Process for pickling meat sections

A process for pickling meat sections selected from the group consisting of briskets, hams, or picnics, said meat sections being skinned de-bonded, and de-fatted portions thereof and being intended to absorb a predetermined quantity of a liquid pickling medium, and said process comprising the steps of;

• injecting said meat sections with a first quantity of a liquid pickling medium, less than said predetermined quantity;
• placing said meat sections in a container together with an additional quantity of said liquid pickling medium said first quantity, and said additional quantity of pickling medium together totalling substantially exactly the quantity of liquid pickling medium desired to be absorbed by said meat sections in the process;
• continuously rotating a stirring member at a predetermined torque value sufficient to procure rotation of a speed of between four and eighteen revolutions per minute, within a central part of said container, while leaving other parts remote from the center free of such stirring, thereby subjecting some said meat sections to direct stirring action by contact with said stirring member in said central part of said container while other said meat sections in said other parts of said container are out of contact with said stirring member, and are subjected to movement of other meat sections, whereby to produce a continuous gentle massaging action on said meat sections, and a continual transfer of meat sections from said central portion of said container to said other portions, and back again, said gentle massaging action producing a gradual exudation of soluble protein material from said meat sections, and a gradual absorption of said further quantity of said pickling medium in said container by said meat sections, said exuded protein material rendering the contents of said container more viscous, and hence imposing a greater stirring load on said stirring member, and,
• reducing the speed of rotation of said stirring member gradually in response to the increasing viscosity of said contents, while maintaining said torque constant, and continuing stirring at progressively reducing speed until substantially all said further liquid pickling medium is absorbed by said meat sections, and until said protein material is combined with said meat sections into a substantially homogeneous mass.