Patent ID: 7607973

Claim:
A bacon comb for hanging a bacon belly in a vertical position for processing, said bacon belly having a primary lean muscle and a secondary lean CT (cutaneous trunci) muscle laterally spaced from said primary lean muscle by fat therebetween, said comb comprising a plurality of laterally extending hooks engaging and supporting said primary lean muscle and said secondary lean CT muscle at the top end of said bacon belly to prevent drop-away of said secondary lean CT muscle from said primary lean muscle at said top end, to increase the number of bacon slices per bacon belly meeting #1 grade criteria, wherein said hooks comprise a two-tier hook pattern comprising a first set of one or more hooks engaging said bacon belly at a first vertical elevation therealong, and a second set of one or more hooks engaging said bacon belly at a second vertical elevation therealong lower than said first vertical elevation, wherein said hooks extend laterally along a first lateral direction to engage said bacon belly, and wherein said first and second sets of hooks are laterally spaced from each other along a second lateral direction transverse to said first lateral direction, each of said first and second lateral directions extending transversely relatively to vertical, and comprising a third set of one or more hooks engaging said bacon belly at said first vertical elevation therealong, said first and third sets of hooks being laterally spaced along said second lateral direction on distally opposite lateral sides of said second set of hooks, said second set of hooks being laterally between and vertically below said first and third sets of hooks.