Abstract: A skewer assembly for use with a spiral meat slicing apparatus. The skewer assembly includes a base and a skewer connected thereto and extending therefrom. The skewer has an upper end, a lower end and a body portion therebetween. The body portion has a length and has a slot defined therethrough for at least a portion of the length of the body portion. The skewer may be inserted through a boneless cut of meat and the skewer assembly along with the meat product may be placed on a spiral meat slicing apparatus. Once the boneless cut of meat has been spiral sliced, the skewer assembly along with the meat product can be removed from the meat slicing apparatus. Prior to removing the skewer from the meat product, a knife can be inserted into the slot and can be moved along the slot to cut the meat product into two approximate halves through the portion of the meat which was not sliced by the circular slicing apparatus.

Abstract: A dry or semi-dry sausage product is provided which includes up to 15% by weight of an added particulate protein component. The added protein component is in addition to the protein present in the meat used in the sausage mixture and serves to improve the performance of the resulting product, particularly after the sausage has been heat treated at high temperatures during processing to eliminate pathogens which may be present in the ingredient mix. The added protein component is typically a denatured or hydrolyzed protein and can include one or more of meat stock, milk protein hydrolyzate, yeast extract, hydrolyzed yeast, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed animal protein and cooked meat.

Abstract: A pizza sauce disk and a method for making the same are provided. The pizza sauce disk comprises a pizza sauce which includes a heat-reversible gelling agent. When activated, the gelling agent causes the pizza sauce to at least partially congeal at room temperature or below so that it may be retained in place on a non-edible support surface. Upon further cooling, the pizza sauce forms a more complete gel structure which, even after warming to room temperature, allows the disk to be handled as a cohesive mass and placed and repositioned on a pizza crust without tearing, breaking or smearing of the disk. The pizza sauce disk may optionally include cheese and assorted pizza toppings. To form a pizza with the present disk, the disk is removed from the support surface and is combined with a pizza crust shell. The pizza may then be cooked and served.

Abstract: A process for producing dry and semi-dry sausage products. Ground meat is admixed with an acidulant (e.g., a food grade acid) encapsulated by a material having a melting temperature of at least about 90.degree. F. The resulting admixture is formed into at least one shaped sausage product wherein the product has at least one cross-sectional dimension no greater than 1.0 inch. The shaped sausage product is then heated at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to (a) melt the encapsulating material and allow the acid to contact the meat and lower the pH of product to a value no greater than 5.3 and (b) dehydrate the product such that the ratio of the weight of moisture in the product to the weight of protein in the product is no greater than 3.7 to 1. The heating step is carried out for a period of time no greater than about one hour (typically for only a few minutes) and in a heating apparatus operating at a dry bulb temperature in the range of from about 90.degree. F. to about 500.degree. F.