Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC

Cory Jay Painter

Sarah C Humke

Lauren Michele Sammel

Terry L Holmes

Gary Skaar

Matthew A Hurm

Edward A Kusmider

Scott J Bradley

Kent H Thrasher

Iksoon Kang

William Nathaniel Gale Barron, Iii

James Donald Colby

Henri K Salman

Doris Ticknor

Keena Brown

Jennifer Cuccia

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing irregular slices of meat from meat products. Further, a method of mass-producing a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance includes combining whole muscle meat with a mixture having no phosphates and a limited amount of salt. Further, the whole muscle meat mixture is loosely stuffed into casings such that void space is permitted between the individual whole muscles. Once the whole muscle meat has been cooked and cooled, the meat may be sliced on a variety of slicing equipment to create a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance.

Home-style meat product and method of producing same

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing irregular slices of meat from meat products. The meat products can be rotated using an impeller having a plurality of paddles for urging the meat products against a slicing blade during rotation of the impeller in order to create a slice from the meat product. The meat products can impact the slicing blade in different orientations in order to create differently shaped, irregular slices of meat. A cutting blade downstream of the slicing blade can be used to reduce the width of the slices of meat.

Method and apparatus to mechanically reduce food products into irregular shapes and sizes

Deboned meat is subjected to processing in a surimi-type procedure in order to substantially reduce the heme content and thus the color intensity of the deboned meat, with bone marrow components and fat also being removed. When desired, the washed meat is subjected to dewatering, such as by pressing, in order to provide a color and fat reduced deboned meat. Multiple-stage separation is practiced, and the protein yield of the washed meat is advantageously elevated.

Washed deboned meat having high protein recovery

A method apparatus for removing a casing, particularly a casing with a clip end embedded in the product, is disclosed where the clipped end is clamped and gas is injected into this end to blow out the clip and casing end while the clamped portion prevents the entire casing from being inflated. The air or gas, such as HEPA filtered air, is injected into the product with a needle, for instance, to balloon out the casing in the clamped area to free the previously embedded clip. The clip is then gripped, certain cuts are made in the casing, and the casing is pulled from the product. An injector such as a needle is inserted into the end portion of the product and pressurized gas, such as HEPA filtered air, is injected into the end portion. The injection of the gas causes the casing to balloon out from the product thereby freeing the previously embedded clip. The freed clip is then gripped while the casing is then cut for removal. The casing may be cut in a Y-shape with two cuts beginning approximately at two corners of one side of the square end and angled towards each other along a side of the product. The two cuts meet, and a third cut is made longitudinally along the length of the product beginning at the meeting point of the two angled cuts. The gripped clip and casing are pulled causing the casing to separate from the product along the cut lines.

Automated extraction of casing clips from cooked meat products

Control of the texture of meat cuts is accomplished so as to minimize the development of mealy, wet and soft texture of the meat cut, particularly when used in combination with a sauce having a relatively low pH of about 4.5 or below. The meat cuts are first fully cooked and chilled and then inserted, together with a low pH sauce, into a pouch and hermetically sealed within the pouch and stored under refrigerated, non-frozen conditions for at least 60 days without deterioration.

Packaged cooked meat and low pH sauce

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Cory Jay Painter