The Hillshire Brands Company

Tyson Foods, Inc.

Other

Sara Lee Corporation

Kent M Bearson

Dejing Fu

Nicholas James Miller

Frederick Dorsey

Liza John

Timothy A Stubbs

Barbara K Schmitt

Glenn Wille

Paul H Bernthal

John Dow Harris, Jr

William K Lambrite

Kristina J Phipps

Garry J Benedict

James Allen Ruff

Brenda Marie Dismore

Julie Michelle McIntire

Tasha Joy Hermes

Simon Hugh Politzer

Kasia Orbik

Anthony Lynn Lockard

Forrest Tyler Tate

Taylor Malott

William Vander Baan

Nicholas Miller

A cold forming process for forming a meat patty includes heating a ground meat product to a temperature T, wherein T≤40° F. The ground meat product is formed into an uncooked patty at temperature T. The uncooked patty is precooked to form a precooked patty having a skin of depth D comprising denatured protein. The skin is formed on at least an area on the outside of the precooked patty. At least a first portion of the meat product disposed beneath said skin is at approximately T. The precooked patty is cooked to form a cooked patty, wherein said at least a first portion of the meat product is at a temperature T. The cooked patty is then frozen and then packaged.

Production of precooked formed meat patties

A method may include grinding raw whole muscle meat into a ground meat material and heating the ground meat material to cook the ground meat material into a cooked ground meat material suitable for consumption. The method may also include freezing the cooked ground meat material and mixing the frozen and cooked ground meat material with an additive comprising a starch to produce a meat mixture. The method may further include pressing the meat mixture into a formed shape and slicing the formed shape into meat portions of a predetermined size.

Methods of producing ready-to-eat breakaway meat portions

A method and apparatus for an extrusion horn including an inner compression chamber having an interior channel extending from an open infeed port to an open exit port, where a top inner surface of the interior channel progressively tapers down with an initial slope having an initial downward taper to a target thickness, then top inner surface abruptly steps to an increased thickness of the channel, and then progressively tapers down with a secondary slope where the secondary slope has a steeper downward taper than the slope of the initial downward taper. An apparatus and method for extruding extrudate through an extruding horn conducive for producing bacon bits and jerky.

Method and apparatus for induction heated extrusion horn with conveyor

An apparatus for forming a meat patty includes heating a ground meat product to a temperature T1, wherein T1>32° F. The ground meat product is formed into an uncooked patty at temperature T1. The uncooked patty is precooked to form a precooked patty having a skin of depth D comprising denatured protein. The skin is formed on at least an area on the outside of the precooked patty. At least a first portion of the meat product disposed beneath said skin is at approximately T1. The precooked patty is cooked to form a cooked patty, wherein said at least a first portion of the meat product is at a temperature T2.

System and method for producing formed meat patties

A warm forming process for forming a meat patty includes heating a ground meat product to a temperature T, wherein T>32° F. The ground meat product is formed into an uncooked patty at temperature T. The uncooked patty is precooked to form a precooked patty having a skin of depth D comprising denatured protein. The skin is formed on at least an area on the outside of the precooked patty. At least a first portion of the meat product disposed beneath said skin is at approximately T. The precooked patty is cooked to form a cooked patty, wherein said at least a first portion of the meat product is at a temperature T. The cooked patty is then frozen and then packaged.

A volumetric portioning apparatus includes a valve assembly operable in a first position and a second position. The first position of the valve assembly allows a food product to flow from an input hopper through the valve assembly and into a portioning assembly. The second position allows the food product to flow from the portioning assembly, through the valve assembly and into an output receiver. The apparatus further includes an actuator coupled to the valve assembly. The actuator is operable to move the valve assembly from the first position to the second position. The apparatus further includes a knife element operable to automatically cut the food product in the valve assembly to prevent the food product from limiting movement of the valve assembly from the first position to the second position.

Apparatuses and methods of volumetric portioning of food products

A system and method for making a jerky meat product may include a pump to pump heated brine at a positive pressure at a desired temperature. Embodiments may also include an injector coupled to the pump to receive the heated brine and inject the heated brine into a cool meat product to elevate the meat product temperature. Embodiments may include a slicer that receives the meat product after the heated brine is injected and slices the meat product to a first thickness. A topical applicator may apply a topical application to coat an exterior of the slices and a flattener may flatten the slices to a second thickness less than the first thickness and to cause the topical application to adhere to the slices. Embodiments may further include a drying oven and/or grill to dry the slices of the second thickness to a desired moisture level.

Heated brine injection

Cooking extrusion horn

A cold forming process for forming a meat patty includes heating a ground meat product to a temperature T, wherein T&#x2264;40&#xb0; F. The ground meat product is formed into an uncooked patty at temperature T. The uncooked patty is precooked to form a precooked patty having a skin of depth D comprising denatured protein. The skin is formed on at least an area on the outside of the precooked patty. At least a first portion of the meat product disposed beneath said skin is at approximately T. The precooked patty is cooked to form a cooked patty, wherein said at least a first portion of the meat product is at a temperature T. The cooked patty is then frozen and then packaged.

A food product includes a first extruded component, a second extruded component co-extruded over the first component, the second component comprising a meat component and an additive, and a casing provided over the second component, wherein the additive comprises at least one of a flavoring, a seasoning, and a coloring.

Systems and methods for providing a food product with additives

An method for processing pork belly trim to produce bacon pieces where pork belly trim is size reduced and cooked. One implementation of the technology includes initial cooking and separating the product and distributing the product evenly on a conveyor. The step of initial cooking and separation is utilized because depending on the amount of size reduction and the type of size reduction, the product will tend to lump together. Therefore, in one implementation of the technology, an initial step of initial cooking and separation is utilized.

Method for processing bacon pieces

A system and method for manufacturing and processing a food product, such as forming, cooking, transporting, and slicing. The food product includes an elongated body having a generally D-shaped cross section. Additionally, the system includes a buffering and equilibrating apparatus which compensates for a difference in cycle times between the cooking system and the slicing system.

Growing community of inventors

Naperville, IL, United States of America

Kent M Bearson