Colour Problems
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) External colour fade but remains pink inside | Cured pigment has been oxidised by too strong light in storage. A particular problem with neon lights. |
| (b) Green/grey patches | – Incomplete cure due to too short a curing time – Incomplete cure due to storage temperature too low. |
| (c) Green Patches | – nitrate burn due to poor distribution of cure – bacterial spoilage due to failed vacuum seal – storage temperature too high. |
Product Breaking Up On Slicing
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Poor trimming of meat | Excess fat prevents the binding of muscle surfaces. For example, when the hock is removed from a leg of pork, excess internal fat should be trimmed as well. |
| (b) Poor bagging/netting | The meat should be netted to hold its shape and bagged in a nalophan bag. This may be vacuum packed instead for zero loss products. If packing is too loose then the product will not be held together during cooking. |
| (c) Incorrect Massaging/Tumbling | Over tumbling may physically break down the muscles, under-tumbling will not give sufficient work to extract the sticky Actinomyosin. On impact, tumblers without intermittent timing, the meats are tumbled for an hour after injection, rested overnight and tumbled for another hour prior to cooking. On massagers without intermittent timing, about 2500 revolutions are suggested. If intermittent timing is available then the 2500 revolutions can be spaced by an “ON” “OFF” sequence overnight. Vacuum should be used wherever possible. |
| (d) Production temperature too high | This may allow bacterial gas production, which may appear as small holes in the meat and/or separation of muscle along the seams. Ideally, production should take place at around 4°C. |
3. Product Not Holding Water
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Phosphate not being used. | Phosphates not only enhance the action of salt but also act as emulsifiers. In short, they assist the water binding ability of meat. The amount of phosphate used in brine is calculated given the product being made and its pump rate. Refer to Lucas. |
| (b) Incorrect or excessive pumping rate. | Products that are pumped using a multi-needle injector where too great a pressure and too few passes are employed may suffer fluid loss and poor brine dispersion. As a general rule. 10% Pump requires 1 pass 20% Pump requires 2 passes at 10% 30% Pump requires 2 passes at 15% 40% pump requires 2 passes at 20% A brine is calculated to perform at a certain pump rate. If this is changed then the brine may need to be modified. Refer to Lucas. |
| (c) Low brine pH. | A lowering of the pH of the brine (acid) will have a marked effect on water binding by the meat. Furthermore, pale soft exudative (PSE) meat, which results from pH drop, will have poor water binding characteristics. It is recommended to use a phosphate and check the quality of meats being used. If problem persists, refer to Lucas. |
| (d) Incorrect cooking procedure. | Products at too high a temperature for too long will have excessive cook out. Ham kettles should be set at 80°C and the products cooked to an internal temperature of 70°C (a rough guide is 20 minutes per lb plus 20 minutes on the total time). Products cooked in steam should also be cooked to an internal temperature of 70°C. Using a probe thermometer, it is recommended to monitor the cooking throughout. |
4. Product Has Bad Odour
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| Almost invariably due to bacterial putrefaction. | |
| (a) Bone taint. | Products such as ham that are cured “bone in” may suffer bone taint if the meat around the bone is not adequately cured. This may be resolved by removing the bone prior to curing, or splitting the hock through the rind and injecting cure up the hock. It is advisable to make sure that the meat does not have bone taint on receipt. |
| (b) Contaminated brines. | Brines which are re-used, kept too long or are used for a variety of products may become contaminated. It is recommended that brines (especially injection brines) are made up fresh for a particular operation and that they are not stored for prolonged periods of time. See 1. (d) |
5. The “Buckshot” Effect
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| Commonly associated with ham, this effect appears as small holes in the cut surface of the finished product. Possibly due to: – | |
| (a) Bacterial gas production. | See 2. (d), 4. (b) |
| (b) Bubbles of air finding their way into the pumping brine. | Intake filter not completely submerged in the brine or damaged injector. |
6. Problems associated with White Meats
| Possible Causes | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Pinking. | Usually attributed no nitrite contamination and readily apparent in white meats. See 1. (f). |
| Occasionally may de due to brine pH being too high or pH of meat being abnormally high. Use a blend of neutral phosphates in the brine, e.g. Vitaphos 140. | |
| (b) Presence of dark red meat. | This usually occurs in meat close to bone or areas protected from adequate cooking. The problem may be avoided by ensuring the meats are cooked to an internal temperature of 74°C. |
Dry Curing
This is the traditional method of curing. The curing ingredients are physically rubbed by hand on the outside of the meat (the muscle can be pierced with a fork to aid absorption into the meat). The meat is then held in chill during the curing process, washed in cold water, then chilled again for at least a day to dry. Dry rubbing is a traditional production method for “middles” and “bellies” to produce bacon, but is not ideal for shoulders or legs due to the thickness of these cuts.
A step-by-step guide on how to dry cure bacon – PDF