Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02262547 1999-O1-29
3230 P 005 PATENT
M>E'CHOD OF PIZ.I:YARING FULLY COUKED
BACON DERIVED FROM PORK BELL.CES
DESCRIPTION
Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to curing and processing
pork bellies to produce bacon and, in particular, to a novel method of
processing
pork bellies into fully conked bacon without the need for smokehouse trcatmcm.
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2
Background Cl,~The Invention
The term "bacon" broadly defines a cace;gory of cured and processed
pork bc;llics, Most commonly, pork bellies arc cured and processed into strip
form
bacon or circular fi~rrn. Tlc weight and yi~;(d of bacon is precisely dviincd
by
federal regulation. For example, for cured perk bellies to he labelled as
"~rcsh"
bacon, l.c., uncooked, the cured pork bellies must have a w~:igltt not
v,ccccding the
weight ofuncured pork bellies. Similarly, for cured pork bellies to be
labelled as
"cooked" or ''precooked'' bacon, the cured pork bellies must have a yield not
more
than 4U'% the weight of uncured pcxk bellies, l.c., 6e)% shrinkage from thr
initial
1 O weight of the pork belly, also known as the "green weight," is required.
The traditional process of curing pork bellies t.o create a bacon
procluct entails the infusion of a liquid pickle solution into the pork
bellies
l.nfusion of the pickle solution creates an inCusioo weiu~ht that exceeds been
weight. Depending on manufacturing capabilities and eustocner preference,
1 S infusion weight may be anywhere 1T'c)TCl 1 t15'% to 115°/u of green
weight. To meet
the regulatory product delitlitions o f either fresh or cooked bacon, a degree
of
weight loss must occur equal to or greater than the added weight of the
injoctcd
pickle solution, l.c., the finished weight must be equal to or less than the
maat
portion prior to the injection of the pickle solution. Hence, to obtain the
nccess'-try
?p weight reduction to rnevt the regulatory proiluct definitions for bacon,
the prior art
leas subjected the infused pork bellies to a prolonged low temperature cook
cycle.
ITistorically, this slow cc,oking took place in smokehouses which
achieved the necessary weight reduction and also imparted a smoke flavor
characteristic of bacon. vlodern techniques employ cooking ovens which heat
the
25 product to a core temperature of G(l °C (144"I=) during a 4 to 5
hour cook cycle.
This slow, low temperature healing produces a l0% - 15% 1055 of injected
weight
without reaching temperatures to Iully cook the pork bellies. The "smokehouse"
trcatm~~nt cooks-off the liquid portion of the pickle solution leaving behind
the
seasoning carried in the liquicl thus curing the pork bellies and imparting
the
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CA 02262547 1999-O1-29
3
characteristic bacon taste. After the smokehouse trc;stment, the cured pork
bellies
arc: substantially fluid free.
Because o1 the use of modetz~ slow cooking ovens, the smoke flavor
is now produced in difl~;rent ways. For circular bacon, created by two
individual
pork bellies cold formed together and encased within a sausage-style ca.Sing,
a
smoke flavoring agent is added to the pickle suiuliun. With strip bacon, lltc;
vttlir~
pork belly n,ay also he subject to an atotuized spray oC smoke flavoring ay nt
within the cooking chamber of the oven.
For fresh bacon, the "smokehouse" treatment causes ;tdequale
I U weight reduction to return the cured perk belly to green weight and
therefore
within the regulatory product definition fbr fresh bacon. After the smokehouse
treatment, cured pork bellies intended to be sold as Fresh bacon arc weighed
to
assure the necessary loss of 10% weight from infused weight. Next, the
internal
temperatures of the cured pork bellies are chilled from 60''C (14f)°F)
to -1 '/~°C
(30°F) to facilitate slicing. The product is sliced and then packaged.
However, for litlly cooked bacon, additional weight reduction of at
least another 60°,a from green weight is necessary to bring the product
within the
regulatory definition for "cooked" bacon. ARer completion of the smokehouse
treatment, cured pork bellies intended to be sold as cooked arc weighed to
assure
loss of at least 10% weight t°rom infused weight. Whether in circular
form or strip
form, the internal temperatures of the cured pork bellies are chilled 1?om
about
(it)°C (140'F) to -1 ~h°C: (30°h). Again, such chilling
is done to facilitate slicing.
The bellies are sliced and then further cooked, typically in microwave ovens
for
abouC 1 '/~ to 2 minutes depending on microwave amperage, conveyor heft speed
tluough the microwave ovens and, the number of nucrowave cooking cavities
being employed. Such further cooking causes the necessary 60% shrinkage to
bring the cured and now fully cooked pork bellies within the regulatury
doliriitiou
for fully cooked baccm_
Improvements upon conventional methods oh manufacturing cooked
3U ham are disclosed in DE 37 1321 1 A1 and EP 0 683 98fi Al. Specifically,
DIr 37
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13'_' 1 1 A1 is directed to a process tar manufacturing cooked barn with an
improved
cooking yield without negatively atfecttng the texture. '1'hv process includes
a step
of treating pieces of pig muscles with a hydrostatic preasure of fiom 300 to
_'Uc)U
bar betor~; injecting brine into thCtll. EP C7 (j83 98G A l is directed to a
method for
manufacturing cooked barn to obtain a product that is as uniformly dense and
solid
a.; possible. 'Ihe method includes massaging the meat prior to the
introduction of
brine, or pounding the meat after the brim has been injected while the tncat
is
being eoolvd.
As discussed above, curing pork bellies intended ats "fresh" bacon
l U uses single step cooking ctnploying solely the smokehouse treatment while
curing
pork bellies intended as "cooked" bacon uses a two step cooking ernployin'
both
stookehousc treatment and a second cooking step, typically microwave caoktng.
The Prior art teaches that smokehouse treatment was necessary for curing pork
he!lies whether tltcy were intended to be sold as fresh or Cully cooked bacon.
~.5. Yatent No. 4,957,751> discloses a method of preparing cooked
haccm where the conventional smoking step ot~low heat (:or long time periods
is
eliminated. The method includes the step of holding a pork belly injected with
pickle solution for a time period sufficient for the pickle solution to
disperse in the
pork belly. Specifically, U.S. latent No. 4,957,756 requires a holding period
of at
2() least 3? hours, otherwise the method yields precooked bacon having a water
activity higher than 0.85, which is generally accepted as the maximum
ruicrobiologically safe level of water activity.
1t is apparent from the above d isclosure th at smokehouse treatment
is both time and ~tergy intensive and contributes greatly to the cost of
producing
bacon. But with the market fvr fully cooked bacon product );amino in consumer
popularity, prior to the development ~f the present invention, a need existed
for
methods to cure and process pork bellies into fully cooked bacon by reducing
the
costs and time associated with a two step cooking cycle and paaticularly with
the
smokehouse treatment.
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CA 02262547 1999-O1-29
Summary Of 'fhc Ct3,.vcnt~n
According to the present invention, novel methods of ouring and
proc;tssing pork bellies into fully cooked bacon have been developccl thst
eliminate;
the need for smokehouse treatment with a dramatic reduction in processing tune
S and cast. Essentially, the methods of the present invention employ a single
cooking step flat both fully cooks a pickle solution infused pork belly and
achieves
the necessary weight reduction to meet the regulatory tleftnition for fully
cooked
bacon. The methods of the present invention may he employed for either strip
Form or circular l'om~ bacon.
1 () Generally, the methods of the present invention folloGV traditions(
curing methods by infusing the pork bellies with pickle solution t« I05%-115%
of
green weight. But instead of then subjecting the infused park bellies to
smokehouse treatment to achieve at least a 1()% weight reduction, the methods
of
the present invention eliminate smokehouse treatment. In complete deviation
from
1 ~ the prior art, the infused pork bellies are rapidly chilled to
tcmpcraturc;s below
tt~.ose commonly used to facilitate slicing. Specifically, the pickle solution
infused
pork bellies axe chilled to between -5 ~J,,°C (22'F) and -3
~/,~°C (25°F). In either
strip form or circular form, the reduced temperatures render the pickle
solution
within the pork bellies into a semi-solid. "this retains pickle solution
within the
20 pork bellies, preserves the compositional integrity of the product, and
facilitates
handling of individual pork belly slices prior t0 cooking. Such reduced
chilling
ternpr;ratures also lave the effect of cold setting the individual pork
bellies that
comprise circular form bacon. Reduced temperaritre chilling of the pickle
solution
infused pork bellies also permits thinner slicinb of the product.
25 Also, in deviation from prior ate techniques, the present invention
reduces the thickness of the slices by about 5%. Reduced slicing allows for
cooking cycles that unexpectedly are only slightly longer than the prior art
second
step cooking cycles which employ smokehouse treatment.
Further, even though the methods of the present invention eliminate
30 smokehouse treatment and employ only a slightly longer singly step cooking,
a
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more than 60% shrinkage from infused Weight results sufficient to meet the
regulatory definition Ce~r E'ully cooked bacon. Yet, the rrxethods of the
presc;nt
itlventi.on re~ull in Fully conkecl Prncluct having the aroma, flavnr,
te~chtrc and
appearmce of fully cooked bacon produced by smokehouse treatment, while
rcducinb caring and processing time by an estimates 3~-35 hours, resulting in
clr.unatic savings.
Other adv:irttages and aspects of the present invention will become
apparent Crorn the following detailed dcscr~iption of the invention.
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pctailcd 1)e,criptioa Of The Preferred >;mbodiment
While this invention is suscelatible of etnbodirntnt itt many different
forms, there is herein described in detail preferred embodiments of the
I11VC;ILlIUII
with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be cc~nsiciered as an
S exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended l0
limit the
broad aspect ofthe invention to the embodiments illustrated.
T'he methods of the present invention arc directed to curing and
processing pork bellies to produce sliced fully cooked bacon in either strip
form or
circular Norm. By utilizing lower temperatures to chill pickle solution
infused pork
1 O beI lies, the liquid pickle solutiotl is rendered a semi-solid and
retained within th v
pork bellies. 'T'lus both maintains the compositional integrity of the product
and
permits slicing of the pork bellies into slices having a reduced thickness,
thus
allowing for single step cooking.
The single step cooking cycle employed by the rnethocis of the
1.5 present invention ore generally no more tl~.arl about 15% longer than the
second
step cookin' cycles known in the alt for producing Cully cooked bacon. Yet,
unexpectedly the single step cooking cycle of the present invention results in
substantial shrinkage From infused weight to product a fully cooked produce
meeting the regulatory definition for "cooked" bacon. Further, single step
20 cooking, preterably by microwave or surface conduction cooking such as by
heated
conveyor belt surfaces, produces a fully cooked bacon proiiuct having all of
the
color, texture, aroma and flavor characteristic of fully cooked bacon. Hence,
the
methods of the present invention eliminate (I) smokehouse trcattncnt, (2) post-
s~ziokehousc weighing of product, and (3) the need to dull smokehouse treated
25 pork bellies from high internal meat temperatures of 60°C
(l4Q°F) to slicing
temperatures of-1 'h°C (3U°F). The elinunation of these steps
rGSUlts in dramatic
savings in processing times and costs.
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i3
The following Examples describe in more detail the tncthucls of the
present invention with reference; to a preferred cotntnercial processin;
operation
for both sliced circular form and sliced strip form, fully cooked bacon.
S E~CAMPLE 1
CUUItED CIRCULAR E:'OIZNI SLICfiD BACON
Pork bellies of a selected 4veibht and size arc trimmed in the manner
known in the 'ut. Next, a seasoned pickle solution is injected into the
trimmed
pork bellies to preferably 110°/, of green weight using a mufti-needle
Formaco
injector or such other injector known in tlae art. 'the seasoned pickle
solution may
have any composition known in the meat curing aut. To impart a stnokcd flavor
to
the bacon, a smoke flavoring agent must be added to the pickle solution
composition. The infected pork bellies are tumbled in a vacuum meat massager
for
a time period sufl7cient to enhance the adhesion and bonding together of the
pork
bellies. Two pork bellies arc rolled together and stuffed into a round,
perforatul
casing. After. using, the product is often referred to ;as "bacon log."
At this point, prior art techniques teach smokehouse treatment of the
encased pork bellies- Instead, in accordance with the present invention, the
encased pork bellies are chilled from temperatures of 1 ZIP ° C (35
° r) to 4 ''h' C:
(~0°r) (approx.imately ambient air temperature within a commercial
packing plant)
to no more than -3 ah"C (25 "F) and, preferably, within the range of -5 5/9
° C (22 ° F)
to -3 Ah°C (25°1~. It has been discovered that this tcmpcratme
ranbe both cold-
sets together the individual pork bellies within the casings and cold-sets the
pickle
solution to thus retain the solution within the pork betties by rendering the
pickle
solution a semi-solid.
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The encased chilled pork bellies are then sliced to a thickness cal'
generally ~-5% thinner than is used in most commercial embodiments. 1~ur
example, with reference to the commercial processing operation herein
described,
bacon logs that have been subjected to smokehouse treartnent arc sliced to a
thickness of 2.18410.025 mm (().(jA6 t ().001 inch). By eliminating smokehouse
trcatmont, original bacon log diameter is maintained and therefore slices can
be
achieved having an average thickness of ?.10$ f U.025mm (U.U8:3 t 0.001 inch)
and yet meet customer spcciC,catiorts. Such reduced thickness oFthe slices
facilitates the necessary slu-inkage and complete cooking of the product.
I0 The slices are then immediately translerred to a cooking device.
This device may include a conveyor belt hzving a heat conductive surface (also
known as "belt shilling") or, as preferauly practiced, by passing the slices
on a
conveyor belt through one or more microwave cooking chambers. With reference
to the preferred commercial operation herein described, a five cavity
FerriteThc
LS microwave unit was ernployed. Each cavity is serviced by two transmitters
and
each set at maximum amperage setting levels of 4.20. This amperage setting
achieves a temperature within each microwave cavtty o.f about 1 t)4
°I9°C (?2U°F).
Conveyor belt speeds had to be decreased from 124 cm/minute
(<;UO incheslminute) for sliced product that was subject to smokehouse
treatment,
2U to 13)7 cnllrninute (550 incheslmintrte) for sliced product processed
according to
the present invention. necreased belt speed increased total dwell time within
a1I
microwave cooking cavities from approximately 1 minute, 10 seconds to 1
minute,
20 seconds, or about a 15% increase in dwell time.
Sliced product emerging from the microwave cooking chambers
25 possessed the appearance, aroma, taste and texture ofproduct processed
according to
the prier art two step cooking cycle.
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C.tAMPLF 2
COOKEL) S'fRIP F()RM SLfCF.D E3ACON
As disclosed above, pork bellies oFu selected weight and stzc ;tre:
trimmed in the manner known in the art. Next, a seasoned pickle solution is
injected
into the trimmed pork bellies to preferably 1 IO% of green weight using a
mufti-needle rormaco injector or such usher injector known in the art. The
sessoncd
pickle solution may havo any composition known in the meat curin; art. Again a
smoke tlavoring agem trust be added to the pickle solution.
The pork bellies are then chilled from temperatures of 1 ~/~"G (35''F)
to 41h"C (40°F) to no more than -3 ~/,,°C (25 °F) and
preferably within the range of
-5'/,"C (22°F) to -3 ~h"C (?5"r) to cold-set arid thereby retain the
pickle solution
within the pork bellies by rendering the pickle solution a semi-solid.
As described above, the chilled pork bellies are then sliced to a
thickness of 4-5% less than the thickness for pork bellies that have been
subjected to
LS srnuk~huus~ trcattncnt. Such reduced lhicknesof the slices facilitates the
necessary
shrinkage and complete cooking of the product.
As with sliced circular product, the slices are then immediately
transferred to a cooking device. This device may include a conveyor belt
having a
heat conductive surface (also known as "heft grilling") or as preferably
practiced, by
passing the slices on a conveyor belt through one or more microwave cooking
chambers and using the preferred amperage setting sand dwell time as described
above for sliced circular product. Sliced product emerging from the microwave
cooking chambers possesses the appearance, aroma, taste and texture of product
processed according to the prior art two step cooking cycle.
By eliminating the steps of (1) stnokehousc treatment, (2)
post-smokehou-se weighing of product, and (3) the recd to chill smokehouse
treated
pork bellies from internal meat temperatures ot~~U''C (14U'1~) to slicing
temperatures of-1 ply°C (30°Fh the present invention achieves
substantial
re:ctuctions in cost attd processing tithe fur producing fully cUUkcd bacon
pruducls.
For example by eliminating the 4 to 5 hours necessary far smokehouse
treatment, it
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CA 02262547 1999-O1-29
has lJeCtl l;$tLIItiltl:ll that substantial savings could he achieved in
commercial scale
production of hilly cooked bacon products.
While tile specific embo~limcnts have heert illustratc~i and described
with reference to a preferred commercial c~peTalaUn, numerous nwdifications
come to
S mind depending on the vu-iahles presented by other commercial operations,
all
without significantly departing li-om the spirit and intent of the invention.
The .scope
of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims with
reference to this specification.
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