Types of Processed Meat

There are three types of meats that are commonly processed: ham, bacon, and sausage. In addition, lower-fat processed meats are becoming popular with consumers.

Ham. Ham is cured pork, and according to USDA standards, only meat from the hind leg of a hog can be labeled ham. Several types of cooked ham products are available for purchases:

• Canned ham. Boneless, fully cooked ham that can be served cold or heated. Most are cooked only to pasteurization temperatures, so they must be refrigerated. Sterilized hams are usually available only in cans of under 3 pounds. Gelatin is often added in dry form to absorb the natural juices of the ham as it cooks.
• Water-added ham. Contains no more than 10 percent by weight of water added. The added moisture contributes to a moist, juicy, and tender texture.
• Imitation ham. Ham that retains more than 10 percent moisture after curing.
• Country ham. Ham cured by the dry salt method and usually hickory smoked to develop a distinctive flavor.
• Picnic ham. Cured pork that comes from the front leg instead of back leg of the hog, and therefore cannot be labeled simply “ham”. This cut is less tender and higher in fat than regular ham.

Bacon. Bacon is cured and smoked meat from the side of a hog. It should be balanced in its proportion of fat to lean. When cooked, bacon with too much lean will be less tender, while bacon with too high a proportion of fat will shrink too much.

Sausage. Sausage is meat that has been finely chopped or ground and blended with various ingredients, seasonings, and spices. It is then stuffed into casings or skins. Traditionally, the casings were made of the intestines of pigs or sheep, but now they are often manufactured from cellulose of collagen. Beef and pork, or a combination of the two, are the usual main ingredients. Other meats and meat combinations may be used, including veal, chicken, turkey, lamb, duck, rabbit, venison, and liver from any of several animals. Other ingredients that may be added include eggs, cream, oatmeal, bread crumbs, potato flour, tripe, wine, and beer. Pork and/or beef fat is often added to boost the moisture content and enhance the texture. There are three major classifications of sausage:

• Uncooked. Made from ground, uncooked meat. Fresh pork sausage, bratwarst, and bockwarst are examples. New combinations of chicken, turkey, apple, and other lower-fat alternatives are available.
• Cooked. Made from cured meat, which may be slightly smoked before being stuffed into the casing. Examples include hot dogs, bologna, and knockwarst.
• Dry/Semi-dry. Made of cured meat that has been dried. Examples are pepperoni, salami, thuringer, and cervelat. Dried, cured sausage undergoes a ripening period in which the texture changes from a soft, pliable mass into a hard, sliceable, distintly flavored sausage. The unique flavors of dry, cured sausage result from the enzymatic breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids to smaller compounds that exhibit intense aromas.

Lower-Fat Processed Meats. Many processed meats contain 30-50 percent fat. Consumers have challenged processed meat product manufacturers by demanding foods that are lower in fat and cholesterol. Oscar Mayer’s Leanest Cuts are 95 percent fat free, and Hillshire Farm has introduced Lite Smoked Sausage, Lite Polish Kielbasa, and Deli Select Thin Sliced Lunch Meats.

Lower-fat processed meat products are produced by using leaner cuts of meat, adding more water, and/or including ingredients such as fiber, gums, modified starches, and whey protein concentrate. Water can be substituted for fat in processed meats as long as the total amount of fat and water does not exceed 40 percent, with a maximum fat content of 30 percent. Less fatty ingredients, including the new fat replacers, may also take the place of more fatty ones.

The federal government used to define certain processed products by a minimum amount of fat, but these regulations have been changed in light of dietary recommendations. For example, cooked frankfurters had been required to contain about 30 percent fat, but a 1998 change in regulations lowered it to 20 percent. Sausages used to average 43 percent fat, but sausages are now available that do not exceed 15 percent fat.