DRAPE OR WRAP FOR A ROASTING JOINT AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME

Abstract: Animal meat, e.g. principally fat, ground and chopped to particulate form and admixed with stabilizer, such as gela­ tine, to form an extrudable paste 30, is entruded as the filling between two collagen films 14, 15 to form a sandwich-like product which is reeled at 22. Appropriate lengths of the product are severed as desired from the reel and are used as drapes or wraps around meat joints. A comparable product can be made using only a single collagen layer, to which the fat layer adheres. If lean meat is used in the place of the fat, the resultant product (with a single collagen layer or two collagen layers) may be used in any food preparations where thinly-sliced lean meat is conventionally used. The product of the invention enables the majority of animal meat from carcas­ ses to be usefully employed where hitherto only a minor proportion has been usable.

Description: MEAT PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME SPECIFICATION This invention concerns a butchers meat product and a method of making the same. It is general routine practice, within the retail meat industry, in the preparation and dissection of bovine meat carcasses, to set aside suitable parts of the external soft fat tissue part of the meat for subsequent use as a drape or wrap to cover the external surface of lean meat roasting joints. Two benefits arise from this, in that the fat aids the subsequent culinary process and its practical use aids costing value. There are, however, several factors the operator has to consider carefully in relation to dealing with the fat component of carcasses in this way, namely: does he spend valuable time and labour in cutting and trimming the pierces of fat into the required shape, length, width, and thickness by hand; or does he provide expensive machinery for what amounts to a very small part to the overall operation? The usual answer is that he would prefer to do it by hand, but only if he has time to spare. The result is that it becomes spasmodic and not part of a considered practice. A dressed carcass of beef contains, on average, about 12% of external and subcutaneous soft fat of which, due to the irregular shape, only some 2% is suitable for use in draping, and will contain on an average about 18% of waste bone and other unsaleable components, these percentages being by weight. Accordingly, starting with a carcassweighing, for instance, 700 ibs (approx. 318 kilos), the discarding of the unsaleable components and all but 2 of the fat would reduce the carcass to 504 lbs (approx. 229 kilos) of saleable meat, which represents a 28% reduction in the useful weight of the carcass and is tantamount to an effective increase in the basic cost of about 39%. On the other hand, if substantially all of the fat part of the meat can be retained as useful saleable product, the discarding only of the unsaleable components will reduce the 700 lb (318 kilos) carcass only by 18% to 574 lbs (261 kilos) of saleable meat which represents only an affective increase of 22% in the basic cost. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the discarding of all but 2% of the fat can involve an increase of about 17% in the cost,of the saleable meat for its aggregate to be equal to the cost of the dressed carcass, as compared with the case where all of the fat can be included in the saleable meat. An object of the present invention is to provide a meat product which, when applied to the fat of the meat as above discussed,lenables substantially the totality of the fat to be usefully employed as a joint drape or wrap, thereby enabling the economies evident from the above discussion to be achieved. In addition to the foregoing, it is to be mentioned that hitherto it has not been possible to make use of or process the fat component'of meat derived from poultry and game as a drape or wrap. A further object of the invention is to provide a meat product which can be produced using fat from poultry or game. Accordingly, when used herein the term animal is I intended to include poultry and game. Another instance where significant meat waste arises is in the preparation of so-called "olives". To prepare, for example, "beef olives" or "olives of veal" one has traditionally to start with best quality lean meat and to cut this into thinnest possible slices, as near as possible of equal size. These slices are thereafter superimposed with layers of spices and/or other fillings therebetween, and are then cooked, usually after rolling and tying. In practice, the slicing of the lean meat results in a substantial amount of waste particularly, but not exclusively, from trimming the slices, and from initial cutting to get the pieces of meat into a shape suitable for elicing, and from residual pieces which cannot readily or safely be held still for slicing. Yet a further object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an animal meat product which, when produced using lean meat, can be employed in the preparation of olives as aforesaid, but which enables substantially the whole of the meat to be employed and minimises waste. With the above-discussed objectsin view, the present invention provides an animal meat product characterised in that it comprises a support or facing layer of collagen film or membrane serving as a carrier for and to which adheres a meat layer comprising animal meat ground and/or chopped or similarly treated to reduce it to particulate form. For use as a drape or wrap, the meat layer is preferably wholly or principally of fat; for use in the preparation of olives, the meat layer is preferably wholly or principally of lean meat. In either case, the meat layer may include one or more additives such as colourings, seasonings, spices and flavourings. The meat product of the invention may comprise only the collagen support or facing layer and the meat layer. Then, the product may be prepared in sheet-like elements e.g. for subsequent cutting up to desired sizes for use. In this event, where it is required to be able to superimpose such ele invents upon one another, e.g. for handling, packaging, storage and so on, adhesion together of the the elements can be avoided by/provision, between the adjacent elements, of separating sheets, e.g. of 90- called release paper", such as a silicone impregnated paper. Preferably, however, the product comprises two of said support or facing layers of collagen film or membrane between which is sandwiched a filling of animal meat ground and/or chopped or similarly treated to reduce it fo particulate form, which filling constitutes the meat layer. Then, the product may be in the form of a continuous strip or web from which a user (e.g. a butcher) can take appropriate lengths or pieces for use as drapes or wraps on joints or processed meat products, or for the use as the equivalent of meat slices for the preparation'of olives. The invention further includes within its scope a method of treating animal meat to convert it into a meat product suitable for use as a drape or wrap or use in the preparation of slices, which comprises reducing the meat to particles by grinding and/or chopping and/or by similar treatment, forming the same into a paste or emulsion and applying the paste or emulsion as a meat layer to a support or facing layer of collagen film or membrane which serves as a carrier for the paste or emulsion to which the latter adheres. The particulate meat is preferably admixed with a stabilizer and/or an antioxidant. Additives, such as colourings, seasonings, spices and favourings may also be included in the meat mass. The meat mass may be extruded onto the collagen layer. If desired, the meat mass may be introduced as a filling layer sandwiched between a pair of the collagen layers. The extrusion is conveniently effected by an extruder having a fan-tail extrusion nozzle, the layer or layers of the collagen being fed from a reel or reels to the confronting face or faces of the extrudate to form the product which is then passed through a nip provided by a pair of gauging rollers which consolidate the product and form it to a desired thickness. In order that the inventionMmay be fully understood, it will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the product, and apparatus for producing the same. The following description is, of course, illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the invention. In the drawing:- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary perspective view illustrating, exaggerately, a piece of a first embodiment of the meat product of the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating a practical form of apparatus for producing the produot of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic fragmentary perspective view illustrating, exaggerately, Åa piece of a eecond embodiment of the meat product of the invention; and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a practical form of apparatus-for producing the product of Fig.3. Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in preparing a preferred form of the animal meat product of the invention, one starts with random pieces of animal meat cut from a carcass (which may be ovine, bovine or porcine, or may be of poultry or game) and these are firstly passed through a grinder (not shown) to seduce the meat to particles approximately to uniform size. The nature of the meat used will depend upon the intended use of the final meat product. If the product is required to be a relatively thin product, principally or wholly of lean meat for use in culinary preparations requiring thin slices of meat (such as in the preparation of meat olives), use will be made of selected lean meat with a minimum of fat present therein; on the other hand, if the eventual meat product will be required to be used as a drape or wrap for a joint, use will be made principally of fat. Of course, it may be impossible to ensure that there is absolutely no lean meat present with fat and vice versa, so the references herein to lean meat and fat respectively are not to be taken to mean that the other is excluded. The particles from the grinder are passed through a rotary chopping machine (not shown), which reduces the particle size still further. The product from the chopping machine is now mixed with a stabilizer or emulsifier and an antioxidant. As the stabilizer, use may be made of gelatine, added as a liquid solution in water, in the amount of 5 to 15% by weight of the total weight of the admixture, dependent upon the nature of the meat and the consistency of the resultant mixture. As antioxidant (which is optional) use may be made of butylated hydroxyanisole in an amount not exceeding 200 parts per million in the total weight of the mixture which is required to be a very viscous emulsion or paste capable of being extruded. As an alternative, use can be made of butylated hydroxytoluene, in the same proportions as the antioxidant. If desired, further additives may be introduced. These may, for instance, be colourings, seasonings, spices and/or flavourings, for example salt, pepper, spices, artificial and natural fruit juices and extracts, cloves, sage, cinnamon, onion, chive, mint, in whatever quantities and compositions may be appropriate or desirable, for instance in the range of half-an-ounce to four ounces of additive to ten pounds of meat. The emulsion or paste is now transferred to a mixer/auger type extruding machine such as illustrat d diagrammatically at 10 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, fitted with a fan-tail type extrusion nozzle 11. This machine is fitted, below the extrusion nozzle 11 with a let-off reel 12 for a strip 13 of collagen film or membrane. The collagen film is preferably that commercially available in the meat process industry under the Trade Name "Goldbeater". Just in front of the extrusion nozzle 11 is a support roller 14 subsequent to which is a support conveyor 15 whose upper run 16 extends through a nip provided by a pair of gauging rollers 17, 18. Provided in alignment with the end, remote from the nozzle 11, of the conveyor 15, is a table 19 above which is a parting knife 20 which is reciprocable vertically for severing the eventual product as will be described shortly. Upon operation of the extruding machine 10, the meat mass emerges from the nozzle 11 as a thin continuous web 21 (of which the thickness is shown exaggeratedly in Fig. 2) which passes onto the upper surface of the collagen strip 13 which it meets substantially in register with the support roller 14. The wdb 21 and strip 13 then pass thgether, onto the upper run 16 of the conveyor 15 by which they are conducted through the nip provided by the gauging rollers 17, 18. The pressure applied to the assembly, consisting of the meat web 21 and the collagen strip 13, serves to consolidate the same, ensuring that the meat web 21 adheres to the strip 13 and that the resultant product is substantially of constant thickness, for instance in the range from 1.5 to 4 or 5 mm. From the upper run 16 of the conveyor 15, the consolidated product passes onto the table 21 at which it is cut into appropriately-sized sheet-like elements, the form of which is illustrated diagrammatically and to a considerably enlarged scale in Fig. 1, by reciprocating movement of the knife 20, which reciprocating movement may, if desired, be adapted to shift laterally in synchronism with the movement of the product during the short period of time during which it i actually in engagement with the product. Where the product is being produced in a meat processing plant at which meat joints are being prepared, and the meat mass 21 in the product is fat, the elements, after being severed by the knife 20, may be passed directly to joint-preparation stations for application is drapes or wraps to lean meat joints. If it is required to stack the elements upon one another, use can be made of sheets or films (not shown) of non-stick or so-called "release" paper, one of which is provided upon the upper surface of each element before the next subsequent element is superimposed thereon. Such stacking may be effected both where the elements are required to be assembled into batches for distribution within the meat-processing plant, and where they are required to be stored and/or packaged for subsequent distribution to consumers, e.g. butchers and the like. As has already been described, if the meat mass 21 in the product is wholly or principally of fat, the primary use of the product will be as drapes or wraps for meat joints, e.g. for roasting. On the other hand, where the meat mass 21 is wholly or principally of lean meat with a minimum of fat or substantially no fat, the product may be employed in the preparation of any meat food, such as meat olives, which involves the use of thin slices of meat. The function of the collagen in the roduct, prior to its being used, is to impart a handleability and integrity to the product, ensuring that it does not fall apart and can stand up to reasonable handling during manufacture, storage, packaging and sub sequent use, without falling apart. When prepared food (e.g. a joint, olives or the like) incorporating the product is cooked, the collagen becomes dissipated and is not evident or apparent in the final cooked food. Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, these figures are comparable respectively with Figs. 1 and 2, with Fig. 3 showing diagrammatically a second form of the product of the invention and Fig. 4 illustrating diagrammatically a machine for producing the product of Fig. 3. As with what has been described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, for preparing the embodiment of the meat product shown in Fig. 1, one starts with random pieces of meat cut from a carcass (not shown) (which may again be ovine, bovine, porcine, poultry or game) which are treated in a grinder (not shown) to reduce them to particles of approximately uniform size. Again, the meat used will be wholly or principally of fat, or wholly or principally of lean meat according to the desired use of the eventual product. As before, the particles from the grinder are passed through a votary chopping machine (not shown), which reduces the particle size further. The product from the chopping machine is then mixed with a stabilizer or emulsifier and/or an antioxidant, and/or further additives, as in the preceding example, and, for instance, in the pre parations therein recited, to result in an extrud able viscous emulsion or paste. This emulsion or-paste is then filled into mxer/auger type extruding machine such as is illustrated diagramm atically at 40 in Fig. 4 fitted with a fan-tail extrusion nozzle 41. This machine is fitted, above and below the extrusion nozzle 41,with let-up reels 42 and 43 respectively, for respective stripes 44 and 45 of collagen film or membrane. Aligned with the extrusion nozzle 41 is the nip of a pair of guide rollers 46, 47 subsequent to which.is a support conveyor 48 whose upper run 49 is aligned with this nip and extends through a further nip provided-by a further pair of gauging rollers 51, 52. Provided below the end, remote from the nozzle 41, of the conveyor 48 is a take-up reel 53, with an idler roller 54 therebetween. The collagen film is again preferably that commercially available in the meat-processing trade under the trade Name nGoldbeater." Upon operation of the extruding machine 40, the meat emulsion or paste emerges from the nozzle 41 as a thin continuous web 55 to the upper and lower surfaces of which the collagen films 44 and 45 are applied by the guide rollers 46, 47, so that the two collagen layers 44, 45 with the meat 55 sandwiched therebetween then passes through the gauging roller nip. The pressure applied to the sandwich by the gauging rollers 51, 52 serves to consolidate the resultant sandwich-like product, a portion of which is illustrated exaggeratedly n Fig. 3, and to ensure that it is substantially of constant thickness, and the product is then wound up on the take up roll 53. The product is stored, as desired, at a suitably low temperature for preservation prior to use and/or distribution. In the case where the meat filling 55 of the sandwich is wholly or principally of fat,Xhe product is used, eventually, in exactly the same way as is unprocessed animal fat used as wrap or drape for prepared joints. The collagen films or membrane 44, 45 ensure that the product does not fall apart and provide surface strength to withstand tying or netting if required. It is, of course, quitefliable and can be caused to live closely against the outer surface of meat of a joint being wrapped, and in general will tend to adhere by itself to the joint. It will, of course, readily adhere to itself, so that a drape or wrap which extends right around a joint and overlaps itself will, in general, not require to be tied or netted in place. This will, in many instances, apply also where the drape or wrap extends only partially around the joint but there may then be cases where tying or netting is still necessary. In the instances where the tying or netting is eliminated, this can represent a significant saving both in materials and labour. The wrapped joint is clean and dry, eliminating the need for any stickiness to be cleaned off. It is also of significance, that the wrap or drape, initially present on a joint before cooking, serves during the cooking of the joint, to provide an appropriate supply of molten fat for the cooking operation, without the need for basting,and is gradually dissipated by the cooking so that only a minimum of residue from the drape or wrap remains on the cooked joint. The molten liquid from the wrap, of course, becomes part of the gravy from the cooking, and enriches such gravy. Where the meat component 55 of the resultant product is wholly or principall7 lean meat, the product will be cut up as desired to represent the equivalent of thinly-sliced lean meat, such as are used in various meat preparations involving sliced meat, and the collagen ensures that the cut up portions remain integral and do not fall apart. As practical examples in preparing meat products in either of the two foregoing cases as described with reference to Pigs. 1 and 2 and Figs. 3 and 4, the meat emulsion or paste may be extruded as a continuous web of about 6 inches (15 cm) in width and about ith of an inch (about 3 mm) in thickness, with the collagen support layer or facing layers being, for example, about 0.1 mm in thickness and the gauging rollers 17, 18 or 51, 52 serving to 'consolidate the sandwichlike product to about 2.0 mm in thickness. In the case of the product prepared according to Figs. 3 and 4, this may be cut into predetermined lengths, e.g. of about 18 inches (50 cms) instead of being rolled; similarly the product of Figs. 1 and 2 may be rolled up if desired for storage and/or transportation, provided appropriate precautions are taken to prevent the superimposed layers from adhereing to one another, e.g. by the interposition of a release paper separating web. The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing examples ando variations may be made thereto. For instance, the preparation of the product, which essentially comprises the particulate animal meat supported upon a collagen layer or sandwiched between collagen layers, may be effected in any suitable manner, and may even be effected by hand. The product may be thicker (e.g. up to about half-an-inch or 1.25 cms) than described and may be prepared in large sheets for cutting up to size as desired. In some instances, dependent upon the nature of the meat itself, it may not be necessary to add gelatine thereto to form a paste or emulsion, the treatment of the meat to convert it to particulate form being sufficient to prociuct the paste or emulsion or otherwise to render it readily -extrudible. When gelatine is added as stabiliser, this can be added as a sol or gel in cold or hot water, or as a mixture with soft fats. Obviously where the meat used is a hard fat, such as suet, this will require a greater addition of gelatine than would a softer fat or meat, to achieve the desired pasty or extrudible consistency. The use of antioxidant is not essential to the method of the invention, and this can be omitted. Where antioxidant is used, this may alternatively be butylated hydroxytoluene.

Claims: C1ÀIi.'. S 1. An animal meat product characterised in that it comprises a support or facing layer of collagen film or membrane serving as a carrier for and to which adheres a meat layer comprising animal meat ground and/or chopped or similar treated to reduce it to particulate form. 2. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the meat layer is wholly or principally of fat. 3. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the meat layer is wholly or principally of lean meat. 4. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the animal meat layer includes a stabilizer. 5. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 4 wherein the stabilizer is gelatine. 6. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 5 wherein the gelatine is present in an amount from 5 to 150 by weight of the total weight of the meat. 7. An animal meat product as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the animal meat layer includes an antioxidant. 8. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 7 wherein the antioxidant is butylated ilydroxyanisole or butylated hydroxytoluene present in an amount not exceeding 200 parts per million, of the total weight of the filling. 9. An animal meat product as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the meat layer includes an additive comprising colouring and/or seasoning and/or spice and/or flavouring. 10. An animal meat product as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the meat layer has the collagen layer on one face and a release sheet on the other face, to enable a plurality of elements of said product to be superimposed upon one another. 11. An animal meat product as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 which comprises two of said support or facing layers of collagen film or membrane, between which is sandwiched a filling of animal meat ground and/or chopped or similarly treated to reduce it to particulate form, which filling constitutes the meat layer. 12. An animal meat product as claimed in any preceding claim and which is in the form of a continuous strip or web. 13. An animal meat product as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the meat layer is in the form of a paste extrusion. 14. An animal meat product as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings. 15. A method of treating animal meat to convert it into a meat product suitable for use in slices form or as a drape or wrap, which comprises reducing the meat to particles by grinding and/or chopping or by similar treatment, forming the same into a paste or emulsion and applying the paste or emulsion as a layer to a support or facing layer of collagen film or membrane which serves as a carrier for the paste or emulsion and to which the latter adheres. 16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the paste or emulsion is introduced between two facing layers of the collagen film or membrane as a filling sandwiched between said layers. 17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein a stabilizer and/or an antioxidant is admixed with the meat. 18. A method as claimed in-claims 15, 16 or 17 wherein further additives comprising a colouring, and/or seasoning, and/or spice, and/or flavouring, is admixed with the meat. 19. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 18 wherein the paste or emulsion is extruded onto the collagen film. 20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the extrusion is effected through a fan-tail extrusion nozzle, layers of the oollagen being fed from reels to the opposite sides of the extrudate to form a sandwich which is then passed through a nip provided by a pair of gauging rollers which consolidate the product and form it to a desired thickness. 21. A method of treating animal meat to convert it into a product suitable for use in slice form or as a drape or Frap, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or in Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: HOLT, ALAN
Applicants: HOLT, ALAN
Application year: 1982
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: A23L1