System and method for manufacturing and processing a food product

A system for manufacturing a food product, the system comprising:

• a portion element configured to stuff food product into casings to form food product logs;
• a plurality of food product molds configured to hold the food product logs;
• a food product cooking system having a plurality of thermal processing tanks configured to receive the food product molds and to cook the food product logs within the food product molds using a heated water solution;
• a first conveying system;
• an apparatus to unload the food product logs from the food product molds and onto the first conveying system;
• a buffering and equilibrating apparatus configured to receive the food product logs from the first conveying system, and to cool core temperatures of the food product logs to a predetermined temperature;
• and
• a second conveying system configured to convey the food products logs from the buffer and equilibrating apparatus to a slicing apparatus configured to slice the food product logs into a plurality of slices;
• wherein a cycle time for cooling the food product logs is different than a cycle time for slicing the food product logs;
• and
• wherein the buffering and equilibrating apparatus is further configured to compensate for the difference in the cycle times for cooling the food product logs and for slicing the food product logs.

A method of manufacturing a food product, the method comprising:

• rolling a plurality of casings stuffed with a meat mixture to form a plurality of D-shaped food product logs;
• loading the plurality of D-shaped food product logs into a respective plurality of food product molds, wherein the food product molds comprise surfaces conforming to each surface of the D-shaped food product logs;
• thermally processing the plurality of D-shaped food product logs in the plurality of food product molds in a plurality of tanks configured to receive the plurality of food product molds, wherein thermally processing comprises using a heated water solution;
• subsequent to thermally processing the plurality of D-shaped food product logs, unloading the plurality of D-shaped food product logs from the plurality of food product molds;
• conveying the unloaded plurality of D-shaped food product logs to a buffering and equilibrating apparatus with a first conveying system;
• cooling the plurality of D-shaped food product logs with the buffering and equilibrating apparatus until core temperatures of the plurality of D-shaped food product logs reach a predetermined temperature;
• and
• conveying the cooled plurality of D-shaped food product logs from the buffering and equilibrating apparatus to a slicing apparatus with a second conveying system,
• wherein a cycle time for cooling the D-shaped food product logs is different than a cycle time for slicing the D-shaped food product logs;
• wherein the buffering and equilibrating apparatus is configured to compensate for the difference in the cycle times for cooling the D-shaped food product logs and for slicing the D-shaped food product logs.