SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: Bacon Trends + Technology - March 2023 - 26

PROCESSOR PROFILE
" We had more and more requests for it and
that's what led us to really get into that production, "
Moser said.
She added that the demand continues to be
large and that one of the employees became the
pitmaster of the small bacon operation, and the
company added an assistant to help with the
growing production.
Epic addition
MeatCrafters adds bacon to the
product mix at its Maryland facility
By Ryan McCarthy
rmccarthy@sosland.com
M
26
eatCrafters creates an assorted
collection of products in its
8,000-square-foot plant in
Landover, Md. Recently, bacon
has garnered plenty of interest
among its stakeholders. Thus, the
wholesale meat processor, which
supplies items to retailers and restaurants around
the Nation's Capital, relies on bacon to enhance
its portfolio.
Debra
Moser,
president
of
The bacon area of the facility features pipes
for its indoor smoker going outside for ventilation
and MeatCrafters added another fat trap to
accommodate the bacon processing operations.
The smoker uses wood chips to complement and
add another layer to the bacon's flavor.
The company's bacon processing area fits in
a room that was used for storage and is set up
near another curing room. Moser said the company
added a secondary smoker in the dock area.
The company receives requests from butcher
shops and retail stores that want specific bacon
items smoked, or often from a restaurant operator
that is developing a specific cooked product.
MeatCrafters uses high-quality, Duroc pork
bellies which distinguishes its bacon items from
most commodity bacon products on the market.
" You taste something really mild and something
really beautiful, " Moser said of the flavor. " I think
that's been the impetus and the growth in it. "
Moser said one local coffee shop operator
in the DC metro area has talked about adding
bacon to their menu because of the need for
high-quality ingredients for their bacon and sausage
sandwiches.
" It doesn't seem to be going away, and it only
seems to be gaining popularity, " Moser said of
the bacon trends around her area of Maryland
and the United States.
MeatCrafters,
detailed the company's reasons for keeping
bacon at the forefront, highlighting the attributes
of its Epic Curing line.
In the last few years, the company leased
some of its manufacturing space to a startup
company trying
its hand at the bacon business.
After seeing their product, Moser and the
rest of the team leading MeatCrafters made a
deal to acquire the company, supplementing
MeatCrafters' growing line of sausage and other
value-added meat products.
2023 BACON TRENDS + TECHNOLOGY MEAT+POULTRY
MeatCrafters, which
specializes in salamis,
cured meats and
sausages, recently made
significant investments
in bacon production.
The MeatCrafters Epic Curing line comes in
four flavor profiles.
The company's Naked Bacon uses pork belly
and smoke to bring out the flavor, along with curing
the meat for a week in a spice blend before
smoking it low and slow.
The Black Pepper Bacon uses Tellicherry
black pepper, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt,
spices and sodium nitrite to get the perfect flavor
combination.
MeatCrafters' Turkish D Bacon is made using
an Anatolian pepper blend of seasonings including
fenugreek and smoked paprika.
For adventurous customers, the meat processor
offers an Everything Bacon, using dill pollen
and garlic rub to simulate the taste of an everything
bagel with pork.
MeatCrafters
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: Bacon Trends + Technology - March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: Bacon Trends + Technology - March 2023
