Abstract: A method of making a food product including: selecting a thigh of an animal, the thigh comprising a thigh bone at least partially surrounded with thigh meat, the thigh bone having a first end and a second end; and partially deboning the thigh causing the first end of the thigh bone to extend from the thigh meat to form a handle for holding the food product, the thigh meat being generally positioned proximate to the second end of the thigh bone after the partial deboning. A fun to eat food product is also detailed herein. The fun to eat food product is formed from an animal's thigh, including a thigh bone having a first end and a second end. Thigh meat having an overall generally elongated shape extends from the second end of the thigh bone and is generally secured thereto. A handle is formed by the first end of the thigh bone extending from the thigh meat.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a meat including a frame and a driving mechanism attached to the frame. A carriage is attached to the driving mechanism and is movable along a path. The carriage is adapted to support the meat. A cutting head is disposed along the path to cut the meat into at least two pieces of meat when the driving mechanism forces the meat through the cutting head.

Abstract: A method of making a meat product from a bird, comprises cutting a first boneless breast lobe from the bird and cutting a second boneless breast lobe from the bird. Each of the first and second boneless breast lobes are cut lengthwise into at least two boneless breast portions. A first whole leg and a second whole leg is cut from the bird. The bones are removed from the first and second whole legs and each of the first and second whole legs are cut lengthwise into at least two boneless leg portions, each leg portion containing both thigh meat and drumstick meat. The boneless breast portions and the boneless leg portions are assembled to simulate the appearance of a bird. The method may alternatively include cutting a first boneless breast lobe and a second boneless breast lobe from a bird. A first and second whole leg are cut from the bird.

Abstract: A restructured meat product is prepared by passing the meat through a meat grinder having an outlet plate containing a plurality of spaced slot-like openings. Each of the openings has a predetermined width in the range of from one millimeter to six millimeters to provide meat sheets having a thickness corresponding to the width of the slot-like openings and having a substantial major surface area. The sheets of meat are then kneaded together in a tangled mass in a manner similar to kneading dough to cause the juices of the meat to exude from the meat sheets until the meat sheets begin to stick together by means of the juices. The tangled mass of meat sheets are formed into a restructured meat product. The restructured meat product is held together by the adhesive nature of the meat juices and the entanglement of the meat sheets. The restructured meat product has a substantially uniform consistency and tenderness and is substantially devoid of chunks or cubes.

Abstract: A food product is provided and includes a hot dog having a generally elongate shape with a cylindrical midsection and first and second generally curved ends; and a plurality of cuts extending longitudinally through the entire width of the hot dog from a first end to a location proximate the second end to establish a plurality of segments and an uncut end portion to which the segments are attached; wherein at least a portion of the segments are covered by batter. Individual segments extracted from a hot dog that are covered with a batter are also provided. Methods to prepare the food products are also provided.

Abstract: A method for cutting a pork butt to provide pork products having substantially enhanced value involves first removing the blade bone from the pork butt. The principal shoulder muscles of the pork butt are located and identified and one or more seams extending around portions of at least one of the muscles is cut to remove at least one principal shoulder muscle from the remainder of the pork butt. The removed shoulder muscle is denuded by removing substantially all cartilage, fat, connective tissue, membrane, and other non-muscle material from each outer surface to provide essentially a solid pork muscle. The denuded shoulder muscle is cut into one or more generally solid pork products, each pork product being very low in fat content and of relatively high economic value. Each of the pork products is tenderized prior to being offered for sale.

Abstract: A method for cutting a portion of a flat or outside animal round into a plurality of meat products including steaks having substantially enhanced value comprises removing substantially all of a fat layer from the exterior surface of the portion of the animal round. A natural seam on the muscle is located and a cut is made along the seam to divide the portion of the beef round into at least two separate portions, a first portion having coarse grains extending in multiple directions and a second portion having generally parallel grains. Substantially all of the cartilage, membrane, fat, and other non-meat tissue is removed from the outside of the first portion. Substantially all of the cartilage, membrane, fat and other non-meat tissue is also removed from the outside of the second portion. The second portion is tenderized and is then cut across the grain in a direction generally parallel to natural seam into a plurality of steaks, each steak being very low in fat content and of relatively high economic value.

Abstract: A method of cutting a boneless turkey breast into a plurality of individual turkey products which resemble different types of steak products, includes the steps of cutting the breast along a natural seam into a thick portion and a thin portion, removing the silver from the thin portion to create a turkey product which physically resembles and tastes like a sirloin strip steak, cutting off the ends from the thick portion and further cutting the separated ends into cube-shaped pieces suitable for use as kebabs, and cutting the remaining part of the thick portion perpendicular to the grain into about one inch thick pieces to form turkey products which resemble filet mignon, eye steaks or medallions. Pound for pound, the total perceived value of the resulting turkey products is higher than the total perceived value of the original uncut turkey breast.

Abstract: Shapes and solids modeled by a 3-D computer graphics system have "intelligence", i.e., the shape typically includes a wide variety of characteristics in addition to geometric (e.g., size and positional) information. These additional characteristics permit a user to manipulate 3-D shapes intuitively using a graphical user interface providing "drag and drop" capabilities--reducing the number of factors the user must worry about, saving a lot of time and user frustration, and allowing even non-technical, unskilled users to rapidly and efficiently create impressive images. A component-based architecture may expose any of multiple, alternate representations of the same shape depending on the particular need or application to provide an "intelligent load" that is especially powerful and advantageous in remote interactive imaging applications (e.g., via the Internet) where data transfer and/or load times must be minimized.

Abstract: A method of cutting a whole chicken carcass into a chicken ribs product includes the steps of removing wings, hind quarters and breast lobes from the carcass to form a stripped carcass containing ribs and tenders. Next, the tenders are cut along the keel bone, the backbone is removed, and the rib cage is split into two sides, leaving the keel bone attached to one of the two sides, and leaving a tender attached to each side. The keel bone is stripped off, thereby creating two chicken rib products, each having ribs, rib meat and a tender thereon. The tenders may also be removed to form two chicken rib products, each having ribs and rib meat thereon.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a sausage product has an elongate, generally cylindrical housing and a generally annular cutter member. The housing has an axis, a circumferential side wall with radial inner and outer surfaces, and first and second axial ends. The housing defines a cutting chamber sized for receiving the sausage product, and the side wall includes a plurality of elongate, generally parallel axial slots extending therethrough. The slots are generally equally spaced from each other around the circumference of the side wall. The cutter member has an axial length and a curved inner circumferential surface with a diameter at least slightly greater than that of the outer surface of the housing side wall.

Abstract: A plate for use on an outlet end of food grinder comprises a generally cylindrical disk-like body portion having an axis, first and second generally parallel spaced principal surfaces extending generally perpendicular to the axis, and concentric inner and outer peripheral surfaces. A plurality of generally spaced slot-like openings extend through the body portion from the first principal surface to the second principal surface in an annular area of the body portion. Each of the slot-like openings extend from substantially the same predetermined distance inwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the body portion. Each of the slot-like openings are elongated and have a predetermined width. All of the slot-like openings are generally parallel to each other. At least some of the slot-like openings have a length to width ratio of at least about 10:1, and a width from approximately one millimeter to approximately six millimeters.

Abstract: A method for cutting an animal knuckle which has previously had the kneecap and all bones removed to provide meat products having substantially economic value comprises removing substantially all fat from the exterior surface of the knuckle. The principal muscles of the knuckle are located and identified. The knuckle is cut along one or more seams extending through the knuckle and around portions of the principal muscles to remove at least one principal muscle from the remainder of the knuckle. The removed muscle is denuded by removing substantially all cartilage, fat, connective tissue, membrane, and other non-muscle material from each outer surface to provide essentially a solid piece of meat. The denuded muscle is cut into at least two generally solid meat products, each meat product being very low in fat content and of relatively high economic value. Each of the meat products is tenderized prior to being sold to a consumer.