Spirally sliced boneless meat product

Abstract

A boneless meat product .Iadd.and method for making such product.Iaddend., including hams and other boneless meat, the meat being spirally sliced around an axis through the meat. The axis is created by the insertion of a temporary support member through the meat. The meat is mounted in meat slicing apparatus which rotates the meat. A slicer blade is introduced into the meat in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation while the meat is rotating. The slicer blade is then indexed linearly along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the meat, thereby effecting a spiral cut in the meat. The meat is removed from the apparatus following slicing operations and the support member removed from the meat.

I claim: 
     
       1. A boneless sliced meat having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral cut about an axis of the meat, the axis being created by the temporary insertion of a support member in the meat.Iadd., wherein the depth of said cut is limited to leave an uncut core of meat, said core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat to retain its shape when the support member is removed.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       2. A boneless sliced meat having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral about an uncut central .Iadd.annular .Iaddend.core of meat.Iadd., where a support member is inserted through the annular core prior to slicing the meat and removed from the core after the meat is sliced, said core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat to retain its shape when the support member is removed.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       3. A boneless sliced ham having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral cut about an axis of the .[.meat.]. .Iadd.ham.Iaddend., the axis being created by the temporary insertion of a support member in the .[.meat.]. .Iadd.ham, wherein the depth of said cut is limited to leave an uncut core of meat, said core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced ham to retain its shape when the support member is removed.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       4. A boneless sliced ham having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral about an uncut central .Iadd.annular .Iaddend.core of .[.meant.]. .Iadd.ham, where a support member is inserted through the annular core prior to slicing the ham and removed from the core after the ham is sliced, said annular core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced ham to retain its shape when the support member is removed.Iaddend.. .Iadd.5. A boneless sliced meat product having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral integrally connected to an uncut central core of meat, said product being made by the process of inserting a temporary support member through the meat product, rotating the meat product around the axis of the support member, moving a blade into the meat product, adjacent one end of the support member, with the blade lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support member, moving the blade along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the support member to produce a spiral cut in the meat, limiting the depth of the cut to leave a central core of uncut meat around the support member, and, after slicing, removing the temporary support member, wherein said central core of uncut meat is of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat product to retain its shape when the support member is removed..Iaddend..Iadd.6. The meat product of claim 5 in which the meat is a ham..Iaddend..Iadd.7. A boneless sliced meat having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral about an uncut central annular integral core of meat, said core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat to retain its shape and having a wall thickness when cut of at least one-eighth of one inch..Iaddend..Iadd.8. A boneless sliced ham having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral cut about an uncut central core of ham, the core being created by temporarily inserting a spit in the ham and slicing the ham along a spiral path to within one-eighth inch of the spit, said uncut central core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced ham to retain its shape when the spit is removed..Iaddend..Iadd.9. A boneless sliced meat having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral cut about an uncut core of meat, the core being created by the temporary insertion of a spit in the meat and slicing the meat along a spiral path to within one-eighth inch of the spit, said uncut central core being of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat to retain its shape when the spit is removed..Iaddend..Iadd.10. A boneless sliced meat product having its meat arranged in the form of a continuous spiral integrally connected to an uncut central annular core of meat, said product being made by the process of inserting a temporary support member through the meat product, rotating the meat product around the axis of the support member, moving a blade into the meat product adjacent one end of the support member, with the blade lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support member, moving the blade along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the support member to produce a spiral cut in the meat, limiting the depth of the cut to leave a central annular core of uncut meat with a wall thickness of at least one-eighth of one inch around the support member, and, after slicing, removing the temporary support member, wherein said central annular core of uncut meat is of sufficient cross-section to cause the boneless sliced meat product to retain its shape when the support member is removed..Iaddend.