Meat curing machine
OwnerChristianus P. Langeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to a meat curing machine which is capable of performing the functions of pickle injection, massaging and tenderizing of meat. The machine has a curing chamber which has at least two compartments and an injection head is located in one of the compartments. The injection head supports a plurality of injection needles which are hollow and connected to a source of pressurized curing fluid. The housing is rotated to permit the meat to tumble onto the injection needles to be impaled thereon and the curing fluid is injected into the meat when the meat is impaled on the needles. The needles have an injection passage extending longitudinally thereof which opens outwardly at the distal end thereof, the distal end being angularly inclined with respect to the longitudinal extent of the needle.
Claims8
In a meat curing machine having a housing formed with a curing chamber located therein, said housing being mounted for rotation about a tumbling axis, said chamber having first and second compartments extending outwardly from the tumbling axis at circumferentially spaced intervals, said first and second compartments each having an inner end opening towards said tumbling axis and an outer end remote from said tumbling axis, means for drawing a vacuum in said curing chamber and means for rotating said housing about said tumbling axis so as to alternately raise and lower said first and second compartments relative to one another such that during a portion of the rotation the first compartment is located in a meat receiving position below the second compartment, the improvement comprising;
- (a) a plurality of injection needles located at the outer end of the first compartment, each of said injection needles having an injection passage opening therethrough and each injection passage having an input end and a discharge end, the input ends communicating with a manifold located at the outer end of the first compartment with their discharge ends directed toward the inner end of the first compartment,
- (b) a source of curing fluid under pressure located externally of said housing,
- (c) fluid passage means communicating with the manifold at the input ends of the injection needles and connected to the source of pressurized curing fluid, and
- (d) control means in the fluid passage means and operative normally to stop the flow of fluid through said injection passage means but to permit the flow of fluid when said first compartment is in said meat receiving position with respect to said second compartment.
An injection head for a machine for injecting meat curing fluid from a source under pressure into meat comprising,
- (a) a housing having spaced first and second walls forming a chamber therein,
- (b) a plurality of injection needles each having an injection passage opening therethrough, said injection passage having an input end and a discharge end, said injection needles being mounted in said housing with their input ends extending through said first wall and opening into said chamber and with their discharge ends projecting outwardly from the housing for insertion into a meat product,
- (c) a flexible diaphragm mounted in the housing and extending thereacross between said walls opposite the input ends of said needles in a spaced relationship with respect to said first wall to form a fluid receiving manifold compartment in said chamber, between said diaphragm and said first wall, said input ends of said plurality of needle injection passages each being disposed within said manifold compartment, said flexible diaphragm being movable between a normal first position abutting and closing the input passages of said needles and a second position in which the input passages are open to communicate with said manifold compartment, and
- (d) passage means opening from said source through the second wall of said chamber and said diaphragm into said manifold compartment, for admitting pressurized meat curing fluid thereto whereby said flexible diaphragm may be moved with respect to the input end of each needle between said normal closed position and said open position in response to fluid pressure within said manifold compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.