A method of manufacture of a microwave or thermally reheatable or cookable food product comprising the steps of: providing a solid or solidified substrate; applying two or more coating compositions to the substrate to produce a coated substrate. At least one of the coating compositions includes ethylcellulose.

Meat crisps and methods of producing the crisps are provided. The meat crisp is a crunchy meat product comprised of at least ground meat or whole muscle meat pieces. Generally the meat is dehydrated and the crunchy meat crisp has a water activity (A.sub.w) of about 0.3 to about 0.6. The meat crisp also may have a moisture percentage of about 4.5% to about 15%, a crisp thickness of about 0.025-in. to about 0.25-in., and a crispness value of less than 731 kg.Math.seconds such that the meat crisp has an appearance, texture, flavor, eating quality, and/or mouth feel similar to other snack chips such as potato or corn chips. The meat crisp may be produced by slicing a cooked meat log and then dehydrating the cooked slice. Alternatively, the meat crisp may be produced by forming thin raw meat films or sheets that are subsequently cooked and dehydrated.

A system for cooking pieces of protein may include a flour applicator that receives the pieces of protein in an uncooked state and applies a coating of flour to outer surfaces thereof; a batter applicator that receives the pieces of uncooked protein coated with the flour from the flour applicator and applies a batter made from high-gluten flour to the coated outer surfaces thereof; a packaging machine that receives the pieces of uncooked protein coated with the batter made from the high-gluten flour from the batter applicator and seals the pieces of protein in plastic pouches; and a heating unit that receives the sealed plastic pouches containing the uncooked protein coated with the batter from the packaging machine and cooks the battered protein pieces in the plastic pouches.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing irregular pieces 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 a low-phosphate solution and/or a low-salt solution and cooking the combination to produce whole muscle meat logs. Once the whole muscle meat has been cooked, the meat may be pulled, shredded, or sliced on a variety of pulling, shredding, and slicing equipment to create a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance.

A drum-type coating apparatus for applying breading material to food product is configured to eliminate, in most circumstances, a hard cylindrical drum, to be replaced by a U-hanging belt, the belly of which provides all the operative utility of a cylindrical hard drum, but better than that, provides more clearance for cleaning operations, since the upper hemi-cylinder of a hard cylindrical drum provides no utility for tumbling purposes and only, to make matters worse, obstructs cleaning operations. Also, the overall coating apparatus for supporting the U-hanging belt, flexible drum is provided with provisions for the exchangeable substitution or elimination of accessories of the tumbling and/or flipping nature, including the U-hanging belt, flexible drum itself. In the elimination configuration, food product is not routed through any tumbling and/or flipping accessory but is instead run through a flat bed configuration. That way, delicate food product is protected from disintegration.

A cooking aid comprising a sheet of flexible burn resistant material and a composition disposed on one face of the sheet, the composition comprising a mixture of vegetable or animal oil with a melting point below 20 C., vegetable or animal fat with a melting point above 20 C., and one or more herbs, spices and flavor enhancers.

A system for cooking pieces of protein may include a batter applicator that receives a batter made from high-gluten flour and coats the batter on pieces of protein, a thermoforming packaging machine that receives the pieces of protein coated with the batter from the batter applicator and seals the pieces of protein in plastic pouches, and a heating unit that receives the plastic pouches from the thermoforming packaging machine and cooks the battered protein in the plastic pouches. A method for cooking pieces of protein may include coating a batter made from high-gluten flour on the pieces of protein; sealing the pieces of protein coated with the batter in plastic pouches; and cooking the battered protein in the plastic pouches to make cooked, battered protein pieces in which the batter is tacky after cooking. The cooked protein pieces may be removed from the plastic pouches, breaded, and flash fried.

Methods, packaging, and packets for wet aging meat are described herein. For example, in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure a package for wet aging meat includes a cut of meat having a fat layer portion and an edible meat portion, an adsorptive material to adsorb gases emitted from the cut of meat wherein the adsorptive material is positioned on the fat layer portion, a salt material positioned on the adsorptive material or on the fat layer portion with the adsorptive material, and wherein the cut of meat with the adsorptive material and salt material is sealed in a packaging material to form the package.

A pre-seasoned, ready to cook or packaged frozen food product comprising a base food component such as meat or poultry, coated with a Jamaican jerk spice seasoning comprising herbs, spices and salt for a predefined period of time, followed by aseptic packaging and freezing for attaining optimum shelf life. The seasoning composition may comprise either a dry mix of spices or a wet marinade.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing irregular pieces 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 a low-phosphate solution and/or a low-salt solution and cooking the combination to produce whole muscle meat logs. Once the whole muscle meat has been cooked, the meat may be pulled, shredded, or sliced on a variety of pulling, shredding, and slicing equipment to create a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance.