CA1084333A

CA1084333A - Process for manufacturing bacon bits

Info

Publication number: CA1084333A
Application number: CA266,352A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad
Original assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Current assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Priority date: 1975-12-29
Filing date: 1976-11-23
Publication date: 1980-08-26
Also published as: DE2659006B2; FR2336885B1; IT1069865B; DE2659006C3; JPS5290659A; AU505949B2; AU2020976A; DE2659006A1; BE849238A; FR2336885A1; GB1561539A; JPS5945338B2

Abstract

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING BACON BITS

Abstract of the Disclosure A process for making bacon bits of uniform predeter-mined characteristics is described. The bacon is tempered to 32-40°F., ground to desired size (1/16 - 1 inch), cooked to a temperature of 212°-250°F. (preferably between 219-221°F.) and decreased by centrifuging under controlled conditions to reduce fat content to between 5-40% by weight (preferably between 17.5-22.5%). The resulting bacon bits are then broken up in a mixer and, if desired, flavoring material is added.

Description

S P E C I ~ I C A T I O N

This invention relates generally to innovations and improvements in the production of bacon bits.
Bacon bits of satisfactory quality have heretofore been produced by a process wherein bacon material, usually bacon ends and pieces, are ground, cooked, drained to remove ~ readily separable fat, and then pressed in a hydraulic press to remove additional fat and red~ce the fat content to the desired level. The resultin~ press cake is then dislntegrated or ground into the finished bacon bits product for pac~aging.
; The object of the present invention, generally stated, is the provision of a new and improved method of producing bacon bits offering important advantages over the prior art process and yielding a high quality bacon bits product.
The bacon bits produced in accordance with the present invention have uniform fat content, color, particle size, and free-flowing properties. The process of the present invention offers the following advantages: composition of the finished product can easily be controlled; fat content of the finished product can be varied from 5~ to 40% to suit specific requiré-ments; particle size can be controlled by the grind size of the uncooked bacon material; specific particle size ranges can be ; obtained by sieving the finished product or by varying the meshsize of the centrifuge retainin~ bags; degree of crlspnes~ and brownness of the product can be controlled by cooking to - speci~ic temperatures; and flavorings can be readily added if ~-- desired.
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For a more complete under~tanding of the nature and ~- 30 ~cope of the invention reference may now be had to the following detailed description wherein the general method and a presently , :~
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1~433~3 preferrecl working example are set forth.
In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1-3 are curves or graphs of certain operating conditions.
Bacon ends and pieces constitute the main type of "bacon material" from which bacon bits are made since bacon ends and pieces are usually the most economical starting material, However, other bacon materials may be used, includ-ing cured bacon bellies. The bacon material utilized in producing bacon bits is ground to within the size range of from l/16 inch to 1 inch depending upon the desired particle size of the finished product. If frozen bacon material is utilized, it should be tempered to brlng it within the rangeD
of 32-40F. prior to grinding. The ground bacon material, at a temperature not exceeding 50F., is introduced into a cooking heated/vessel provided with some type of temperature control (e.g., heated jacket) whereby the temperature of the ground bacon material can be raised to a final temperature of from about 212-250F. depending upon the desired degree of crispness and brownness of the finished product. ~ -After being raised to the final desired temperature, the bacon material is unloaded from the cooking vessel and introduced into a centrifuge so as to controllably reduce the fat content of the finished product to the desired level within the range of from 5-40% by weight. A particular final fat content can be obtained by varying (1) the centrifugal force, (2) the time in the centrifuge and/or (3) the feed rate of introducing cooked bacon slurry into the centrifuge.

-If a centrifuge is used of the type that utilizes a retaining -~ ba~g, the particle size of the product can be varied by sèlecting ~ ~o the ~esh ~iZe o~ the retaining bag. For best result$, the ;~ - cooked bacon slurry should be ;ntroduced into the centrifuge .' :. ~- :
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~ : , 1' ~ ~ '; , while the basket or bowl is spinnin~, The centrifugal force (i.e., g-force) developed during c-entrifuging should not be excessive since otherwise it will be diEficult to control the fat content of the finished product. Desirably, -the g~force should be such that during "brake time" at the end of the run, some fat or oil will be removed but at a greatly reduced rate.
The degreased or defatted batch which has been removed from the centrifuge and broken up in a mixer may be either packaged directly in known manner or blended or mixed with a flavoring material (such as wood smoke concentrate of known commercial type, e.g. Charoil). This is a ve~etable oil smoke-flavored extract of aqueous/solution prepared by extraction ~ith edible oil of an aqueous solution of natural wood-smoke flavors. The mixing can be carried out in any suitable piece of equipment and, preferably, the mixing is done at reduced pressure.
The following working example will serve to disclose a specific procedure which has been satisfactorily employed in practicing the present invention and will suggest to those skllled in the art variations by which the invention may be practiced.
Example Three-hundred fifty pounds of frozen bacon ends and pieces (not more than thirty days old) are air-defrosted and air-tempered to a temperature of 32-40F. The tempered bacon ends are ground in a Hobart meat grlnder (6 inch head) equipped with a plate having 3/8 inch diameter openings and a ~our-bladed knife.
~n this example, ~ 50~gallon steam-jacketed stainless-steel kettle o~ kno~n type equipped ~ith a rotating agitator may be used (e.g., a Groen cook kettle). The kettle is preheated by ~ ~a d c n~

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admitting steam at 80 psig (324E.) to the jacket and the agitator is started (35 rpm). The 350 pounds of ground bacon at a temperature below 50F. are introduced into ~he preheated ]cettle with the agitator rotating. The temperature of the kettle contents is monitored with a thermocouple recorder and allowed to increase to 219-221F. (abou-t 27-31 minutes from the s~art) whereupon the steam pressure is shut off and the cook kettle outlet opened. Figure 1 is a tempera-ture profile produced on the recorder during typical cook.

Prior to the completion of a cook when the tempera-ture of the kettle contents reaches 217-219F., a Bock 24-inch diameter single-speed perforate basket batch centrifuge of 1.1 cubic feet capacity provided with a 1400-1500 u retention bag is started and allowed to reach full speed of 1180 rpm (475g.).
The centrifuge requires approximately two minutes to attain this speed during which time the temperature of the cook kettle ~ -~, .
! contents increases to 219-221F. With the cook kettle outlet opened, a constant pressure centrifuge feed pump connected with the kettle outlet is started and allowed to run discharging into . . . -the centrifuge basket until one-half of the bacon slurry has been ; transferred into the centrifuge. Operating at a feed rate of 80~:
pounds a minute, the pump requires two minutes to pump one-hal of the bacon slurry into the centrifuge. At the end of the two minutes, the feed pump is stopped and the centrifuge allowed to spin at full speed for 1.5 addi~ional minutes whereupon the centrifuge is turned off. Thereafter, it requires about one minute for the bowl to decelerate, After the howl stops spinnin~, the retention bag containing 52-58 pounds of degreased bacon bits is lifted out of the centrifuge. Another 1400-150Q u retention bag is placed into the centrifuge, the ;
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~ . . . ~ , discharge end of the feed ~LImp is again placed into the cover openiny, and the centrifuge started~ After the centri~uge again reaches full speed in two minutes, the feed pump is run until the cook kettle is empty, approximately two minutes. The bowl is again allowed to spin for 1.5 additional minutes after which the centriEuge is shut off and allowed to decelerate. The nylon bag ~ith the second half of the batch of degreased bacon bits is removed after the bowl has s-topped spinning in about one minute. In Figure 2, the rate at which oil is expelled from the centrifuge is plotted for a typical batch.
~ ithin not more than thirty minutes after degreasing, the contents of each nylon bag are weighed and separately placed in a 75-pound capacity stainless steel vacuum paddle mixer. With the paddle moving, 0.75% by weight of hickory ~haroil is added to the contents over a period of about thirty seconds. The mixer cover is closed and mixer allowed to operate for sixty seconds under a vacuum of 27 inches of mercury.
The finished bacon bits are free-flowing with little free or superficial grease on the surface of the particles.
They have the color~ odor and flavor of well-cured and smoked bacon and are free of all off-flavors and odors. Not more than 20% are retained on a 1/4 inch opening U. S. Standard Sieve while not more than 1.0% of the particles are smaller than a 20 U. 5. Standard Sieve. The proximate analysis based on 31 ~atches was as follows;
Moisture 34.5~
Protein 35,o%
Fat 19.1%

Salt 5.8%

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Based on 100 pounds of uncooked ~round bacon ends and pieces, the following results were obtained:
Cook shrinlc = 16.8%

: Grease expelled from ?
centrifuge = 51.6%

Degreased bacon bits - yield = 31.6~
- Using thé equipment described.in the Example, bacon ; bits can be produced at the rate of 840 pounds in an eight-hour shift. Usin~ the same procedure, the production rate can be increased to 5,400 pounds per shift by using the following equipment: three 150-gallon cook kettles (1200 pounds ground bacon each per bath); one DeLaval ATM Mark III bottom unloading centrifuge having 9 cubic feet capacity and equipped with an ~ i:.
automatic plow for unloading; one constant pressure rotary pump equipped with Varidrive and capable of delivering 240 .:.
pounds ~er minute; and a vacuum ribbon mixer having a 400 pound .~;
.. capacity.
Trials were made with equipment used in the Example .~
but with the basket of the Bock centrifuge spinning at 1840 rpm ~.
at maximum speed (equal to centrifugal force of 1156 g). The results of three degreasing runs are plotted in Figure 3. .It ..
will be noted that during the centrifuge brake time the rate of . .
oil discharge (0.61 pounds per second) is some, but not much, : ::
lower than the rate (0.76 pounds per second) when the centrifuge : .:
is running at full speed. At the hi~her speed of 184d rpm, the -- fat content of the product tended to be too low with the bacon ~.
bits dry and tending to compact into clumps. Also the higher speed, brake times tended to vary substantiati~g making it difficult to consistently contral the fat content By reducing ~ rr~ e ~k~
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the speed to 1180 rpm (475 y) much yreater control was achieved over the amount of oil e~pelled and thereby over the uniformity of -the product. Accordingly, it was concluded and tests have shown, that the centrifuge should be operated in such manner that during deceleration or brake time an appre-ciable amount of oil should be discharged but at a rate which is a small fraction of the rate of discharge prior to brake `~ time.
Although this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modification can be effected within the spirit and scope of this invention as described above and as defined in the appended claims.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. The method of making bacon bits which comprises, tempering uncooked bacon to 32-40°F., grinding bacon to from about 1/16 inch to about 1 inch diameter, cooking the ground bacon to a temperature within the range of about 212° to about 250°F., centrifuging the cooked bacon to reduce the fat content to from about 5% to about 40% by weight, and breaking up the centrifuged product.

2. The method of making bacon bits which comprises, tempering uncooked bacon to 32-40°F., grinding bacon ends or pieces at a temperature not exceeding about 40°F. through a plate having 3/8 inch openings, cooking the ground bacon to a temperature in the range of about 219°F. to about 221°F., centrifuging the cooked bacon to a final fat content from about 17.5 to about 22.5% by weight, and breaking up the centrifuged product.

3. The method of Claim 2 wherein the ground bacon is brought to a temperature of between about 219°F. to 221°F.
in about 27-31 minutes.

4. The method of Claim 2 wherein the cooked bacon is centrifuged in a batch-type centrifuge with the rate of oil discharge during the brake time being a small fraction of the rate of discharge prior to deceleration.

5. The method of Claim 2 wherein the cooked bacon is degreased under a centrifugal force of approximately 475g.

6. The method of Claim 2 wherein the cooked bacon is degreased in a centrifuge having a perforate basket equipped with a 1400-1500 u retention bag.

7. The method of Claim 6 wherein the cooked bacon is introduced into the centrifuge while the basket is spinning.