Apparatus for processing food products

An apparatus for producing a plurality of food product portions having a predetermined weight comprising:

• a food engaging surface for engaging a food product to be processed;
• an actuating member operatively connected to said food engaging surface for moving said food engaging surface to exert force upon and move said food product down line;
• a food guide member for guiding said food product during movement downline, at least one of said food engaging surface and said actuating member and said food guide member being movable from a first position to a lateral second position for loading said food product into said food guide member;
• an extrusion plate having a plurality of irregularly shaped apertures and positioned downline of said loaded food product towad which said food product is advanced for extrusion into a plurality of elongated irregularly shaped continuous lengths of food product;
• and
• a cutting mechanism positioned on the other side of said extrusion plate from said food product for cutting said irregularly shaped lengths of food product into a predetermined width thereby forming a plurality of food products portions which are irregularly shaped and have a predetermined weight.