System and method for manufacturing and processing a food product

A system for manufacturing a food product, the system comprising:

• a portion element configured to stuff food product into casings to form food product logs;
• a plurality of food product molds configured to hold the food product logs;
• a food product cooking system having a plurality of thermal processing tanks configured to receive the food product molds holding the food product logs and to cook the food product
• logs within the food product molds using a heated water solution;
• a first conveying system;
• an apparatus to unload the food product logs from the food product molds and onto the first conveying system;
• a buffering and equilibrating apparatus configured to receive the food product logs from the first conveying system, and to cool core temperatures of the food product logs to a predetermined temperature;
• and
• a second conveying system configured to convey the food products logs from the buffer and equilibrating apparatus to a slicing apparatus configured to slice the food product logs into a plurality of slices;
• and
• wherein the cycle time for cooling the food product logs is different than the cycle time for slicing the food product logs,
• wherein the buffering and equilibrating apparatus is further configured to compensate for the difference in cycle times between the food product cooking system and the slicing apparatus, and
• wherein the plurality of food product molds are stacked on each other and configured to shape the food products into a D-shaped food product logs.