Catanduanes Forum

Meat processing is a good livelihood idea. Or would would save you from spending more money when you can do them at home yourself.

However, make sure you have the following curing ingredients at home before you venture in it. The following are a must in food processing like, bacon, ham, tocino, longanisa, sausage, chicken ham... what else do I know. You have to ask around in meat shops and/food processing plants where you can buy them in your locality. I buy my ingredients in:

Grammix Food International, Inc.,
Ground Floor, Mirasol Bldg
854 G. Apacible St.
Cor. Taft Ave., Manila

This is in front of PGH (hamak pa. hino'no na yo gabos na secreto. di bale basta panamiti man ako. o maski estoriahan na sana lamang kung nasaho man. ha ha ha)

Here are some of the must ingredients and what they do: (hurat mangunat lamang nganing maing malimotan)

Curing Salt - the most common form is "salitre" (I don't use it, they say it is carcenogenic, so stay away from it.) The Curing Salt I buy is sodium nitrate preparation of Grammix.

Curing salt is both preservative inhibiting growth of bacteria while the antioxidant found in it retards rancidity and maintains the freshness of the meat flavor. Oh, it makes your processed meat pinkish and fresh looking.

Phos PT - it is an absorbing agent so that the solution you apply in the process is absorbed. It increases yield and makes the processed meat juicy. It is a must ingredient. This also makes my sausage bind better so i can cook them skinless. It also improve the binding so my luncheon meat, skinless sausages has the spam smoothness when cooked and cut.

Ascorbic Acid or Ascorbates or Erythorbate - I use Ascorbic Acid. It makes my processed meat pinkish while adding more vitamin c to balance with the loss of the vitamin in the process. Remember, Vitamin c is water soluble.

MSG (Vetsin) - You can do away with this. But you see, siram na an nin binitsinan. Up to you guys. I use it in small quantities. Bahala na. Basta masiram. he he he

Food Colors I always stock up on this. I have colors for my longanisa, my tocino. Although my children don't mind with or without them, my customers prefer those with color. So again. Bahala ka na man tabi.

Electric Plastic Sealer - Well there is nothing like packaging your product to look professional. You will need this. I bought mine for Php 1,200.00 at SM Manila.

Measuring Tools - for heaven sake don't start without at least the measuring cups and spoon. You don't like your processed food salty! Liquid measuring cup is a must also.

Meat Thermometer - I bought mine overseas. But I saw one in SM handy tools. This is a must in ham production. It cost around a couple of hundred pesos.

what else.... isep dabid isep!

Knives - Of course, juaning of course. I have knife for trimming, knife for cutting chunks, knife for deboning and knife for slicing. Although i've seen my father helping me process with the use of a bolo. Whew... relief he did not use "patok".

Bueno, i cannot think of any. Maybe some of you can help.

Questions will be welcome.

Oh, what about flavors and spices?

Star Anise, Anisado, Gin (haha ha but its true i use it as it is sugarcane based and makes my cooking palatable) heaps of bay leaves (laurel) and kilos of peper (pamienta). See to it you don't buy papaya seeds. ha ha ha

dai na tabi akong naisip. ga taribong na ang utak ko nin kaiisip, kagigilomdom.

Mai lamang matagay dian nin tuba? lilintian na dakoring kuarta to mga kababayan. I earned a lot in food processing overseas.

Hala... good buy. ay goodbye paran.

Igwa pa pallan:

Isolates/Binders - I use soy protein. This is a must for chopped meat like sausage, longanisa, chorizos. It helps bind the meat so they don't separate when cooking them. That is what we add in skin less longanisa.