Independents around here have to be better quality than the supermarkets or people would not bother going to an independent and not a supermarket.
It's a battle for independents, as the bottom line is the usual decider for where you shop. Lesser quality will often be overlooked if you are on a tight budget.
Here in the USA it is common practice to inject water into all kinds of meat cuts. At Walmart you are paying for steak that is literally "watered down". They do it to ham and chicken too. I always ask for "special cuts" nowadays so that I can watch and make sure that they are not adding water. As far as crispy bacon goes the secret is to do the rashers on a very low heat for a long time. On the rare occasions that I still do cook bacon I always start with that and then put the crispy strips on a side plate with a paper towel on it. That way it remains crispy while I do the eggs, toast, bananas. etc.
I try to support my local independent butcher but he doesn't stock poultry and we buy our ground meat at the supermarket.
We head to the livestock auction a couple times a year and buy a belly ruptured hog for a pittance of the price. Anyway. Try doing pulled pork with a cut of bacon instead of the butt or picnic. Ya have to cook it a little cooler than the other cuts seeings as there's a lot more connective tissue. But man is it good. Good rule of thumb is 2 hours per pound at 190 or 200 degrees until your internal temp is at 170ish. Pecan wood is real good to use. I recommend not brining it like you would the other cuts.
Uncured pork belly is just not available here. I tried. It looked like a yummy, quasi bacon treat and easy to prepare. It just won't cover my nitrite withdraws.
? ? I'm fairly sure the water is injected before the meat reaches the retailers, D_T. I always cut off the fat strip, render it down, fry the bacon in the fat (it seems that when the fat strip is taken off the rasher doesn't curl up quite so much), then I add the , spooning the fat over the yolk until it goes pale-white to ensure it gets cooked properly, serve it all up with a jacket potato and baked beans, and get stuck in! One of my fave dinners that is.
If you are ever in the USA go into any Walmart and take a look at where the prepare the meat for packaging. You will see the machinery for injecting the water right there behind the glass panel above the meat fridges. If you look closely at all of the meat cuts you will also see the wet sheen of the water on the meat. Some of that "water" contains chemicals to alter the appearance and even the flavor. They can make pork look and taste like steak. In case you think that I am just picking on Walmart they are not the only culprits. https://consumerist.com/2007/12/18/injected-pork-water-is-completely-out-of-control-at-kroger/ And it happens in the UK too. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/the-chicken-cheats-7285488.html
You mean it's done overtly in full of view of customers? That astonishes me because I've always thought it was something which is kept out of the public arena for the obvious reason it would make customers realise they're being ripped off. As to what they actually pump into it - I understand they add bleach - bleach, of all things? - to the cheaper poultry products to make the breast meat whiter. FFS?? Stop the world I want to get off!
Some of the crap they inject is supposedly carcinogenic and bleach probably falls in that category. There was a survey that said that people are paying up to $60 per year just in the water injected into chicken. Considering how much more expensive steak and other meats are it is probably a well over $100 per year. Oh, and here in the USA the meat comes preloaded with antibiotics that are fed to the livestock on a daily basis. It is little wonder that antibiotics are becoming ineffective when you are having some with every meal that has any meat. Might be worth looking into having my own free range chicken run in the back yard.
Unbelievable! But then suckers will buy the cheapest they can get even if they knew it was pumped full of arsenic! You're lucky you have a back yard - I couldn't keep chickens out on my balcony 8 floors up?
If you want no antibiotics nor additions to the meat and poultry, Whole foods guarantees their's has none at all.
I have yet to see such a huge bacon sandwich in CA. I tracked the photo to Michigan to a restaurant called Tony's. A huge sandwich that i have personally eaten was served to me at Lihue, Hawaii. I had to use a knife and fork to get it into bite sizes. Anyone who wants the name of the place, give me a notice. @ and my name I have to call my daughter... she knows the place.
It's called plumping. Mostly done with chicken and it's not exclusive to the U.S. it's nornally only done with saltwater or brine.
I've not seen those used. I'm not saying they aren't. To be labeled as natural they can only plump with 15% of the weight with brine or saltwater.
