U.S. patent application number 14/518718 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-05 for butchering processes for meat products.
This patent application is currently assigned to LOBEL'S ENTERPRISES, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is LOBEL'S ENTERPRISES, LLC. Invention is credited to Stanley Lobel.
Application Number | 20150037489 14/518718 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37187551 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150037489 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lobel; Stanley |
February 5, 2015 |
BUTCHERING PROCESSES FOR MEAT PRODUCTS
Abstract
A method for mass-production butchering of a beef chuck roll
includes locating an anterior side and a posterior side of the
chuck roll, and making a first series of cuts into the chuck roll
along lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides. The
first series of cuts form a first set of separate beef portions
with increasing weights from initial to final cuts in the first
series. The method also includes making a second series of cuts
into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior and
posterior sides to form a second set of separate beef portions.
Inventors: |
Lobel; Stanley; (Purchase,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LOBEL'S ENTERPRISES, LLC |
Rye Brook |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
LOBEL'S ENTERPRISES, LLC
Rye Brook
NY
|
Family ID: |
37187551 |
Appl. No.: |
14/518718 |
Filed: |
October 20, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13970592 |
Aug 19, 2013 |
8864555 |
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14518718 |
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13280286 |
Oct 24, 2011 |
8512108 |
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13970592 |
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11612444 |
Dec 18, 2006 |
8043146 |
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13280286 |
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11277707 |
Mar 28, 2006 |
7150678 |
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11612444 |
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60668606 |
Apr 6, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/645 ;
452/149 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A22C 17/0006 20130101;
A22C 17/0033 20130101; A23L 13/00 20160801; A23V 2002/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/645 ;
452/149 |
International
Class: |
A22C 17/00 20060101
A22C017/00; A23L 1/31 20060101 A23L001/31 |
Claims
1-23. (canceled)
24. A method for butchering a portion of a beef chuck comprising
rhomboideus, spinalis dorsi, and serratus ventralis muscles, the
method comprising: sectioning the portion along a natural seam into
subportions; and sectioning a subportion into a plurality of steaks
each having a thickness no greater than about 2 inches.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the portion is a chuck
roll.
26. A steak formed by the method of claim 24.
27. The steak of claim 26, wherein the steak is sized between about
14 oz. and about 22 oz.
28. The steak of claim 26, wherein the steak is sized between about
16 oz. and about 20 oz.
29. The steak of claim 26, wherein the steak has a thickness
between about 1 inch and about 2 inches.
30. The steak of claim 26, wherein the steak has a thickness no
greater than about 1 inch.
31. A roast formed by the method of claim 24.
32. A method for butchering a portion of a beef chuck comprising
multifidus dorsi, complexus, and longissimus dorsi muscles, the
method comprising: sectioning the portion along a natural seam into
subportions; and sectioning a subportion into a plurality of steaks
each having a thickness no greater than about 2 inches.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the portion is formed from a
chuck roll.
34. A steak formed by the method of claim 32.
35. The steak of claim 34, wherein the steak is sized between about
14 oz. and about 22 oz.
36. The steak of claim 34, wherein the steak has a thickness
between about 1 inch and about 2 inches.
37. The steak of claim 34, wherein the steak has a thickness no
greater than about 1 inch.
38. A roast formed by the method of claim 32.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The benefits of Provisional Application No. 60/668,606 filed
Apr. 6, 2005 and entitled "Butchering Processes for Meat Products"
are claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e), and the entire contents
of this provisional application are expressly incorporated herein
by reference thereto.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a butchering process for meat
products. More particularly, the invention relates to a butchering
process for the chuck portion of a beef carcass.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In the United States, the organized grading of cattle and
beef has become particularly important in the promotion and
marketing of quality products. Administered by the United States
Department of Agriculture, the wading system is used to assign a
distinct level of quality to cattle carcasses.
[0004] Carcass beef grades include a "yield grade" and a "quality
grade." The yield grade, denoted by the numbers 1 through 5,
generally refers to the degree of cutability of the carcass and
serves as an indicator of the amount of closely trimmed (1/2 inch
fat or less), boneless retail cuts expected to be derived from the
major wholesale cuts of the carcass. "Yield Grade 1" represents the
highest degree of cutability. The quality grade, on the other hand,
separately indicates the palatability of the lean. Carcasses of
steers and heifers may be graded as Prime, Choice, Select,
Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner, in descending
order of quality; carcasses of cows may receive any of these grades
except Prime. Bullock carcasses may be graded as Prime, Choice,
Select, Standard, and Utility. Steers are considered male bovines
castrated when young and which have not begun to develop the
secondary physical characteristics of bulls, while heifers are
considered young, such as less than 3 year old immature female
bovines that have not developed the physical characteristics
typical of cows, e.g., have not borne a calf. Cows are considered
female bovines that have developed through reproduction or with
age, the physical characteristics typical of mature females, and
bullocks are considered young, such as under approximately 24
months of age, male bovines that have developed or begun to develop
the secondary physical characteristics of bulls.
[0005] The highest quality grade, USDA Prime, is reserved for beef
with abundant marbling (defined as flecks of fat within the lean
muscle), thus providing a juicy and flavorful meat that also is
tender. USDA Prime, for example, may have more than 8%
intramuscular fat. Only a small percent of all graded carcass beef
qualifies as USDA Prime. As would be expected, Prime beef is
favored by hotels and restaurants, is a successful commercial
export product from the United States, and also is available
through retail sales to discriminating consumers. Because it
represents the highest quality, beef certified as USDA Prime
commands the highest prices in the market.
[0006] The carcass typically refers to both sides of the animal,
whereas a side refers to half of the carcass including both a
frontquarter and a hindquarter. From the standpoint of
profitability the hindquarter cuts of the carcass, which represent
about half of a side of a beef carcass, traditionally have been
greatest in demand. In particular, the hindquarter includes the
full loin with the short loin and sirloin, the round, flank, and
kidney knob. Thus, the hindquarter is the source of the well known
beef cuts including the top loin steak, T-bone steak, porterhouse
steak, tenderloin roast or steak (such as chateaubriand or filet
mignon), top sirloin steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin roast or
steak, beef tri-tip, round steak, top round roast or steak, and
rump roasts.
[0007] The frontquarter, which represents the other half of a side
of a beef carcass, includes the chuck, rib, plate, brisket and
shank. Products typically produced from the frontquarter include
cuts such as the rib roast or steak, rib eye roast or steak, back
ribs, skirt steak, and whole brisket. The chuck, although used for
such cuts as a pot roast (chuck roast), is not considered to be
among the wholesale cuts that is most profitable and in demand.
Beef from the chuck typically is transformed into lower cost ground
beef chuck for example for use in producing ground beef chuck
patties.
[0008] Once a carcass has been graded as Prime, each of the cuts
from the carcass retain that designation. Thus, cuts from both the
frontquarter and hindquarter are graded Prime, including the less
profitable Prime chuck. There exists a need to make use of the
chuck to produce steaks instead of simply being used as roasts or
being ground into ground beef chuck. Moreover, there exists a need
to make use of the Prime chuck to produce Prime steaks instead of
simply being ground into Prime ground beef chuck. Because of the
demand for the more costly cuts of Prime beef--which for example
restaurants and hotels prefer to offer to customers--the ability to
make use of Prime chuck for steaks may lead to enhanced
profitability derived from this portion of the carcass. There has
been substantial industry interest in enhancing the value of the
frontquarter. For example, scientists from the University of
Nebraska and the University of Florida even conducted a study for
the Cattlemen's Beef Board and analyzed more than 5,500 muscles of
the beef chuck and round to assist in developing new beef products.
Commercialization of the flat iron steak, a shoulder top blade
steak cut from the chuck, is said to have resulted from the study.
Nevertheless, the chuck is complex because of the number of muscles
and associated fibers that do not run in the same direction as each
other. Thus, despite the efforts to date as described above, there
remains a need for additional methods of producing products from
the chuck.
[0009] The "fabrication" of the beef carcasses is conducted in
mass-production operations by beef packers, who harvest finished
cattle purchased from feedlots and create primal, subprimal, and
sometimes consumer-ready cuts. The beef then is distributed to
purveyors/processors or retailers for further sale. Thus, there is
a need for additional methods of producing products from the chuck
for use in the mass-production operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The invention relates to a method for mass-production
butchering of a beef chuck roll including: locating the anterior
side and posterior side of the chuck roll; making a first series of
cuts into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior
and posterior sides to form a first set of separate beef portions
with increasing weights from initial to final cuts in the first
series, each beef portion having a thickness no greater than 1
inch; making a second series of cuts into the chuck roll along
lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a
second set of separate beef portions each having a thickness
greater than the thicknesses of the beef portions in the first
set.
[0011] The separate beef portions in the second set each may have a
seam of intramuscular fat, and the method further may include
further cutting each of the beef portions in the second set
proximate the seam to separate each beef portion into two
subportions. The method also may include removing waste from at
least one of the beef portions in the second set so that each of
the subportions weighs between 8 oz. and 16 oz. In some
embodiments, sinue is removed from at least one of the
subportions.
[0012] As much as 3/4 of the chuck roll may be cut in the first and
second series leaving a remaining portion of at least 1/4 of the
chuck roll. The remaining portion may be cut into a plurality of
portions. Each of the plurality of portions of the remaining
portion may be sized for use as a pot roast or for use in beef
stew. In addition, the method may include removing waste from the
first set of beef portions so that each portion weighs between 8
oz. and 16 oz. Fat may be removed from at least one of the beef
portions. Furthermore, the method may include aging the beef
portions.
[0013] In some embodiments, the chuck roll includes abundant
marbling.
[0014] The invention also relates to a method for mass-production
butchering of a beef chuck roll comprising: locating the anterior
side and posterior side of the chuck roll; making a first series of
cuts into the chuck roll along lines not intersecting the anterior
and posterior sides to form a first set of separate beef portions
with increasing weights from initial to final cuts in the first
series, each beef portion having a thickness between 1 inch and 2
inches; making a second series of cuts into the chuck roll along
lines not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form a
second set of separate beef portions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Preferred features of the present invention are disclosed in
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beef chuck roll for use
with the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 2 is a front view of a beef portion in the second set
of beef portions cut from the chuck roll of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] The chuck is generally the shoulder region of the animal,
and includes part of the neck and backbone, the first five ribs
(U.S. packer/processors typically make the chuck/rib break between
the 5th and 6th ribs), as well as portions of the shoulder blade
and upper arm. It can weigh over 100 lbs.
[0019] Among the cuts derived from the chuck is the chuck roll,
which is formed of muscle, fat, and connective tissue and typically
weighs between 13 and 21 lbs. In particular, a beef chuck roll may
be a generally oblong boneless portion of beef that is derived from
a neck off boneless square-cut chuck (square blade chuck). The
chuck roll may he produced from the upper portion of the chuck. In
one preferred exemplary embodiment, the chuck roll includes the
large muscle system that lies beneath the blade bone. The muscle
system may be formed of the longissimus dorsi, rhomboideus,
spinalis dorsi, complexus, multifidus dorsi, serrates ventralis,
subscapularis and splenius. The chuck roll may not include the arm
portion, which may be removed by a straight cut for example that is
between 0 inch and 3 inches ventral from the longissimus dorsi at
the rib end and between 0 inch and 4 inches from the complexus at
the neck end. Also removed from the chuck roll may be any
cartilages, bone chips, backstrap, trapezius, supraspinatus,
intercostal meat (rib fingers), and prescapular lymph gland along
with surrounding fat, blood clots, and dark discolored tissue. In
alternate exemplary embodiments, the beef chuck roll may he a
bone-in cut that includes portions of the blade bone, arm bone
and/or backbone.
[0020] The chuck roll includes (1) a dorsal side, e.g., located
toward the back of the animal, (2) a ventral side, e.g., located
toward the belly/bottom of the animal, (3) an anterior side, e.g.,
toward the front or cranial end of the animal, and (4) a posterior
side, e.g., located toward the rear or caudal end of the
animal.
[0021] In a first exemplary method for butchering a beef chuck roll
10 according to the present invention, suitable for example for use
in mass-production butchering, the anterior side or front 12 and
posterior side or back 14 of a chuck roll are initially identified.
Next, a first series of cuts are made into the chuck roll along
lines 16 not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides to form
a first set of separate beef portions 18. Preferably, the first
series of cuts are made so that each successive beef portion 18a,
18b, 18c has increasing weight. Moreover, in one preferred
exemplary embodiment each beef portion 18a, 18b, 18c has a
thickness no greater than 1 inch. In one exemplary embodiment, each
beef portion 18a, 18b, 18c is about 3/4 inch in thickness, as
indicated for example by T1 in FIG. 1. In an alternate exemplary
embodiment, each beef portion 18a, 18b, 18c has a thickness between
1 inch and 2 inches.
[0022] Next, a second series of cuts are made into the chuck roll
along lines 20 not intersecting the anterior and posterior sides
12, 14, respectively, to form a second set of separate beef
portions 22. In one preferred exemplary exmbodiment, each of the
beef portions in the second set has a thickness greater than the
thicknesses of the beef portions in the first set. As shown in FIG.
2, the separate beef portions 22a, 22b, 22c in the second set may
each comprise a seam of intramuscular fat 24. Thus, one or more of
the beef portions 22a, 22b, 22c in the second set may further be
cut proximate the seam to separate each beef portion into two
subportions 26, 28. In addition, waste may he removed from at least
one of the beef portions in the second set, such as proximate
region 30 which may be more tough than desired for use in steaks,
so that each of the subportions 26, 28 weighs between 8 oz. and 16
oz. In one exemplary embodiment, each beef portion 22a, 22b, 22c is
about 11/4 inch in thickness, as indicated for example by T2 in
FIG. 1. The method may further include removing the sinue from at
least one of the subportions 26, 28.
[0023] In the exemplary preferred embodiment, as much as 3/4 of the
chuck roll is cut in the first and second series leaving a
remaining portion 30 of at least 1/4 of the chuck roll. Remaining
portion 30 may be further cut into two or more portions, for
example proximate the middle thereof from the anterior side 12 to
the posterior side 14, thus forming sections suitable for use as
pot roasts. Remaining portion 30 also may be sectioned into
portions sized for use in beef stew. In some embodiments, remaining
portion 30 is not further sectioned, but instead for example may be
tied to form a larger pot roast.
[0024] In some instances, waste such as undesired muscle, fat,
and/or connective tissue is removed from the first set of beef
portions 18 so that each portion 18a, 18b, 18c weighs between 8 oz.
and 16 oz. Also, fat may be removed from at least one of the beef
portions of either set 18 or 22.
[0025] It should be noted that although each of sets 18, 22 is
shown with three portions 16, 20, respectively, this example is
non-limiting. Thus, depending on the size of chuck roll 10, other
numbers of portions 16, 20 may be cut, such as more than three or
less than three portions in either or both of sets 18, 22.
[0026] Preferably, chuck roll 10 has abundant marbling and is
graded Prime, so that the portions of beef from chuck roll 10 also
may be considered as Prime. Also, in preferred embodiments, the
portions of beef cut from chuck roll 11 are aged.
[0027] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
other parts of a chuck are contemplated for use in producing
steaks. For example, the neck off the arm chuck also may be used
with the "bone in." Large beef portions or steaks from 14 oz. to 22
oz., and more preferably 16 oz to 20 oz., are contemplated. Also,
the shoulder portion of the chuck may be used for example for
minute steaks, sandwich steaks, fry steaks, and steak on a bun.
Beef portions of 3 oz. to 4 oz. are contemplated from the shoulder
portion.
[0028] While various descriptions of the present invention are
described above, it should be understood that the various features
can be used singly or in any combination thereof. Therefore, this
invention is not to be limited to only the specifically preferred
embodiments depicted herein.
[0029] Further, it should be understood that variations and
modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may
occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.
Accordingly, all expedient modifications readily attainable by one
versed in the art from the disclosure set forth herein that are
within the scope and spirit of the present invention arc to be
included as further embodiments of the present invention. The scope
of the present invention is accordingly defined as set forth in the
appended claims.
* * * * *