A multifunctional natural food ingredient including a blend of natural smoke flavor rich in carbonyl compounds and buffered vinegar was developed which exhibited the ability to enhance organoleptic attributes of appearance, flavor and texture of cooked ready to eat meat products, control pathogens and aciduric psychrorophic microorganisms and extend shelf life.

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 invention provides a curing agent comprising a plant-based nitrite derived from plant material comprising nitrate and a process for preparing the curing agent comprising contacting a plant material with an organism capable of converting nitrate to nitrite. The curing agent can be used to preserve or cure meat or meat products.

The invention relates to a device and a method that can be carried out using said device, for producing meat products using pieces of raw meat that are joined together and subsequently cooked and/or that absorb a liquid composition. The device has working surfaces that encompass an inner volume, at least one of said working surfaces having a drive for back-and-forth motion and for pressing the at least one working surface against pieces of raw meat situated in the inner volume that is encompassed by the working surfaces.

A ported marinade injection system useful for injecting flavoring fluids into vacuum-packaged meats. The apparatus may include a package couple, a port support couple, an injection port, a self-sealing port, and a port cover. The apparatus may be used by attaching the package couple and the port support couple to a package, attaching the self-sealing port and the injection port to the port support couple, injecting a marinade or other flavoring, and covering the port to seal the flavoring within the package.

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 automatic meat seasoning apparatus for seasoning and tenderizing meat includes a housing having a housing aperture extending through to a cavity. A housing door is coupled to the housing to seal and unseal the housing aperture. A cylindrical drum is coupled to a pair of axles such that the drum is and rotatably coupled within the cavity. The drum has a drum aperture and a plurality of circular seasoning apertures. A drum door is coupled to the drum to close and open the drum aperture. A plurality of spikes is coupled inside the drum to gouge and tenderize a piece of meat placed inside the drum. A motor is coupled through the housing to rotate the drum. A control unit is coupled to the housing to operate the motor.

A marinator apparatus for the preparation of pieces of a whole chicken includes a fluid-tight hollow drum with opposing top and bottom walls that are substantially planar and that include an opening with a lid configured to sealingly close the opening. The drum further includes an interior baffle fixed inside that separates the drum into a top compartment accessible only through the top opening and an opposite bottom compartment accessible only through the bottom opening. The drum is supported for rotation by a support axle projecting from one end wall and a drive axle projecting from the opposite end wall. The drive axle includes a driven gear configure to be driven by a powered drive gear.

A method to dry and smoke meat that includes process steps of marinating the meat, slicing the meat into individual slices, heating and smoking the slices, and packaging the slices.

A method to dry and smoke meat that includes process steps of marinating the meat, slicing the meat into individual slices, heating and smoking the slices, and packaging the slices.