I am familiar with these aromas and their effects on the senses. I
was once a product development manager in a small ham and bacon
processing company in Victoria, Australia.
We frequently offered freshly cooked samples of our
products to customers in many of the retail outlets we supplied.
Demonstrators were instructed to fry small pieces of bacon, replacing
them once they began to look overcooked. This ensured the delectable
aroma of freshly cooked bacon was always emanating from the pans.
But why is the smell so good? Cured solid meat products,
such as leg and shoulder hams, sides of bacon and beef silversides, to
mention just a few, are saturated with a "curing brine". This is a
solution of salt, nitrite, phosphates, hydrolysed corn starches and
sundry flavouring ingredients.
Many saccharides present in hydrolysed corn starches are
reducing sugars, which, at the high temperatures of a frying pan or
grill, combine with some of the amino acids in the meat in what is known
as the Maillard reaction. This is analogous to the caramelisation of sweetened condensed milk when it is heated for long enough.
The products formed in the early stages of these Maillard
reactions frequently have pleasant aromas and tastes. As the reactions
continue, however, the aromas and tastes of the compounds they produce
begin to decline and become quite unpleasant. Demonstrators were
instructed to replace well-cooked bacon with fresh to avoid this.
A visual indication of this is when the attractive
golden-brown colour gives way to darker colours. These Maillard-derived
colours, flavours and aromas are not limited to bacon, although those
derived from pork products seem to be much more attractive than those
from other meats. For example, ham steaks release very much the same
attractive flavours and aromas when they are cooked, but because slices
of bacon are thinner and therefore heat through more rapidly, they
develop and release their aromas faster than do ham steaks. Thin slices
of cured pork sausages also yield similarly attractive flavours and
aromas when they are cooked.
Dan Smith, Traralgon, Victoria, Australia
