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Naturally, a cure that brings home the bacon

Impartial Reporter - 24th February 2000

For those who yearn for the way bacon used to taste years ago, Pat O'Doherty has come up with a "cure". The Enniskillen butcher's unique recipe for Fermanagh bacon has just won him a major award from the Irish Food Writers' Guild.

The distinctive "Fermanagh Dry Cured Black Bacon™" was flavour of the month, indeed year for the judges who announced the winners of their annual awards in Dublin yesterday. The product won the "Supreme Award" at the seventh annual Ballygowan Irish Food Writers Guild Awards.

Pat O'Doherty, who travelled to the venue at St Stephen's Green to receive the award, first began developing the Fermanagh Black Bacon™ about six years ago.

"Bacon was part of the staple diet of our forefathers, but many people felt the bacon of yesteryear had gone. What we eat today goes through such a process that it is a completely different product. We wanted to sell bacon with a distinctive taste," explained Pat.

O'Doherty's decided to develop their own Fermanagh bacon. Initially, it involved a lot of experimentation and they decided to interview a few old farmers to find out how they cured bacon years ago, and what ingredients they used.

One of the key areas appeared to be the length of time taken in curing. In some cases, modern bacon can be cured from pork in just three days; but in the past bacon was cured by local farmers for several months on their own land.

"Curing too quickly doesn't give the flavour a chance," explained Pat. So, in addition to ingredients such as herbs and spices, is added time. The exact recipe remains a trade secret for the O'Doherty family, who have a processing unit in the cellar of their Belmore Street premises that is up to EC standard.

Cooked as a whole,the outside of the bacon does turn black, but inside it remains pink.

"It is distinctive in appearance," said Pat. "Some people ask if we use black pigs. A percentage of black pigs are used, and we also deal with specialist breeders for Essex or Saddleback pigs. But I'm a believer in local produce throughout the shop and for the vast majority of our bacon we also deal with local farmers."

The bacon is unique to Fermanagh, and that labelling is helping to attract business from other areas of Ireland, even Edinburgh and Jersey. O'Doherty's sell the product in their own shop, but also provide packets to other retailers in the county.

It's caught the eye of a number of television and newspapers, and Fermanagh Black Bacon™ has been featured on BBC television and in the Sunday Times.

And obviously, it also caught the attention of the Food Writers Guild, whose judges arrived at O'Doherty's for a tasting session some time ago. In giving the bacon the premier award, the judges pointed out that the pork is cured using ancient methods and natural ingredients, dry cured and allowed to season naturally. It is not injected with water or phosphates and does not ooze white phosphate residue as it cooks.

A delighted Pat O'Doherty felt the award was recognition for Fermanagh. The butcher's business he manages in Belmore Street, Enniskillen is very much a family team affair. A butcher's business has been run on that site for many years, and was taken over in 1957 by Pat's father, Mr James O'Doherty, who still puts in a working week at the shop, as does his wife, Teresa and Pat's sister Nuala.