Meat+Poultry - October 2018 - 58

INGREDIENT ISSUES

bacon as a smoked ingredient, or transferred
onto the surface of the belly via showering
or atomization and additional smoke can
be sprayed directly onto slices prior to final
packaging," Johnson adds. "Spraying smoke
onto microwaved, pre-cooked bacon aids
in flavor and helps with cooked appearance
uniformity across the entire slice making it
more uniformly attractive."

VISUAL FLAVOR

The options for flavoring
bacon are endless,
including using various
woods in the smoking
process, as well as
infusing it with flavors
such as Bourbon.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 10.18 | www.meatpoultry.com

Daily's Premium Meats; Wright Brand Bacon

58

associated with barbecue than bacon. But
that does not deter processors. Soarin' Swine
mesquite bacon from BaconFreak.com,
Moorhead, California, is salty, smoky and
savory, as its infused with paprika, cayenne
pepper, garlic and mesquite.
"Even though mesquite is not widely used
in bacon, when blended or used in conjunction
with other smokes, it intensifies the aromatics,
sweetness and ashy character of the bacon,"
Johnson says. "Combinations of these smokes
and the time or quantity used can dramatically
alter the perception of the product."
Both applewood and cherrywood contribute
characteristic sweet, fruity nuances, while
pecanwood, also considered a fruit wood,
layers in some earthy, slightly nutty notes.
As does oak wood, which is often used in
combination with fruit woods to add a medium
smoky dimension but also great by itself.
"Options exist for combining traditional
smoke with new innovations that have given
rise to naturally smoked ingredients or clean
smoke condensates to achieve customizable
flavors, greater consistency and benefits for
additional efficiencies of throughput and
sustainability," Johnson says. "Such naturally
smoked ingredients are relatively new to
the trade.
"As with numerous culinary creations,
creating layers of flavor seems to be in keeping
with how smoke can be incorporated into the

Because we eat with our eyes first, topical
seasonings are increasingly used on bacon to
lure the consumer through visual appeal.
In small, craft operations, rubs are applied
manually, often before smoking. Commercial
operations typically use an automated shaker.
Another option is the use of transfer film for
post-smoke application. This process has the
seasoning embedded in the packaging, and
when it's vacuumed and sealed, the seasoning
is adsorbed by the bacon, coating it evenly.
Grand Champion Meats, Crosslake,
Minnesota, produces an array of hand-seasoned
bacons. This includes a buttery prime rib bacon
where a traditional beef rub is applied to the
belly prior to slow smoking. The company has
also offered apple cinnamon, pumpkin pie and
tangy dill pickle seasoned bacons.
When topical seasons are applied,
challenges may be encountered during the
slicing operation. It's easier to maintain
integrity with thicker slices. That's because
large particles may separate from the bacon
and sometimes the slicing knives wear out
from the spice particles. Some fine particle
seasoning blends may absorb moisture on the
bacon and give it a muddy look and color.
"Though many flavors and seasonings pair
very well with bacon, adoption and costing
are not without complications," Johnson
says. "Depending on the means of flavor
incorporation, labor requirements, as well as
product and/or manufacturing, line segregation
may be necessary. Flavor and physical spice
carryover may require a complete wash down,
at the very least."
Another consideration is the fact that 100
percent of the belly does not result in top-grade
slices, with as much as 20 percent of the belly
downgraded into an alternative product such as
bits or chips. Many of these flavors do not easily
convert into such products.
http://www.BaconFreak.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - October 2018

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