BACON PROCESSING - HAM PROCESSING
Bacon
processing
Fresh pork bellies are shipped to processing companies in
large containers called “combo bins.”
Individual bellies undergo the following before being
converted into sliced bacon for the consumer:
o
Skinned
(using a Townsend skinner)
o
Trimmed
of ragged edges (using Whizard knives)
o
Pumped
(usually Townsend injector)
o
Placed on
bacon combs and put on trees or trucks for thermal processing
o
Thermal
processing
o
Chilling
o
Pressing
o
Slicing
(Anco slicer)
o
Premium
slices
o
Secondary
slices
o
Ends and
pieces
o
Packaging
Ham
processing
There are three general ham processing systems depending on
the ultimate product:
o Traditional bone-in cured/smoked ham
o Boneless, premium ham
o Boneless, sectioned or chopped and
formed ham
Traditional
bone-in cured/smoked ham
Made in the following sequence:
o
Arrive at
processing plant in “combo bins” in weight range categories
o
Trimmed
of some of the collar fat and skin (Townsend skinner)
o
Pumped
o
Netted
o
Placed on
tree or truck for thermal processing
o
Thermal
processed
o
Chilled
o
Wrapped
with paper
o
Boxed
Boneless,
premium ham
Hams are received as usual, but
are completely defatted and deseamed.
Premium muscles — semimembranosus-adductor and biceps
femoris- semitendinosus —
are used. Usually only the semimembranosus-adductor muscles are used to make
hams such as Hormel’s Cure 81®.
o
Muscles
are injected
o
Cured
muscles undergo massaging or tumbling
o
Massaging
and Tumbling
o Muscles are netted together or
placed in casings (usually 2 or 1-1/2)
o
Ham molds
are placed on the product before thermal processing to give shape
o
Thermal
processing
o
Chilling
o
Cutting
in half (for some of the hams)
o
Packaging
o
Boneless,
sectioned or chopped and formed
These are made virtually the same way that the
premium hams are except that the biceps
femoris-semitendinosus muscles
are chopped or sectioned into smaller pieces along with muscles from the shank
and the knuckle. Tumbling and massaging are used to cause the pieces to “stick”
together.
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