phenolic compounds in the vapor most cases, other ingredients are added to help it cure, phase. The bactericidal benefit in smoking meat is due such as vegetable powder, turbonado sugar and sea to the combined effects of heating, drying and the salt with small amounts of nitrite. The result is the chemical components in smoke. Such smoke cured color and eating texture [expected] of bacon.” components as , and creosote Although “natural” and “organic” are separate and prevent microbial growth when present on the surface distinct categories, neither is allowed to be of the meat. manufactured with added sodium (or potassium) Smokehouse types include those with natural air nitrite or nitrate. Moreover, the definitions of natural circulation, air-conditioned or forced air and and organic require that “Uncured” be included for continuous. Cooking often is a simultaneous process products labeled with a standardized cured product when smoking meat. For best results, cooking requires name, such as bacon. Not all products labeled careful control of the smoking and heating process to “Uncured” are natural or organic, however. achieve high yields. “Extensive new regulations are being worked Liquid smoke is preferred by some processors due through USDA now, so the whole discussion of natural to some benefits not offered by wood smoke. The and organic is best left alone until these new common preparation of liquid smoke involves using regulations are in place,” Mandigo advises. heat to break down complex chemical substances into Continued on page BTJ-10

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simpler substances. The process begins as sawdust, is of scores and “snowballs” (exposed areas of fat) that further dried and then burned in specifically designed measure 3.0 square inches. rotary or multiple-hearth furnaces to control , moisture, time and temperature. Grading and preparation In the absence of standardized regulatory quality Bacon processing primer grades for bacon, grading generally is done in-plant on Bacon slabs are cured using a salting or the basis of green-belly weights. Heavier cured bellies mixture, and then dried with or without wood smoke. result in fatter, less tender and darker colored bacon. Traditionally, the process consisted of soaking the pork Bellies must be correctly graded by weight,” advises in brine or rubbing it in a salt mixture by hand, then Robert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., an associate professor in smoking the sides in smoke from an open chimney — the Animal Science Department of California sometimes for three or four months. The smokehouse Polytechnic State University. “We pump bellies at a timetable is based on belly size, smokehouse air fixed percentage and if the bellies are not sorted velocity, facility temperature and internal temperature. properly the pump percentage will be wrong.” Ideal temperatures for smokehouses range between The belly comprises 9 percent of live weight and 115ºF and 125ºF. Smokehouse dampers are open during approximately 13 percent of the carcass weight. The the drying process, which could last up to two hours. initial preparation phase for bellies involves removing Dampers are closed in the second phase, of about two spareribs, a function of separation from the loin. The hours, and the temperature increased by 5ºF-10ºF. flank end is squared by cutting through the center of The belly is prepared from the side after removal of the length of the flank pocket. The flank side can be cut the leg, shoulder, loin, fat back, and spareribs. All 1 inch longer than the loin side, due to differential bones and should be excluded, as well as shrinkage that impacts the smoking process in the practically all leaf fat. The fat back should also be rectus abdominus muscle — a long, flat muscle in the excluded by a straight cut not more than 1.5 inches (3.8 flank side of the belly. The loin side is trimmed. The cm) from the outermost dorsal curvature of scribe line. teat line removal ensures that no rudimentary The anterior (shoulder) and posterior (leg) ends of the mammary glands remain in the bacon slab. Less belly must be reasonably straight and parallel. No side expensive bacon, which is not trimmed as closely, of the belly should be more than 2.0 inches (5.0 cm) contain “mammary seeds,” resulting in seedy bacon. longer than its opposing side. The width of the flank muscle (rectus abdominis) ideally should be at least 25 Breeding quality pigs percent of the width of the belly on the leg end. The fat Today’s pigs are bred and fed for leaner meat than on the ventral side of the belly and adjacent to the flank in past years. Consider that pigs averaged 2.86 inches should be trimmed to within 0.75 inches (19 mm) from of backfat compared with less than 0.75 inches the lean. The area ventral to the scribe line must be free currently. More than 70 percent of the pigs produced in

Bibliography An A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press: Oxford] 2002 (p. 14-5)

Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press: Oxford] 1999 (p. 47)

Columbia University Press, Columbia encyclopedia

Food and Drink in Britain: From the Stone Age to the 19th Century, C. Anne Wilson [Academy Chicago: Chicago] 1991 (p. 74, 77 & 88)

Food Dictionary Copyright Barron’s Educational Services Inc. 1995 based on The Food Lover’s Companion, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

The Meat We Eat, 12th Edition, John R. Romans, Kevin W. Jones, William J. Costello, C. Wendell Carlson and the late P. Thomas Ziegler, South Dakota State University (p. 430)

Meat Buyers Guide, 2007, 184 IMPS #408 Pork Belly, The North American Meat Processors Association, (p. 148)

Natural and Organic Cured Meat Products, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Marketing, Quality and Safety Issues, by Joseph Sebranek, Iowa State University and James Bacus, Technical Ingredient Solutions LLC (American Meat Science Association White Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007)

Pickled, Potted and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World, Sue Shephard [Simon and Schuster:New York] 2000 (p. 68-9)

Processed Meats, Second Edition, A.M. Pearson, Department of and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, and F.W. Tauber, Marketing Department, Films Packaging Division, Union Carbide Corp., Chicago (pp 69-86; 270-284)

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1 1 the United States now are sold on a Finally, bacon slabs are sliced on approximately ⁄32 inches, regular ⁄16 1 “carcass merit” pricing systems, high-speed machines to be automati- and thick about ⁄8 inch. Shingled whereby a portion of the is cally shingled into select weight bacon is either vacuum packed or determined by certain characteristics units. Thin-sliced bacon, also known not, but vacuum packaging of the animal. Current systems pay as hotel or restaurant sliced, is assures a longer shelf life. NP premiums for pigs with low amounts of fat and high amounts of muscle. Producers and processors are currently engaged in research seeking advanced measurements systems that will allow premium payments for carcasses with better-flavored, juicier and more-tender meat. One such research project by The National Pork Board (NPB) in conjunction with Iowa State University resulted in the availability of genetic markers significantly associated with growth, leanness and meat quality. In line with this breakthrough, the Iowa State University Research Foundation signed a licensing agreement with GeneSeek Inc. of Lincoln, Neb., which permits the use of DNA markers in four . The markers were tested and commercially validated by a large pig breeding company. Based on reports, the first marker controls growth and leanness, allowing producers and breeders to choose from a “fast” growth form of the gene or a “lean/efficient” growth form of the gene. Basically, the technology allows breeders and producers to develop the best multi-gene combination for their lines.

Final processing phase Once bacon is cooked and smoked, it is chilled and the rind is removed if necessary. Slabs are held in tempering coolers to reduce the internal temperature of the bacon to 26ºF-28ºF prior to slicing. Benefits of this step allow bacon to retain its shape in a bacon press and to facilitate slicing. Chilled bacon slabs are pressed or blocked by placing them in a large forming machine that compresses the bacon to a relatively uniform width and thickness — an essential step to achieve worthwhile slicing yields.

NP0208PACK.indd 1 FEBRUARY 2008 | BACON TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL BTJ-111/16/08 2:41:52 PM BACON TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL Bacon TechJournal1/30/0810:30AMPageBTJ-12 BACON TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL BTJ-12 BACON TECHNOLOGY101 to itsbaconportfolioin1978. is aconsumerfavorite.Hormel addedbaconpieces Today itsbaconfeaturingnaturalhardwood smoke Foods begancuringbaconintheearly1900s. bacon in1924. Another categoryleader, Hormel beginning withitsintroduction ofpackaged,sliced contributed torevolutionizing thebaconindustry formulations. CategoryleaderOscarMayerhas bacon production useavarietyofingredient types. Smithfieldcompaniesthatspecializein microwave bacon,amongalarge quantityofother naturally hickorysmokeduncured baconand percent. Itsbrandedlines ofporkproducts include Foods claimingthehighestshare ofmarketat17 T As baconconsumptioncontinues toincrease, BACON PRODUCTION: BACON TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL with Smithfield,Va.-based Smithfield process 35percent ofbelliesinthenation, he topthree baconplants intheU.S. BEST PRACTICES | FEBRUARY 2008 PART THREE: Kunzler &Co.and Applegate , Coleman NaturalFoods, their “bestpractices.”Theyinclude participated inthefollowingdiscussionconcerning progressive baconprocessing manufactures to bringdistinctionproducts inthiscategory. equipment supplierpartnerscontinuetopress forward To remain competitive,baconmanufacturers andtheir variations existintermsofresearch anddevelopment. may beidenticalinlarge measure, butend-product precooked bacon.Moreover, processing equipment for retail andfoodservice products orcookedand techniques are somewhat standard, however, whether approaches instyleandsubstance. Production on thismarketplaceopportunitywithinnovative processors inthiscategory alsocontinuetocapitalize To bringaninsideviewtothematter, seven Pederson’s NaturalFarms, Leidy’s Inc. Hatfield QualityMeats, Oscar Mayer, Bacon Tech Journal 1/30/08 10:30 AM Page BTJ-13

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Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods Inc., : We are always diligent about meet- Madison, Wis. ing the time and temperature requirements in our BY BETH GOEDDEL, SENIOR BRAND MANAGER process as part of our Products: Oscar Mayer is the bacon category food-safety program to deliver a safe product to our leader, producing traditional, ready-to-serve, natural, consumer. Canadian, turkey and premium-flavored bacons. Processing: To make bacon, you need the Coleman Natural Foods LLC, following: a method for curing, a device, such as a Golden, Colo. smokehouse, for converting the cured belly into a BY DEE MCLAUGHLIN, VICE PRESIDENT, PORK OPERATIONS, AND DENNIS STIFFLER, smoked bacon product; a device, such as a chill cell, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, for making the belly firm FOOD SAFETY QUALITY MANAGEMENT and cold for slicing Products: All natural hickory bacon (perfect operations; and appro- thickness and blend of hickory flavor and spices, with priate equipment to half the sodium of leading brands) slice and package. Overview: We produce branded premium bacon so At the plant, we it’s important that flavor profiles perform; that we receive pork bellies deliver on a clean label; that uniformity is there, along that are with a quality-management process and auditing of skinless and finished product. With our co-packer, we want to take trimmed to our advantage of innovative technology and their exacting purchase processes for efficiency, to control costs and ensure specifications. delivery of a high-quality product. It is all about tying Once inside our to a “Never Ever” philosophy concerning no facility, we cure, smoke, , no added growth promotants and and chill the bellies to meet our stringent all-vegetarian fed. quality and food-safety specifications. After chilling It also means not using artificial and bellies to a very cold temperature, we slice and chemical curing aids with our bacon. package them to meet our customers’ expectations. Packaging: From the retail perspective, a 16-ounce Raw material: We have exacting purchase and package is best to give consumers the ability to see the production specifications that we rigorously product. It also gives us a method to communicate our uphold. Our raw material is held under very cold story from a brand perspective. Foodservice requires conditions to maintain quality. Specifics are different packaging because it is a ready-to-cook and proprietary. Suppliers must meet very rigid not a ready-to-eat-product. requirements before we will accept and use them. Raw material: We’re not about the process but For example, the bellies must be skinless and starting with right type of raw materials. We spend a trimmed to specific dimensions, as well as meet a Continued on page BTJ-14 number of specific quality specifications related to fat and lean prior to use. Curing: Our curing processes are proprietary. Delivering a particular end product through processing is accomplished dur- ing our cure process, specifically with our formulations. For example, we use a flavoring for producing maple bacon and we use a mixture of for our low-sodium product. Packaging: The ideal package is easy to open and close and keeps the last slice of bacon as fresh as the first. Our new Oscar Mayer Stay Fresh Reclosable bacon package is an example.

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lot of time on the live side so we have the best genetics applications, smaller bellies for retail bacon. Inside the best in terms of matching our production system with plant, bellies are segregated. Product is pumped and genetics for high-quality uniform products. every brand has its own secret recipe, whether brown Coleman has an exclusive arrangement to market a sugar or maple flavoring. USDA regulates how much breed of animals called Hampshire, known for products can be pumped. meat-quality characteristics. The old adage is true that Processing: Bellies are hung on a rack, and moved not all bacon is created equal. Due to genetics, the from the pumping area to a smokehouse. Bacon is not bacon you get on at Wendy’s is not same fully cooked, and only has to be cooked to an internal bacon or from the same process involved in a package temperature of 135°F, that’s where you get most of Coleman’s natural bacon. Belly sizes within the differentiation. Some processors use liquid smoke by industry are also different. As far as the process to spraying the product to give it an atomized smoked differentiate ourselves, we go within the breed to pick flavor. Liquid smoke application is typically highest quality animals. We designate subprimals for two-to-three hours less than the typical smoke cycle. our further-processing program along with our “Never Starting with smoke enables the flavor to set in bellies Ever” cured protocol for finished product whether before raising the temperature. Finish with heat. Long bacon, ham or hot dogs. smoke cycle produce darker mahogany color while Raw material specifications: In a typical plant lighter smoke delivers a lighter cherry color. Once the no matter what size, bellies arrive sorted by size in heat process ends, bacon bellies are chilled to 26°F-28°F, 2-pound weight increments. Each increment may have depending on finished product. Bellies are pressed a different application when it gets to consumer. Larger because muscles contort when chilled, and pressing bellies by weight are used for foodservice or precooked produces a nice rectangular shape that improves slicing

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yield. Bacon is either in bulk or net-weight sizes. Sliced and foodservice applications) and the traditional bacon goes into packages of 12 ounces and 24 ounces 1-pound package in regular, thick sliced, reduced or a 34-pound box. Making consistent bacon depends sodium and Applewood for retail. An 8-ounce unit and upon how well individual slices are sorted after slicing a 3-pound package target club stores. Seasoning bacon before packaging. Continued on page BTJ-16 Food safety: From a shelf life and USDA regulatory standpoint the issues come down to whether your product is free of contamination. Is it in good microbiological condition not too old or with slime? What is the specification, and will your raw material allow you to generate that specification? That’s the key. Center cut and ends of belly go into different products. So once you cook and press and slice, within each belly there is some sizing and sorting going on.

Hatfield Quality Meats Inc., Hatfield, Pa. BY DENNIS BOWER Products: Line includes a wide variety of traditional smoked bacon styles (retail

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using ends and pieces come in a 1-pound unit. Hatfield’s focus is on branded sales, although private label represents a small part of the total business. Several traditional bacon styles target foodservice. Laid flat is the most popular and convenient style. Other offerings include hotel style (shin- gles) and sliced slab style. Multiple-slice- count options come in various styles. Packaging: Hatfield uses the traditional L-board packaging format for retail. A convenient E-Z open feature with a corner tab opening adds value. Hatfield’s foodservice bacon packaging is all about fresh, thus it features controlled atmosphere packaging. ExtenServ packaging uses to deliver a 120-day fresh shelf life. water, salt and sugar is injected in the Beyond the traditional retail and foodservice bellies. They rest for a period, then are hung and slow- formats, Hatfield offers various bacon styles for ly smoked for at least eight hours. After smoking, the business-to-business usage, including diced, strips and slabs again rest and equalize for a period before press- ground bacon. Consistent quality continues to be the ing and slicing. expectation that many customers expect from Hatfield Raw material: All incoming raw material bacon. A unique “family recipe” flavor profile lasting undergoes a quality-control check to make sure the for generations continues to be the preferred taste product is in spec. We use two types of specs for our among discriminating consumers. bellies. A multi-point spec is for our regular bellies Processing: First steps involve cure making and designated for traditional American-style bacons. A the injection process. It is important to have the correct much tighter set of specs give us an extremely lean balance of ingredients, level, and temperature for a belly for our dry-cured . In general, bacon is high-quality finished product. considered a raw product, hence the safe-handling Certain undesirable conditions could occur in instructions on every package of bacon. Regardless, we bacon processing. Time and temperature are important employ the same strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis and factors in bacon processing. It begins with raw Critical Control Point) and sanitation standards with material age and temperature. There are also our bacons as we would with a ready-to-eat product. time-and-temperature relationships, which include the Undesirable conditions to avoid: cure, smokehouse, chilling, and tempering.” • Low-quality Raw material: The quality of raw Every piece of equipment is necessary to produce material is inextricably tied to the way an animal was high-quality bacon. It would be quite difficult to raised. Animals reared humanely, with plenty of space produce high-quality bacon without all the equipment and the ability to exercise their natural behaviors and operating properly at each step throughout the system. instincts produce better quality meat than animals That includes cure-making equipment, cure injectors, raised in stressful environments. smokehouse, chilling coolers and slicing equipment. • Incorrectly hung bellies: Hanging bacon from the wrong end and/or not uniformly attaching it to the Applegate Farms, Bridgewater, NJ bacon comb during processing can lead to CHRISTOPHER ELY, CO-FOUNDER inconsistencies during processing that ultimately affect Products: Traditional dry-cured pork bacon, flavor. Canadian-style bacon, Pancetta (Italian style) and • Smoking: Batch smokers produce a turkey bacon (traditional-style bacon made with whole better-smoked flavor than the more commonly used muscle thigh meat). conveyer belt smokers. The proper smoker is the most Processing: We start with pre-selected and closely important piece of equipment in the production of trimmed bellies that will be either free or bacon. However, the method and amount of time used organic. A minimal amount of a solution comprised of during the smoking process is equally important. Our Continued on page BTJ-18

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bacon is gently smoked for several hours in a batch Curing: We use different ingredients, no nitrites or smoker to provide a more complex flavor profile. , sea salts are common with natural bacon. • Curing: Our bacon-curing ingredients include Slicing depends upon customer specifications. We only salt, sugar, celery and starter cultures. This supply several private-label customers according to process is more complex than conventional-curing customized specifications. We have our own spec for methods and therefore requires more management and our branded line. We often run 12-ounce packages, and a high-skill level to ensure that a product is correctly a lot of regular bacon in 1-pound packages, cured. Another difference between natural and or greater. conventional curing processes is the time it takes to produce a product like bacon. Bellies arrive in the Kunzler & Co. Inc., Lancaster, Pa. morning and ship out as bacon in the evening at some BY RON FINK, VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS commercial bacon operations. In contrast, our bacon Products include traditional hardwood smoked takes more than a week to produce to achieve a fully bacons (retail and foodservice); vacuum packages in developed product flavor. Thus, it is not surprising to both L-Board (12-ounce, 1-pound, 1.25-pound, us when customers describe our bacon as having an 1.5-pound and 2.5-pound) and tux carton; and “old-fashioned” flavor, since they are describing a sliced-slab-style packages (retail); vacuum and flavor that is the result of a more slowed-down process. non-vacuum sliced slab product in 5- and 10-pound Packaging: There is no question that the typical- packages (foodservice package); a value-added Quick style bacon board and vacuum packaging are the most and Easy™ line of individually sliced product laid-out widely used. They are the highest consumer accepted on bacon paper (foodservice). packaging for bacon. When done right, the We offer our unique traditionally hardwood presentation on the shelf can be very good. However, I smoked bacon in all of these categories. We also would argue that for specialized bacons such as produce low-sodium honey, maple, and five pepper high-end, dry-cured smoked bacons and Italian-style product lines. Pancetta, a MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) Processing: Bacon processing begins with a pack not only gives a better presentation, but also synchronous schedule developed with a provides the consumer with a better-tasting product seven-to-10-day operations scope. than a vacuum pack. Traditionally bacon processing includes a belly injector (pump), combs and carts, smokehouses, Pederson’s Natural Farms, chilling coolers, a belly press, and slicing/packaging Hamilton, Texas lines. BY CHAD ONDRUSEK, PLANT MANAGER We feel our bacon processing plant is ideal for each Products: Primarily natural bacon approved for of these categories, as we have invested in and sale at Whole Foods and Wild Oats (uncured pork and positioned capacity appropriately. We have attentively turkey bacon) retail food stores. Some Canadian bacon, invested in each category over the past several years but 98 percent involves traditional bacon. creating a unique line of retail and foodservice Processing: Our process is a little different, as packaging configurations. We’ve always put significant most places inject the belly and we vacuum tumble importance of the entire planning process as the critical ours. We restrict the ingredients we use. We get better path to desired results. Establishing an inventory plan pickup and distribution of solution through the and delivering predicted service levels, prescribes the tumbling process. After that, the process is the same. entire supply-chain plan by igniting the delivery of Temperature control is the biggest factor after the bellies for the throughput process. cooking process, which means making sure the This mentality somewhat rigidly allocates all temperature is correct. The proper temperature also is classes of resources to specifically planned critical concerning preparing product for consistent production runs resulting in meeting the slicing and consistent yields. end-in-mind inventory position. All of this aside, the Packaging: The 12-ounce retail packaging on an first step to execute perfectly, upon belly delivery, is outboard (laminated cardboard) is ideal. When bacon establishing a synchronous flow diagram (or plan) comes out of the slicer, it goes on an outboard and we guaranteeing the time/temperature sensitivity of fit that inside a plastic film and package it around that. bacon processing will be met through each A machine does the work. processing step.

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We procure bellies skinned and trimmed to meet desired results. our finished products specification; the delivery of Finally, the prepared bellies go to specific slicing the bellies triggers the throughput process based and packaging lines to build the planned inventory. upon planned finished goods inventory positions. Ultimately, the throughput process serves as our Bellies also are injected with pickle, combed and function of maximizing product yield, while providing hung for the cooking phase. We cook/smoke our maximum economic of the purchased bellies. We bellies with real hardwood smoke in 10,000-pound do change our pressing specifications based upon batch houses. Smoked bellies chill in batch tempering finished good specs, but our value stream remains cells, systemically reducing the belly temperatures consistent. from our targeted cooking temperature to our desired Packaging: Maintaining specific time and chilled temperature over a time/temperature, temperature relationships throughout the production stepped-down cycle lasting upwards of 36 hours. cycle is critical in building safety into our products Although we can bring the temperature down to our and processes. Further diligent maintenance of ideal temperature faster, we need the additional time flexible packaging lines ensure product integrity and to allow the bellies to equilibrate™ providing our consumer protection. We are extremely successful in maximum slicing and yield performance. The bellies managing made-to-order, made-to-stock, and are pressed according to specifications designed to contract packaging relationships encompassing a meet finished product standards. They remain in a wide array of slice specifications. cooler and maintained at a specific temperature. Temperature deviations from specification are a Leidy’s Inc., Souderton, Pa. major concern in our process. We strive to maintain BY TERRY LEIDY, VICE PRESIDENT OF PURCHASING and measure temperature consistency ensuring Products: We produce retail and foodservice Continued on page BTJ-20

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bacon. We only produce traditional bacon. When make, but it is not as simple as one might think. For you get into smaller operations like us, our niche is one thing, leanness of belly or fat ratio makes a more toward making better bacon. Besides the eyes, difference. Some bacon looks leaner than others, that taste buds and aroma have a lot to do with it. We do has to do with the natural composition of bacon, using things differently because we seek a different niche up-to-date equipment, the injecting or curing process. of business. It is important that each belly is uniformly cured, that Products of distinction: We have to cook bacon are uniform and the proper process for cooking to a finished product. There is precooked bacon on the or smoking product in an is precise. Some don’t market, but we don’t do that. We make natural-cured use smoke or else use very little, others use it in the bacon, which is antibiotic free. No added , sea curing process depending on flavor and type of bacon salt is used instead to cure bacon. Other than that, the produced. The first step involves making sure raw process is almost the same. Concerning the slicing, material is received at the proper temperature in line consumers want a number of slices per pound. with a HACCP program. Weight classification of bellies Raw materials are not all the same. Its origin is need to be confirmed as well as the trim and important, as pork bellies are different, although a techniques in belly processing. A small amount of natural part of the hog. The way the hog is reared, dry-cured bacon is produced in the country — it is very fed and its genetic ancestry affect the pork belly rare and you don’t see much of it because naturally quality. Once slaughtered, the animal goes to a absorbs salt and flavors but is hard to control and processing facility where primal cuts are separated. therefore narrowly used. About 90 percent of bacon produced has the rind or After [traditional] bacon is injected or cured, skin removed. After that, the belly is trimmed to there is a dwell time. We like to see it have time to specification in preparation of the curing process. absorb flavors, almost like aging beef, for about 24 Bellies are hung up or combed (one end of belly is hours. Then it goes into the heat-processing stage. hung from trees that go into smoking process) Some manufacturers inject it, hang it and smoke it before heading to the smoking cycle. The chilling or within hours. We feel dwell time helps enhance cooling process is next, followed by the forming or flavors, like in wine. pressing done by equipment that squares the belly. Packaging: For household use, ideally it is a The bellies end up on the slicing line, and finally vacuum pack with a long shelf life. is For foodser- the packaging section. vice, atmosphere packed bacon or bulk pack is best, Processing: Bacon looks and sounds simple to differences are in the size of the package. NP

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