GB2266441A

GB2266441A - Carvable meat product

Info

Publication number: GB2266441A
Application number: GB9306159A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Thomas Clarke; Harvey William Jull
Original assignee: Sun Valley Poultry Ltd
Current assignee: Sun Valley Foods Ltd
Priority date: 1992-04-30
Filing date: 1993-03-25
Publication date: 1993-11-03
Also published as: GB9306159D0; GB9207305D0

Abstract

A carvable body of meat is afforded by a turkey leg, from which the thigh bone (T) has been removed, and the meat (M) surrounding the thigh bone is folded inwardly of itself, into the form of a bulb (B) to one end of the shin bone (S). The body of meat is covered with netting (N), and a frusto conical sleeve (L) is secured in position around the shin bone.

Description

Title: "Food products" Description of the Invention This invention is concerned with food products, in particular to carvable meat products.

Consumers are wholly familiar with the leg of lamb, or leg of pork, as providing a carvable body of meat (commonly referred to in the U.K. as a joint of meat) of a size appropriate to a conventional small family.

However consumers are familiar with turkeys primarily only in the context of a carvable poultry animal.

Turkeys have for many years been provided of a size such that the legs are comparable in weight to a leg of lamb or a leg of pork, but heretofore there has been considerable consumer resistance to regarding a turkey leg in the same way as a leg of lamb, notwithstanding a significantly similar taste.

According to this invention there is provided a carvab]e body of meat afforded by a poultry leg, the thigh bone thereof having been removed, thigh meat having been folded and secured into the form of a bulb spaced from the inner end of the shin bone, and a means to retain the thigh meat in position.

In this manner a carvable body of meat is provided which is aesthetically pleasing, and which may be seen by the consumer as being equivalent to a leg of lamb or a leg of pork, particularly where the poultry animal is a turkey.

The poultry leg may be treated subsequent to the removal of the thigh bone in such a way as to bring myacin to the surface, assisting securing of the thigh meat in the form of said bulb.

Alternatively or in addition, the thigh meat may be so secured by a stitching or sewing operation.

Alternatively or in addition the leg may be constrained by the use of a covering, which may be a covering of open construction, involving (e.g.) the use of a stretchable net of plastics material, or may be provided by securing the leg within a film of plastics material, conveniently transparent.

Preferably both netting a film-securing are utilised, and preferable the yleg is vacuum packed within said film.

Preferable a sleeve is positioned on the leg, preferably extending around the shin bone. Preferably said sleeve extends on the leg as a frustum.

According to this invention there is also provided a method of providing a carvable body of poultry meat involving the steps: procuring a leg of poultry meat; (b) removing the thigh bone; (c) securing the thigh meat in the form of a bulb around the de-boned portion.

Preferably the securing operation involves stitching, and/or netting, and/or vacuum packing of the joint within a film of transparent plastic material.

There will now be given a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a product which is the preferred embodiment of the invention, having been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings: FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrates stages in the preparation of the preferred embodiment; FiGURE 3 is a view illustrating the preferred embodiment; and FIGURE 4 is a view of a sleeve utilised in the preferred embodiment.

The preferred embodiment is a carvable body of meat afforded by a turkey leg, and involves, subsequent to the step of procuring a turkey leg, the step of removal of the thigh bone, illustrated T in Figure 1, and the patella. The meat M surrounding the thigh bone is folded inwardly of itself, into the form of a bulb or bolus B (Figure 2) to one end of the shin bone S, the body of meat thus being this generally pear-shaped. The thigh meat M is secured in the position shown in Figure 2 by a sewing or stitching operation, but if desired this may be assisted by the use of a tumbling operation to bring myacin to the surface, to act as a natural adhesive.

A stretchable netting N is secured around the joint, and caps are attached to the hock. The joint is then placed in a bag of transparent plastics material, which is then subject to a vacuum, to withdraw air from the interior of the bag, subsequent to which the bag is heat shrunk around the leg.

A sleeve L (Figure 4), which may contain cooking instructions, selling information, or the like is then positioned over the shin bone as is shown in Figure 3, in the form of a frustum, providing a food product which is visually very attractive, and one which will be found to be as acceptable as a leg of lamb.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in the terms or means for performing the desired function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A carvable body of meat afforded by a poultry leg, the thigh bone thereof having been removed, thigh meat having been folded and secured into the form of a bulb spaced from the inner end of the shin bone, and means to retain the thigh meat in position.

2. A carvable body of meat according to Claim 1 wherein the thigh meat is secured in the form of a bulb by myacin.

3. A body of meat according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein the thigh meat is secured in the form of a bulb by means of a stitching or sewing operation.

4. A body of meat according to any one of Claims 1, 2 and 3 wherein the thigh meat is secured in the form of said bulb by the use of a stretchable net of plastics material.

5. A body of meat according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a covering film of transparent plastics material.

6. A body of meat according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a sleeve is positioned on the leg around the shin bone.

7. A body of meat according to Claim 6 wherein the sleeve extends on the leg as a frustum.

8. A method of providing a carvable body of poultry meat involving the steps: (a) procuring a leg of poultry meat; (b) removing the thigh bone; (c) securing the thigh meat in the form of a bulb around the de-boned portion.

9. A method according to Claim 8 involving the step subsequent to and prior to of tumbling the leg of poultry meat to bring myacin to the surface, said myacin being effective in part at least to retain the thigh meat in the form of said bulb.

10. A method according to one of Claims 8 and 9 wherein said securing operation involves stitching and/or netting and/or vacuum packing of the body of meat within a film of transparent material.

11. A method according to any one of Claims 8, 9 and 10 wherein a frusto conical sleeve is positioned around the shank end of the body of meat.