Bluelight Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I cannot understand how artificially adding weight to meat to get more money out of you is legal. I put two pieces of bacon into the pan and within seconds, the water comes pouring out to leave the meat half the size it was before. Bacon from the butchers doesn't do this (at least it doesn't from my butchers). What loop-hole do supermarkets use to get round this? For a start its no good blaming the supermarket , it's not the supermarket that puts the water into the bacon, its put into the pork when being processed at the bacon factory by pumping a mixture of brine into the flesh. Dry cure is totally different when we used to do it, a side of pork was laid flat on a stone slab and covered with salt mixture and left for the flesh to absorb the salt mixture over a period of time. Being a pork butcher in the 60/70s I have to admit bacon at that time did'nt seem to contain as much fluid as it does in the bacon bought today. In those days you got none of that white gunge you get in todays bacon, you could cook it in its own fat something you can't do with todays rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retep Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 For a start its no good blaming the supermarket , it's not the supermarket that puts the water into the bacon, its put into the pork when being processed at the bacon factory by pumping a mixture of brine into the flesh. Dry cure is totally different when we used to do it, a side of pork was laid flat on a stone slab and covered with salt mixture and left for the flesh to absorb the salt mixture over a period of time. Being a pork butcher in the 60/70s I have to admit bacon at that time did'nt seem to contain as much fluid as it does in the bacon bought today. In those days you got none of that white gunge you get in todays bacon, you could cook it in its own fat something you can't do with todays rubbish. That white gunge will be the water holding agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnvqsos Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 For a start its no good blaming the supermarket , it's not the supermarket that puts the water into the bacon, its put into the pork when being processed at the bacon factory by pumping a mixture of brine into the flesh. Dry cure is totally different when we used to do it, a side of pork was laid flat on a stone slab and covered with salt mixture and left for the flesh to absorb the salt mixture over a period of time. Being a pork butcher in the 60/70s I have to admit bacon at that time did'nt seem to contain as much fluid as it does in the bacon bought today. In those days you got none of that white gunge you get in todays bacon, you could cook it in its own fat something you can't do with todays rubbish. I am surprised at your naivity as the supermarket sets guidelines for their suppliers.Ultimately they are to blame,as well as customers who fail to reflect and react to their purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluelight Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I am surprised at your naivity as the supermarket sets guidelines for their suppliers.Ultimately they are to blame,as well as customers who fail to reflect and react to their purchases. Not being naive at all but heres a good read on the subject of water in bacon. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/27/water-in-bacon-new-rasher-regulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnvqsos Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Not being naive at all but heres a good read on the subject of water in bacon. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jul/27/water-in-bacon-new-rasher-regulations I am sorry but this is years late.The practice of injecting bacon with brine is long-established.The salts help water retention,add bulk and raise value.The suppliers are in league with the supermarkets eg M&S have a regular presence at Pork Farms,PennineFoods,Shippams and all their major suppliers to monitor quality.To suggest they are unaware of the problem is either misleading or childlike.Perhaps you are embarrassed by the supermarkets as you seem keen to defend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluelight Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I am sorry but this is years late.The practice of injecting bacon with brine is long-established.The salts help water retention,add bulk and raise value.The suppliers are in league with the supermarkets eg M&S have a regular presence at Pork Farms,PennineFoods,Shippams and all their major suppliers to monitor quality.To suggest they are unaware of the problem is either misleading or childlike.Perhaps you are embarrassed by the supermarkets as you seem keen to defend them. Where in any of my replies to this thread have I at anytime suggested that the supermarkets are unaware of the problem, as I have stated I was pork butchering from the mid 60s and am quite aware of the process of producing bacon as we used to do it ourselves, it was injected then just as it is now. As for Pork Farms,PennineFoods,Shippams, since when have they produced bacon ?. Why would you think that I am embarrassed by the supermarkets and keen to defend them, nobody is defending them at all, your jumping to conclusions with that one im sorry to say. You tend to make a habit twisting the words of peoples replies to threads to meet your own ends. And as for being misleading and childlike, I think thats a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I think they are telling porkies (no pun intended) with this 10% water claim. I would say it is substantially more than this. You can tell by how much water is expelled when you introduce it to heat. The bacon shrinks to sometimes half the size of it was before. Disgusting. I like the dry cured bacon suggestion, I will ask for this next time. or just don't buy if from a supermarket-we get ours from a veg (mainly) delivery company it costs more but as long as you aren't fooled by supermarket "low" prices I am sure it works out the same and you know there is more real meat and less chemical crud going into you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 A decent butcher totally avoids this problem, you get much better quality meat, and you're supporting the local community! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 A decent butcher totally avoids this problem, you get much better quality meat, and you're supporting the local community! Always assuming the community hasn't been killed off by defecting to the supermarket for everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I noticed in M&S they had a line of meat with the title "no added water". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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