Handbook of Meat Processing

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has been superseded by curing techniques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.