Handbook of Meat Processing

(Greg DeLong) #1
Bacon 329

and fed a commercial concentrated diet. The
pigs have a fast growth rate and are slaugh-
tered at 90 – 110 kg when they are 5 to 6
months old. Such pigs are relatively lean, the
average backfat thickness of UK pigs being
about 11 mm (BPEX 2008 ). Bacon from
organically produced pigs — reared less inten-
sively and using organic feed — inevitably
commands a premium price.

Slaughter and Chilling
Plants that have their own slaughtering facil-
ity will normally source pigs from farms
located close to the factory, within a few
hours ’ drive. A lairage area within the abat-
toir is provided to allow a period for the
animals to rest prior to slaughter. A fi ne mist
is sometimes used to exert a calming effect,
except in very cold weather. Any animals
kept overnight must have access to feed and
water. Good stockmanship during unloading,
in the lairage, and in moving animals to the

Modern Bacon Production

Although some Wiltshire - style bacon is still
produced using a live brine, generally, this
has been superseded by curing techniques
that employ freshly prepared brines. Two
techniques predominate: immersion curing
and bag curing. Both methods are more rapid
than traditional Wiltshire curing, due mainly
to the use of smaller, boneless pieces. Back
bacon prepared from the loin is the most
common, accounting for 84% of the market,
with streaky and middle bacon accounting
for the rest (Fisher 2006 ). The production of
dry - cured bacon takes longer, but even this
can be achieved within about 10 days. An
overview of the main stages involved in
modern bacon manufacture is given in
Figure 18.3.


Pig Production and Slaughter


Most bacon is made from pigs, of various
genetics, reared in intensive indoor systems


Unloading pigs

Lairage

Stunning/shackling

Sticking/bleeding

Scald/dehairing

Singe/scrape/polish

Evisceration/washing

Splitting

Chilling

Butchery

Backs and bellies
(rindless, boneless)

Multi-needle injection

Immerse
(fresh/live brine)

Mature

(smoke)

Temper

High speed slice

Retail packing
(vacuum or MA)

Drain

Vacuum pack
(cure in bag)

Apply dry cure

Vacuum pack

Figure 18.3. Diagram illustrating the major operations in bacon processing. After unloading, the pigs are killed,
dressed, and processed in modern, large throughput abattoirs. Most bacon is produced from boneless, rindless
backs (loins) and bellies that are immersion or bag cured, tempered, high - speed sliced, and packaged in a
modifi ed atmosphere (MA) or vacuum packed.

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