Meat&Poultry - October 2013 - 54

bacon ingredients

says. “Our savory taste modulation

Layering flavors

sired, they should be applied topical-

systems can assist with reducing the

All three of these flavor components

ly, with or without an injected cure.”

sodium content of bacon.”

– salt, sweet and smoke – present an

Bacon Freak skips the brine step

opportunity to introduce layers of ex-

altogether. Unlike most industrial cur-

tra flavors.

ing operations that involve injecting

As mentioned, adding umami also
helps with sodium reduction. “We recently introduced a low-sodium kelp

“Bacon fat is a great carrier of lay-

brine into the meat for a rapid cure

extract-based ingredient that delivers

ers of flavors,” says Rocco Loosbrock,

and increased yield, Bacon Freak’s

umami to a range of applications,”

CEO, Bacon Freak, Moorpark, Calif.,

meat is dry cured, according to Loos-

says Joseph Formanek, director-new

a home-order bacon delivery busi-

brock. “This means most of the water

product development, Ajinomoto

ness that even offers a “bacon of the

is extracted,” he says. “One lb. of our

North America Inc., Itasca, Ill. “It is

month” club.

bacon yields about 14 oz. of cooked
product, as compared to the standard
6 oz. that many mainstream bacon
brands produce.
“We also build real hickory fires to
smoke our meat,” he adds. “We light
the fires, get the coals hot and roll the
coals under the bacon to smoke it.”
Then the fun begins. “Each piece
of bacon is hand rubbed with flavorful ingredients to ensure that you get a
burst of flavor with every bite,” Loosbrock says. Innovative offerings include Apple Cinnamon, Cajun, Honey
BBQ, Jalapeño, Sun-Dried Tomato
and Vanilla Bourbon.
One of the company’s recent inno-

Innovative flavors such as Jamaican jerk can be added to bacon.

vations is Apple Bottom Gene’s Plump

(Photo courtesy of BaconFreak.com)

Rump Herb Bacon, which is hickorysmoked bacon smothered in savory,

a liquid product that can be used in

“Historically flavors were added

tasty herbs, including pieces of dried

brine. The umami delivery from this

to brine and injected into the meat,”

garlic, rosemary, tarragon and thyme.

product can help overcome the lack

Anderson says. “For the cure to be

“Wet rubs are a bit more challeng-

of flavor that is common in reduced-

most effective, the brine should have

ing because they need to be designed

sodium products where salt is typi-

a relatively neutral pH. If flavor and

to be visually appealing,” Loosbrock

cally a primary taste.

functional ingredients are too acidic

says. “Our maple wet rub is a thick

“We also developed a dry-powder

or too alkaline, it will impact the cure

syrup that is finger-licking good. For

ingredient that is designed to enhance

and finished product quality and po-

the vanilla bourbon, we thicken the

the meaty, savory flavor of processed

tential food safety.”

wet rub with brown sugar so it pro-

meats,” Formanek says. “This product utilizes technologies developed

there is a trend toward applying fla-

Bacon Freak offers two other

through proprietary in-house flavor

vors topically, which is Bacon Freak’s

smoked varieties – applewood and

research on what makes a cooked-meat

strategy. “Ground herbs and spices are

maplewood – neither of which has any

product succulent. It works well in a

not suitable for injection, as they can

topically applied flavors. Both smokes

wide range of meat products, espe-

clog the needles and filters,” Anderson

exert a mild flavor, with the apple-

cially cured products such as bacon.”

Because we eat with our eyes first,

says. “If flavorful particulates are de-

wood being lightly fruity while the

• Meat&Poultry • October 2013 • www.MeatPoultry.com

vides a caramelized effect.”

http://www.BaconFreak.com http://www.MeatPoultry.com

Meat&Poultry - October 2013

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