Method and apparatus for cooking meat
AssigneePatrick Cudahy, Inc.
InventorsJon Allan Falk, Mien Sen Chu, Michael Desmet, Jason Kapella
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for preparing cooked particulate meat products, such as bacon bits or other bacon seasonings and toppings. The raw meat is ground to a first size in a first grinder, mixing with dry cure and water to form a raw meat mixture, cooled and stored. The raw meat mixture is then diced to a second size in a first dicer, evenly spread onto a cooking belt, cooked in one or more continuous cooking ovens to form a cooked meat mixture and diced again to a third size in a second dicer.
Claims57
A method for preparing particulate cooked meat products, the method comprising the steps of:
- grinding raw meat to a first size in a first grinder;
- mixing the ground raw meat with dry cure and water to form a raw meat mixture;
- cooling the raw meat mixture;
- storing the raw meat mixture;
- dicing the raw meat mixture to a second size in a first dicer;
- evenly spreading the raw meat mixture onto a cooking belt;
- cooking the raw meat mixture in one or more continuous cooking ovens to form a cooked meat mixture;
- and
- dicing the cooked meat mixture to a third size in a second dicer.
A method for processing raw pork belly meat into particulate cooked park products, the method comprising the steps of:
- grinding raw meat to a first size in a first grinder;
- mixing the ground raw meat with dry cure and water to form a raw meat mixture, the dry cure comprising encapsulated salts;
- cooling the raw meat mixture during the mixing step to a first temperature;
- cooling the raw meat mixture after the mixing step to a second temperature;
- storing the raw meat mixture for at least about 12 hours;
- dicing the raw meat mixture to a second size in a first dicer;
- evenly spreading the raw meat mixture onto a cooking belt;
- cooking the raw meat mixture in one or more continuous cooking microwave ovens to form a cooked meat mixture;
- breaking apart the cooked meat mixture;
- and
- dicing the cooked meat mixture to a third size in a second dicer.
A method for preparing particulate cooked pork products, the method comprising the steps of:
- dicing a ground raw meat mixture comprising raw pork belly meat, encapsulated salts, dry cure and water to a first size in a first dicer;
- evenly spreading the diced wound raw meat mixture onto a cooking belt;
- cooking the diced ground raw meat mixture in one or more continuous cooking microwave ovens to form a cooked meat mixture;
- and
- dicing the cooked meat mixture to a second size in a second dicer.
An apparatus for preparing particulate cooked meat products, the apparatus comprising:
- a first grinder for grinding raw meat to a first size;
- a mixer for mixing the ground raw meat with dry cure and water to form a raw meat mixture;
- a means for cooling the raw meat mixture;
- a storage facility for storing the raw meat mixture;
- a first dicer for dicing the raw meat mixture to a second size;
- a cooking belt;
- one or more continuous cooking ovens for cooking the raw meat mixture into a cooked meat mixture;
- and
- a second dicer for dicing the cooked meat mixture to a third size.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.