A video has surfaced showing how bacon is made – and it has taught fans of the meat how it really is made.
The clampwhich originally aired on the Discovery UK channel in 2018 and has been resurfaced on YouTube shows some grim insights into how the processed meat is made.
But bacon fans say it hasn’t stopped them from eating the pork product, and some say it prompted them to throw a strip on the grill.
The detailed video shows how bacon, which is processed in factories and sometimes even pre-cooked, starts with pork belly.
This large piece of the pigs is thrown into a large drum – this action softens them, making it easier to remove the skin.
The savory stripes are a staple of the classic English breakfast and are usually enjoyed with eggs, beans, toast and a hot cup of tea or coffee
A metal hanger called a ‘comb’ is pressed into the pork bellies so they can be hung from a rack – where they receive a shower of liquid smoke
Each pork belly then goes skin down on a conveyor belt. This conveyor belt carries the belly to a long automated blade that cuts away the skin from the meat.
The hides fall onto another conveyor belt to be processed into pork rind.
Meanwhile, the pieces of meat move to a tilting device, turning them backside up so that workers along the line can cut off any remaining bits of skin.
Next, workers mix a brine solution that will cure the pork. Salt is funneled into a tank of water and mixed thoroughly until dissolved, before adding liquid smoke and other flavorings.
The pork bellies now pass under an injection head and the needles repeatedly inject the brine solution into each pork belly.
A metal hanger called a ‘comb’ is pressed into the pork bellies so they can be hung from a rack.
They are then transported to the ‘drench cabinet’ for a shower of liquid smoke, which adds both color and flavor to the surface of the meat.
The pork belly goes to a large oven, where they cook at a low temperature for five hours. This allows the flavors to infuse into the meat.
Pieces of meat go to a tilting device and flip them backside up, allowing workers on the line to cut off any remaining bits of skin
A worker pours salt into a container of water and mixes it thoroughly until the salt is dissolved, adding to the flavor of the bacon
Workers load the meat into chutes that swing back and forth over a blade and cut the meat into bacon-sized pieces
After this process, the meat goes into a blast freezer to cool down quickly and then into another cool box for a few days.
This cooling process firms the meat, making it easier to cut.
The pork bellies then go to a measuring station where their sides are quickly trimmed.
They are also put through a metal detector to ensure that no pieces of the metal pendant get caught in the flesh.
Then the pork bellies are stacked and packaged and stored in a freezer until ready to be sliced into bacon.
They are cut on what is called the ‘slice line’.
Here the workers load the meat into chutes. The tubes swing back and forth over a knife that cuts the meat into bacon-sized pieces.
The almost finished browned bacon is loaded onto parchment paper so it can be packaged and distributed.
The bacon strips fall neatly onto a conveyor belt. Another conveyor belt rolls over the slices to secure them for cooking in a browning microwave oven.
As the fat from the bacon cooks, it drains into a trough – the drippings from this fat will be used to make gravy and pet food.
The cooked bacon now comes out of the microwave and comes under the watchful eye of an inspector, who discards any broken or mismatched slices.
Mechanical wheels now roll the browned slices of bacon onto parchment paper, with a tiny electronic eye keeping track of the number of slices.
Finally, the bacon is stacked for packaging and ready for distribution.
Bacon lovers expressed their joy and enthusiasm over the video – even giving the workers a nod for their ‘hard work’
After watching the video, viewers take to the comment section to share their thoughts, with many seeming surprisingly positive given the somewhat gruesome production process.
One of them, expressing their appreciation for the workers, wrote, “This has in no way diminished my love of bacon, I just think of how much work it takes.”
Another agreed, adding: ‘Wow!!! This is a serious process! No wonder bacon is so expensive.’
And a third was also impressed by the clip, writing, “Love the no-waste of delicious pork belly. I really just want to grab a whole piece and throw it on a grill.”
While viewers of the bacon video were not fazed by the meat, some Worcestershire Sauce fans vowed never to consume it again, after watching a video revealing the production process and ingredients.