Hamtramck Star

For some reason, bacon is a common topic of conversation amongst our peers in Hamtramck. The September/October issue of Cook's Illustrated includes an article about the differences between artisanal and mass-produced bacon that I thought some of you, both for and against bacon, might be interested in.

Follow up:

Mass-produced bacon often starts with frozen pork bellies that are thawed and tumbled in a metal drum to soften the meat, then placed on hangers and pumped full of a liquid cure solution. This solution includes curing salts such as sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite, along with phosphates that bind the water to the cells in the meat, plumping it up (and also causing it to shrink in the pan when cooked). The meat is not actually smoked - liquid smoke and other flavorings such as sweeteners, herbs, and spices are added to the cure. After curing for a few hours, the bellies are often sprayed with more liquid smoke and heated in a thermal processing unit (often referred to as "the smokehouse") to destroy bacteria and infuse smoke flavor throughout the meat. Finally, the slab is quickly chilled, machine-pressed into a uniform shape, sliced, and packaged for sale.

By contrast, artisanal bacon takes much more time, as well as hand labor and real wood smoke. It begins with fresh pork bellies, which artisanal producers say make bacon with superior texture and flavor compared to starting with frozen bellies. While the pork is sometimes soaked in a "wet" cure, it is traditionally dry-cured, which means the meat is hand-rubbed with a dry mixture of herbs, sugars salt, and curing salts. Artisanal producers leave the bacon to cure for anywhere from a day to a month, then slow-smoke it over wood fires, generally from one to three days, depending on the maker. The extended curing time intensifies the pork flavor and shrinks the meat so that the bacon doesn't shrivel much as it cooks.

The rest of the article is about bacon available nationally, ranging in price from $8 to $15 per pound before shipping. I may try to restrict my bacon consumption to Stan's and Bozek's from now on.