If you’re from anywhere other than Ontario or Quebec you may be asking “What the heck is peameal Bacon?”. Also known as “Canadian Bacon” or “Canadian Back Bacon”, Peameal Bacon has been a family favourite for centuries, dating back to the 1800’s. Through our experience, gained with the acquisition of the Elite Meat Company, we have been perfecting peameal bacon for over 40 years. Our peameal products are made with premium boneless pork loins, that are infused with our 40 year old proprietary cure and traditionally vat cured. This process produces a traditional peameal flavour and texture revered by Canadians.
PROBLEM: There are very few producers of peameal bacon throughout Canada and the ones who do, employ a more industrial approach to producing peameal bacon, in and out as fast as possible. The result of this process is a product that purges moisture, and is relatively tough and inconsistent in size. While peameal bacon is a unique protein, the challenges for retailers and restaurants in dealing with any protein remain the same; Product quality, consistency, preparation time and cost. Overcoming these challenges is vital to ensuring a productive & profitable kitchen. Cardinal saw a number of products that weren’t addressing these challenges and the needs of restaurant operators, and focused on innovating a solution.
SOLUTION: We knew there was no simple solution to producing a better peameal bacon, so we set out to change each step in the development process accordingly, in order to create what the market was after. We developed a series of specifications on raw materials that all suppliers needed to adhere to, so that we could deliver a more uniform consistent product. Our traditional vat-curing process allows the pork loin to naturally absorb the cure over time. This allows us to deliver a product with less sodium & moisture than products that over-inject and vacuum tumble their loins. We ensured our peameal has the highest grams of protein in the market, providing low shrink in cooking and the best texture and flavour in the finished product. We also developed a proprietary uniform slice technology. This ensures perfect portion control, great visual appeal, perfect plate/bun coverage and a consistent cost per portion.
