Tocino Making

Tocino Making

            During my 2^nd year of 2^nd semester we made Tocino which is a preserved product which is mostly consumed by Filipino during breakfast. In making this product certain steps and procedures should be made in order to make long shelf life of the product.

Meat like pork is a very perishable commodity that may last only for a short time before it becomes spoiled. Spoilage means loss in terms of food and money, as far as production is concerned. From there, endeavours toward meat preservation aroused. This ended up not only to prolong the shelf life but also to add value to the meat. A classic example of this is processing meat into tocino, a product that extends not only the life of a commodity but also the possibility of better income.

            Here are some very important materials and procedures in order for you to make a perfect one also.

Materials:

-          Tab or container

-          Chopping board

-          Sharp knife

-          1 kilo pork ham (pigue)

-          1 can (250 ml) pineapple juice

-          Anisado wine

-          Pangasinan/rock salt

-          Monosodium glutamate (vetsin)

-          Brown sugar

-          Prague powder (optional)

Procedures:

1.      Prepare a kilo of pork ham (pigue). Wash if necessary, but don’t overdo. It will wash away some soluble proteins, thus making the meat less nutritious.

2.      After that, slice the meat one-fourth inch thick (locally called pagtatapa). This is done to let the meat absorb other ingredients better. Include the skin if desired.

3.      In a separate basin, mix thoroughly the dry ingredients.

4.      Next, rub the meat with the mixture of dry ingredients, may be one-by-one or bulk mixing. Be sure to apply mixture to the meat equally. Add the anisado wine.

5.      After mixing, pour the pineapple juice to the meat. The more the pineapple juice, the sweeter the tocino will become. Steps 4 and 5 are called curing processes.

6.      Pack the cured meat on a container. Include the sauce.

7.      Refrigerate for 24 hours (longer if applied with prague powder, which acts as a preservative).

I hope that what i’ve shared to you would help a lot not just for consuming the final product but also to make a profit out of it. This would also help in order to make a small business for the money to revolve and goes back to you. Thank you. J