Meat product, and process for preparing same
AssigneeFairmont Foods Company
InventorsCharles H. Staff, Gale F. Kunert, Tom A. Christians
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for manufacturing a dried or semi-dried meat product, such as casingless sausage, especially such a sausage popularly known as "meat sticks," though not limited thereto. A pre-formed meat emulsion with a moisture content in excess of 30% by weight, and a fat content in the range from about 5% to 50% by weight, is formed into the desired cross sectional shape and then frozen; thereafter, the sausage is optionally smoked, but, whether smoked or not, it is then dried at temperatures in excess of about 40.degree. F until the moisture content is in the range from about 10% to 30% by weight.
Claims16
The method for manufacturing a casingless dried meat product that includes the following steps in the specified order:
- a. preparing a meat emulsion having a moisture content exceeding 30% by weight;
- b. forming said meat emulsion into the desired cross sectional shape;
- c. freezing at least the surface of said meat emulsion;
- d. allowing said meat emulsion to become stabilized at room temperature;
- and
- e. drying said formed meat emulsion at temperatures above 40.degree. F. until its moisture content is reduced to the range of from about 10% to 15% by weight to prepare a finished dried meat product with a reduced tendency to oil-off and salt-out.
The method of manufacturing a casingless dried meat product, and which is adapted to prepare a casingless dry sausage, that includes the following steps in the specified order:
- a. preparing a meat emulsion having a moisture content exceeding 30% by weight;
- b. forming said emulsion into a desired sausage cross sectional shape;
- c. freezing said meat emulsion;
- d. allowing said meat emulsion to stabilize at room temperature;
- and
- e. drying said meat emulsion in an atmosphere with temperatures above 40.degree. F. and a relative humidity below 60% until its moisture content is about 14% by weight, to prepare a finished casingless dried meat product with a reduced tendency to oil-off and salt-out.
The method of manufacturing a dried casingless sausage that includes the steps of:
- a. preparing a meat emulsion having a moisture content exceeding about 30% by weight;
- b. forming the meat emulsion into a sausage cross sectional shape by extrusion through a row of stuffing horns;
- c. exposing the formed meat emulsion to a cooling temperature of -100.degree. F. to -150.degree. F. for a cooling time of thirty seconds to ten minutes;
- d. allowing the frozen meat emulsion to stabilize at room temperature;
- e. cooking the stabilized meat emulsion for approximately four hours in the presence of smoke, and thereafter
- f. drying the cooked meat emulsion at a temperature of about 70.degree. F.-75.degree. F. and a relative humidity of about 50-75%, until its moisture content is at most approximately 15%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.