How to Make Slab Bacon (Meat Processing)

Nowadays, the demand for processed meat products are growing especially for mothers and for those who are working since they can be easily prepared and cooked. One of the all-time favorite processed meat products is Bacon. Generally, bacon is made from the side or bellies of pork without the ribs. Bellies to be used for making bacon should contain about 50% lean, 46% fat and 4% skin. Very fat bellies are not acceptable because they taste more like salted fat than bacon and shrink excessively while cooking. On the other hand, very thin bellies are tough, stingy, and flavorless when cured. Here’s the step on how you can make slab bacon easily.

Slab Bacon

Ingredients:

A. Meat Materials
1,000 grams pork belly, skinless, boneless & rectangular in form

B. Curing Mix
1. Pumping Solution for 1 kg meat

*can be replaced with oil of anise, oil of cloves and maplein (one drop each), if available.
**if ascorbic acid is 250 mg., use 1 tablet.

2. Dry Cure Mixture for 1 kg meat

C. Packaging Materials
Paperlyne, 18″ x 12″
Polyethylene bag, 8″ x 12″ – (for ½ kg packaging)

Procedure:

1. Select good quality materials.
2. Prepare the pumping pickle solution and dry cure mixture. In preparing the pumping pickle solution, mix all the dry ingredients first, then add water.
3. Inject pumping pickle solution, about ½ cup pickle per kilo of meat into the lean portion with a distance of ½ inch per injection site.
4. Massage gently for even distribution of pickle solution.
5. Apply dry cure mixture into the fat and lean portion.
6. Cure at room temperature for 8 to 10 hours or refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.
7. Wash cured meat with tap water to remove excess dry cure mixture.
8. Freeze the cured meat to harden.
9. Slice into thin pieces and pack.
10. Store in freezer.

Sources: DA-ATI, ITCPH-Lipa, e-extension.gov.ph