Swift-eckrich, Inc.

Christopher P Salm

James Costelloe

Pie-Yi Wang

Gary L Moore

A method for making sausages comprises coextruding sausage paste and collagen to form a continuous sausage body having an outer tube comprising collagen in surrounding relation to the sausage paste. The continuous sausage body is separated into individual sausage links, each having an exterior surface. The sausage links are transported to an enclosure. The sausage links are loaded into baskets mounted on an endless serpentine belt contained at least in part within the enclosure. The belt is caused to circulate along a serpentine path so that the sausage links are carried boustrophedomically by the baskets through the enclosure, and the baskets are caused to successively change their orientations rotationally as the belt circulates within the enclosure so that different parts of the exterior surface of each sausage link come successively into contact with a concave interior surface of the basket in which that sausage link is carried. Heat is supplied to a selected portion of the enclosure to cook the sausage links. Additionally, the sausage links are treated with natural smoke in a selected portion of the enclosure. This method produces a round sausage having an even mahogany color using a continuous process, while also minimizing the potential for touch marks on the sausage.

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Wheaton, IL, United States of America

Christopher P Salm