IE70074B1 - A process for producing meat pies - Google Patents

Abstract

In a process for producing meat pies, a pie base of dough in a tray is filled with a pre-cooked mixture of meat pieces and other ingredients and covered with a perforated dough sheet. The pie cover is pressed against the pie base around a rim of the tray to form an uncooked meat pie. A number of such pies are mounted on the tray and sprayed with a glazing liquid. The pies can then be packaged or alternatively, they may be cooked prior to packaging.

Description

This invention relates to a process for producing meat pies.

According to the invention there is provided a process for producing meat pies comprising the steps: cutting up raw meat and dicing the raw meat to form meat pieces of a pre-desired size; delivering the diced meat pieces to a cooking vessel together with other ingredient materials; mixing the ingredient materials to form a pie filling 1.0 mixture and cooking the pie filling mixture for a pre-set period; pouring the cooked filling mixture into a number of containers and closing the containers; rapidly cooling the pie filling mixture within each 15 container to a pre-set desirable temperature; delivering cooled pie filling material to a pie filling station; preparing a pie base dough by mixing selected quantities of ingredient materials and adding a pre20 set amount of scrap dough to the mixture; forming the base dough into dough buns of a predesired size; depositing each dough bun in a pie tray; - 2 placing each pie tray on an associated support shaped to receive and engage an underside of the pie tray; pressing an associated former into the dough to spread the dough in the pie tray such that it forms a pie base covering an inside wall of the pie tray; removing the former and conveying the pie tray to the pie filling station; depositing a measured quantity of pie filling material into the pie base at the pie filling station; preparing a cover dough by mixing selected quantities of ingredient materials; rolling the dough and folding the dough over on itself a -pre-set number of times between rolling operations to form a layered dough sheet of a predesired thickness; cutting the dough sheet into shaped pie covers; dusting a top surface of each pie cover with flour; perforating each pie cover; wetting a bottom surface of each pie cover with warm water; placing the pie cover over the filled pie base downstream of the pie filling station; pressing the pie cover against the pie base around a rim of the pie tray to form an uncooked meat pie having a sealed pie casing enclosing the pie filling, mounted within a pie tray; mounting a number of the uncooked meat pies on a tray; cleaning the covers of the pies with an air jet to remove excess flour and pieces of scrap dough; and spraying a top surface of the pie cover with a glazing liquid.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the pie filling 10 mixture is poured from an outlet of the cooking vessel into the containers by partially filling each container with pie filling mixture and then pouring more filling mixture into each container to fill each container.

In another embodiment the dough sheet for the pie covers 15 is prepared by: passing the dough through dough rollers a number of times for progressively rolling the dough into a thin elongate sheet; folding one end of the dough sheet inwardly over the 20 dough sheet and then folding the other end of the dough sheet inwardly over the first fold to form three superimposed dough layers; turning the dough through 90° and passing the dough through the dough rollers to progressively roll the dough into a thin elongate sheet; repeating the folding, turning and rolling operations twice more to form the layered dough sheet.

In a further embodiment the scrap dough is added to the pie base dough mixture in an amount of between 8% and 12% by weight.

Preferably, the pie covers are perforated by stacking a number of the pie covers and then driving a spike centrally through the stack of pie covers.

In another embodiment a bottom surface of each pie cover is wetted by placing a pie cover on a damp sponge, the sponge sitting in a warm water bath with a base of the sponge sitting in warm water and a top surface of the sponge projecting above the water.

In a further embodiment the process includes the further steps: stacking a number of trays of glazed uncooked meat pies spaced-apart on associated trolleys; delivering each trolley to an oven and cooking the meat pies for a pre-set time at a selected temperature; removing the trolleys from the oven; delivering each trolley into a cooling booth having a housing open at one side for reception of the trolleys, the booth having an- associated extractor fan mounted externally of the booth to draw ambient air in through the opening and through the booth and out through an air outlet of the booth spaced apart from the opening to cool the pies to a pre-desired temperature; removing the pies from the cooling booth and delivering the pies to a chiller; cooling the pies in the chiller to approximately 1 to 3°C.

In another embodiment the pie trays are colour coded to correspond to the type of filling in each pie.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a process for producing meat pies according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a pie forming apparatus used in the process; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of spraying apparatus for cleaning and glazing pies according to the process; Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a spray gun used in the spraying apparatus; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a cooling booth used in the process; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a meat pie formed by the process.

Referring to the drawings, a process and apparatus for producing meat pies will be described.

Raw meat is cut up and then diced in a dicing machine 10 to form meat pieces of a pre-desired size. The meat pieces are delivered to a cooking vessel 12 together with other ingredient materials and are mixed with the other ingredient materials within the cooking vessel 12 to form a pie filling mixture which is then cooked within the cooking vessel 12. When cooked the pie filling mixture is. poured from an outlet of the cooking vessel into a number of containers. This step is carried in two stages. All the containers are initially half filled with pie filling mixture and then the containers are topped up with further pie filling mixture from the cooking vessel 12. In this way, advantageously, an even distribution of liquid and solid material of the pie filling mixture is delivered to each-of the containers as the heavier solid materials in the pie filling mixture tend to collect at the bottom of the cooking vessel and thus be discharged first.

. When the containers are filled, they are closed with a lid and the closed containers are mounted on racks in a cooling room 15. The containers are rapidly cooled to a temperature of approximately 5°C within the cooling room 16. To facilitate cooling, the containers are mounted on a number of vertically spaced-apart shelves with a vertical clearance of 4-6 between the containers when they are mounted on the shelves. This allows good air circulation around the containers to promote rapid cooling. A fan circulates cooling air around the cooling room 16.

Containers of cooled pie filling mixture are delivered as required to a pie forming station 20.

A pie base dough is prepared by mixing (22) selected quantities of ingredient materials and adding a pre-set amount of scrap dough to the mixture. The quantity of to scrap dough added t<5 the mixture is preferably in the range 8-12% by weight and most preferably 9-11% by weight. The scrap dough and other ingredient materials are mixed to form a base dough mixture. This base dough mixture is then passed through a former 24 to form the dough into a number of dough buns of a pre-set size. The dough buns are delivered to the pie forming station 20.

The pie forming station 20 is shown in Fig. 2 and has a central post 25 about which a carousel 26 travels stepwise. A number of shaped pie tray supports 27, which are shaped to receive and engage an underside of a pie tray, are spaced-apart around the carousel 26. A sleeve 28 is vertically slidable on the post 25 and carries a pie base former (not shown) and a pie cover press 29 on arms extending outwardly over the carousel 26 on opposite side of the sleeve 28. A pie filling station is formed by a reservoir 31 for pie filling mixture which is mounted adjacent the carousel and has a discharge pipe 32 with an outlet nozzle 33 positioned over the carousel 26 above the path travelled by the pie tray supports 27 and between the pie base former and the pie cover press 29. A plastics shroud 34 is mounted around the pie cover press 29.

At the pie forming station 20 each dough bun is deposited centrally in a pie tray. Each tray is then placed in a pie tray support 27 which is delivered beneath the pie base former. The pie base former is pressed into the dough to spread the dough in the pie tray such that it forms a pie base covering an inside-wall of the pie tray. The former is then raised and the pie tray advanced to beneath the pie filling mixture outlet nozzle 33 and a pre-selected quantity of a pie filling mixture 35 is deposited into the pie base.

Cover dough for the pies is prepared by mixing selected quantities of ingredient materials in a mixer 40. The dough is then rolled (41) by delivering the dough by means of a conveyor through a pair of rollers to progressively stretch the dough forming an elongate dough sheet. One end of the dough sheet is then folded inwardly over the dough sheet and then the other end of the dough sheet is folded inwardly over the first fold to form three substantially equal superimposed dough layers. The dough is then turned through 90° and then passed back and forth through the dough rollers again to progressively roll the dough again into a thin elongate dough sheet. These folding, turning and rolling operations are repeated twice more to form a layered dough sheet (having in this case twenty-seven layers) of a pre-desired thickness. In some cases further folding may be desirable - for example to produce eighty one layers. It will be noted also that in some cases some scrap cover dough may be laid on the elongate dough, sheet prior to carrying out the final folding, turning and rolling operations.

The dough sheet is delivered through a cutting machine 42 which cuts the dough sheet into rectangular pie covers.

Downstream of the cutting machine 42 flour is dusted onto a top surface of each pie cover at a dusting station 43. A number of the pie covers are then stacked (44) and a spike coated with flour is driven centrally through the stack of pie covers to perforate (45) each pie cover in the stack.

A bottom surface of each pie cover is then wetted (47) with warm water. This is carried out by placing each pie cover 48 (Fig. 2) on a damp sponge 49 located in a shallow bath 50 with a base of the sponge 49 sitting in warm water within the bath 50 and a top surface of the sponge 49 extending above the water.

The wetted pie cover 48 is then placed over the filled pie base downstream of the pie filling station and the pie tray is delivered under the press 29. The press 29 has a head which is moved downwardly to engage and press the pie cover 48 against the pie base around a rim of the pie tray to form a raw meat pie mounted within a pie tray, the pie having a sealed pie casing enclosing the pie filling mixture.

Scrap dough is removed from around a periphery of the tray and collected for re-use in forming further base dough material as previously described.

Downstream of the press 29 a number of the raw meat pies are arranged on a cooking tray. The cooking tray is delivered to a spraying station 60 (Fig. 3) . At the spraying station 60, a trav 61 of raw meat pies 62 is placed on a table 63 within an L-shaped enclosure wall. A spray gun 65 is then used ~o clean the covers of the pies to remove excess flour and pieces of scrap dough and to spray a top surface of each pie with a glazing liquid. The spray gun 65 is connected via flexible pipes 66, 67 with a pressurised air supply and with a reservoir of glazing liquid. The spray gun 65 has a trigger 69 which when partially drawn back delivers an air jet from an outlet nozzle 70 of the spray gun 65 and the spray gun 65 can be advanced over the tray 61 blowing away excess flour and scrap dough. When the gun 65 has advanced to the end of the tray 61, the trigger 69 is pulled fully back and this disconnects the air supply and connects the nozzle 70 to the glazing liquid supply. The spray gun 65 is drawn back over the tray 61 to coat an upper surface of each pie 62 with a thin layer of glazing liquid.

The pies may then be delivered to a packing station 80 for packaging the uncooked meat pies.

Alternatively, a number of the trays 61 may be stacked vertically spaced-apart on an associated trolley. The trolley is then delivered to an oven 72 and the meat pies are cooked for a pre-set time at a selected temperature.

When the pies are cooked the trolley is removed from the oven 72 and delivered to a cooling booth 90 (Fig. 5). The cooling booth 90 comprises a housing having a floor 91 with upstanding side walls 92 and a rear wall extending between the side walls 92. At an upper end of the sidewalls 92 is a ceiling 93 having an opening 94 communicating with a chamber 95. The chamber 95 connects via an air extraction duct 96 with an air extraction fan for drawing ambient air through a front opening of the booth 90 and up through the opening 94, the chamber 95 and exhaust duct 96. A pair of trolleys 98 containing stacked trays 61 of cooked pies can be wheeled into the booth 90 through the front opening and by operation of the fan a cooling stream of ambient air is drawn through the booth 90 to quickly pre-cool the cooked pies. Advantageously, heat from the cooked pies is drawn away in the exhaust air stream. When the pies are cool they are delivered to a chiller 100 for further cooling the pies to approximately 4°C.

The fully cooled pies may be packed or alternatively the pies may be frozen in a freezer 102 and then packed.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described, which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS;

1. A process for producing meat pies comprising the steps: cutting up raw meat and dicing the raw meat to form meat pieces of a pre-desired size; delivering the diced meat pieces to a cooking vessel together with other ingredient materials; mixing the ingredient materials to form a pie filling mixture and cooking the pie filling mixture for a pre-set period; pouring the cooked filling mixture into a number of containers and closing the containers; rapidly cooling the pie filling mixture within each container to a pre-set desirable temperature; delivering cooled pie filling material to a pie filling station; preparing a pie base dough by mixing selected quantities of ingredient materials and adding a pre-set amount of scrap dough to the mixture; forming the base dough into dough buns of a predesired size; depositing each dough bun in a pie tray; placing each pie tray on an associated support shaped to receive and engage an underside of the pie tray; pressing an associated former into the dough to spread the dough in the pie tray such that it forms a pie base covering an inside wall of the pie tray; 5 removing the former and conveying the pie tray to the pie filling station; depositing a measured quantity of pie filling material into the pie base at the pie filling station; 10 preparing a cover dough by mixing selected quantities of ingredient materials; rolling the dough and folding the dough over on itself a pre-set number of times between rolling operations to form a layered dough sheet of a 15 predesired thickness; cutting the dough sheet into shaped pie covers; dusting a top surface of each pie cover with flour; perforating each pie cover; 20 wetting a bottom surface of each pie cover with warm water; placing the pie cover over the filled pie base downstream of the pie filling station; pressing the pie cover against the pie base around 25 a rim of the pie tray to form an uncooked meat pie having a sealed pie casing enclosing the pie filling, mounted within a pie tray; mounting a number of the uncooked meat pies on a tray; cleaning the covers of the pies with an air jet to remove excess flour and pieces of scrap dough; and spraying a top surface of the pie cover with a glazing liquid.

2. A process as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the pie filling mixture is poured from an outlet of the cooking vessel into the containers by partially filling each container with pie filling mixture and then pouring more filling mixture into each container to fill each container.

3. A process as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the dough sheet for the pie covers is prepared by: passing the dough through dough rollers a number of times for progressively rolling the dough into a thin elongate sheet; folding one end of the dough sheet inwardly over the dough sheet and then folding the other end of the dough sheet inwardly over the first fold to form three superimposed dough layers; turning the dough through 90° and passing the dough through the dough rollers to progressively roll the dough into a thin elongate sheet; repeating the folding, turning and roiling operations twice more to form the layered dough sheet.

4. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the scrap dough is added to the pie base dough mixture in an amount of between 8% and 12% by weight.

5. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the pie covers are perforated by stacking a number of the pie covers and then driving a spike centrally through the stack of pie covers .*

6. * A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a ’ bottom surface of each pie cover is wetted by placing a pie cover on a damp sponge, the sponge sitting in a warm water bath with a base of-the sponge sitting in warm water and a top surface of the sponge projecting above the water.

7. A process as claimed in any preceding claim including the further steps: stacking a number of trays of glazed uncooked meat pies spaced-apart on associated trolleys; delivering each trolley to an oven and cooking the meat pies -for a pre-set time at a selected temperature; / removing the trolleys from the oven; vi. delivering each trolley into a cooling booth having a housing open at one side for ? reception of the trolleys, the booth having an associated extractor fan mounted externally of the booth to draw ambient air in through the opening and through the booth 5 and out through an air outlet of the booth spaced apart from the opening to cool the pies to a pre-desired temperature; removing the pies from the cooling booth and delivering the pies to a chiller; 10 cooling the pies in the chiller to approximately 1 to 3°C.

8. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the pie trays are colour coded to correspond to the type of filling in each pie. 15

9. A process for producing meat pies substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings .

10. Meat pies whenever produced by the process as claimed in any preceding claim.