A meat product and method of cutting a boneless elongated meat member are disclosed. The elongated meat member is the loin of a hog carcass; the elongated meat member has a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis between the first and second ends. The method includes separating the elongated meat member into at least three elongated meat portions, two exterior elongated meat portions, and an interior elongated meat portion between the two exterior portions, the interior elongated meat portion is substantially in the shape of a rectangular prism. The separating step includes cutting the elongated meat member end to end in substantially the same direction of the longitudinal axis the length of the elongated meat member. The method also includes dividing the boneless elongated meat member into a plurality of smaller meat pieces by cutting the boneless elongated meat member substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

A meat product and method of cutting a boneless elongated meat member are disclosed. The elongated meat member is the loin of a hog carcass; the elongated meat member has a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis between the first and second ends. The method includes separating the elongated meat member into at least three elongated meat portions, two exterior elongated meat portions, and an interior elongated meat portion between the two exterior portions, the interior elongated meat portion is substantially in the shape of a rectangular prism. The separating step includes cutting the elongated meat member end to end in substantially the same direction of the longitudinal axis the length of the elongated meat member. The method also includes dividing the boneless elongated meat member into a plurality of smaller meat pieces by cutting the boneless elongated meat member substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

An apparatus is provided for curing and more specifically for cold smoking meat or seafood with a blend of filtered smoke from an organic smoking material such as softwoods such as pine or tropical palms such as coconut wood or such as mixed wood sawdust from a sawmill, that are not traditionally used for smoking seafood or meat due to the harsh flavor imparted by their smoke, and unfiltered smoke from a second organic smoking material such as hardwood smoke, or other pleasant flavor-imparting smoke. The blending of filtered smoke from a first organic smoking material such as coniferous softwood, tropical palm wood or mixed sawdust from a sawmill with unfiltered pleasant flavor-imparting smoke from the second organic smoking material reduces the cost of the smoking and curing process and allows versatility in application in terms of preservative properties and flavor imparted to the cured meat or seafood.

The present invention includes a method and meat product made by contacting an emulsion with a meat product for a time sufficient to, wherein the emulsion comprises by weight: 10% to 50% water, 0.1 to 4.0% Quillaja, 0.1% to 8% meat flavoring, 60% to 85% high oleic sunflower oil, meat seasoning, 0-2.0% salt, and optionally one or more stabilizers.

A method of providing a carbonate salt for treatment of meat, comprising providing a bicarbonate salt; heating the bicarbonate salt to convert the bicarbonate salt to a carbonate salt so that the bicarbonate salt is heated to a temperature of at least about 145? F. for a time until detectable production of CO.sub.2 has ceased; and applying the carbonate salt to meat prior to cooking of the meat.

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.

The present invention is in the field of processing meat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of processing meat to enhance moisture retention and flavor during storage and cooking by infusing the meat with an aqueous composition containing salt and sodium carbonate at a pH in the range of from 10.1 to 11.3.

The present invention is in the field of processing meat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of processing meat to enhance moisture retention and flavor during storage and cooking by infusing the meat with an aqueous composition containing salt and sodium carbonate at a pH in the range of from 10.1 to 11.3.

A needle cleaning system that backflushes an inner passage of needles (40) successively with a cleaning solution, such as caustic soda, pressurized air and a washing liquid. The needle cleaning machine has an airtight container (17) closed at the top by a support base (15) with holes (16) where a group of needles (40) are inserted in a position in which an upper portion of the needles, where an inlet opening is located, is outside the airtight container and a lower portion of the needles, where outlet ports are located, is inside the airtight container (17). The container (17) is connected to ducts (19, 21, 23, 25, 27) provided with valves (20, 24, 26, 28) by which the cleaning solution driven by a pump (29), the pressurized air (23) and the washing liquid (25) are supplied to the containers (17).

An apparatus is provided for curing and more specifically for cold smoking meat or seafood with a blend of filtered smoke from an organic smoking material such as softwoods such as pine or tropical palms such as coconut wood or such as mixed wood sawdust from a sawmill, that are not traditionally used for smoking seafood or meat due to the harsh flavor imparted by their smoke, and unfiltered smoke from a second organic smoking material such as hardwood smoke, or other pleasant flavor-imparting smoke. The blending of filtered smoke from a first organic smoking material such as coniferous softwood, tropical palm wood or mixed sawdust from a sawmill with unfiltered pleasant flavor-imparting smoke from the second organic smoking material reduces the cost of the smoking and curing process and allows versatility in application in terms of preservative properties and flavor imparted to the cured meat or seafood.