Claims
- 1. A meat marinating apparatus comprising:
- a generally horizontal vessel having an interior chamber, a sealed end, a discharge end having a discharge opening, a hollow outer wall forming a jacket for the circulation of liquid refrigerant during operation, and an opening at the top of said vessel;
- a vacuum sealed discharge door at said discharge end of said vessel so that a full vacuum can be created inside said vessel when in operation;
- a sealed vacuum cover for covering said opening at the top of said vessel so that a full vacuum can be created inside said vessel when in operation;
- a base for supporting said vessel;
- massaging means for mixing and massaging marinating solution into meat product, said massaging means having refrigerated surface areas for cooling meat products when in operation.
- 2. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said massaging means comprises a rotatable paddle agitator rotatably mounted within the interior chamber of said vessel, said agitator having a horizontal hollow agitator shaft, an inlet port for introduction of liquid refrigerant, an outlet port for discharge of said refrigerant, a plurality of hollow paddles, said paddles radially affixed to said hollow agitator shaft in such a manner as to form a continuous unbroken series of channels for directing and controlling the unidirectional flow of liquid refrigerant through said hollow agitator shaft and said paddles, and means for introducing liquid refrigerant into said inlet port of said hollow agitator shaft and said hollow outer wall of said vessel.
- 3. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 further including means for rotating said agitator in either direction about its horizontal axis when in operation.
- 4. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said vessel has a substantially cylindrical inferior portion and a substantially cuboid superior portion.
- 5. The meat marinating machine of claim 4 wherein said cuboid portion has an opening running substantially the entire length at its top.
- 6. The meat marinating machine of claim 5 further including a sealed vacuum cover for covering said opening when the machine is in operation.
- 7. The meat marinating machine of claim 4 wherein said cylindrical inferior portion has relative length-to-diameter dimensions of between 2:1 to 3:1.
- 8. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said paddles are affixed to said agitator shaft at an angle so as to create a screw drive for pushing product in a horizontal direction within said vessel during operation.
- 9. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said paddles are substantially triangular in shape.
- 10. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said agitator is a motorized drive system connected to said hollow horizontal shaft of said paddle agitator.
- 11. The meat marinating machine of claim 10 wherein said motorized drive system is reversible and may be programmed to periodically alternate the direction of rotation of said paddle agitator.
- 12. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 further including an agitator control system which slows said motorized drive system and agitator rotation as the temperature of meat product cools during operation.
- 13. The meat marination machine of claim 1 wherein said agitator control system includes a variable speed drive and a programmable logic circuit that senses product temperature and slows agitator speed as product cools.
- 14. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said sealed vacuum cover is motorized.
- 15. The meat marinating machine of claim 1 wherein said vacuum sealed discharge door is motorized.
- 16. A meat marinating apparatus comprising:
- a generally horizontal vessel having an interior chamber, a sealed end, a discharge end, a substantially cylindrical inferior portion having a hollow outer wall with an integral baffle system for controlled circulation of refrigerant and a substantially cuboid superior portion thereby giving a keyhole profile when viewed on end, an opening at the top of said superior portion for loading of product, and an opening at said discharge end for removal of product;
- a sealed vacuum cover for covering said opening at the top of said superior portion of said vessel so that a full vacuum can be created when in operation;
- a vacuum sealed discharge door at said discharge end of said vessel so that a full vacuum can be created during operation;
- a base for supporting said vessel;
- a rotatable paddle agitator positioned within the interior chamber of said vessel, said agitator having a horizontal hollow agitator shaft rotatably mounted through support bearings located at the approximate longitudinal axis of the cylindrical portion of said vessel at each of the ends of the vessel, an inlet port for introduction of liquid refrigerant into said hollow agitator shaft, and an outlet port for discharge of said refrigerant;
- a plurality of hollow paddles, said paddles affixed to said hollow agitator shaft in such a manner as to form a continuous unbroken series of channels for directing and controlling the unidirectional flow of liquid refrigerant through said hollow agitator shaft and said paddles;
- a reversible motorized drive system connected to said hollow horizontal shaft of said paddle agitator, said drive system alternately rotating the agitator in either direction about its horizontal axis when in operation;
- means for introducing liquid refrigerant into said hollow agitator shaft; and
- means for introducing liquid refrigerant into said hollow outer wall of said vessel; and
- a vacuum pump for evacuating air from said vessel during operation.
- 17. The meat marinating machine of claim 16 wherein said opening at said top of said cuboid portion of said vessel runs substantially the entire length of said top.
- 18. The meat marinating machine of claim 16 wherein said cylindrical inferior portion has relative length-to-diameter dimensions of between 2:1 to 3:1.
- 19. The meat marinating machine of claim 16 wherein said paddles are affixed to said agitator shaft at an angle so as to create a screw drive for pushing product in a horizontal direction within said vessel during operation.
- 20. The meat marinating machine of claim 16 wherein said motorized drive system may be programmed to periodically alternate the direction of rotation of said paddle agitator.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 60/095,183, filed Aug. 3, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (10)