Meat + Poultry - July 2008 - 78

BURGERS

strands interweave in the mold cavity
creating small air spaces between them
creating a softer, juicier, faster-cooking
burger, Barnett explains.

Future opportunities

DiLuigi Sausage Co., Danvers, Mass., processes more than 50,000 pounds of hamburgers a
week. (Photos courtesy of DiLuigi Sausage Co.)

The shape of the mold can be
made with an irregular outline to look
hand-pressed.
A cook or chef can request a thickshaped puck or ball portion and literally smash it down on the grill so it
spreads out randomly.
A meat processor/supplier can use
a series of conveyors to roll and flatten a thick puck or ball portion to
specified thickness creating a more
hand-made look.

"All NuTEC patty-forming models
can be equipped with optional tooling
to produce the 'NuTECTURED Patty,'
which cooks into a softer, juicier burger,
much more like home-made," Barnett
says. "The NuTECTURED Patty has been
available since the mid 1980's."
As ground beef passes through the
The NuTECTURED tooling, the patty is
formed by individual, random strands
of meat, very similar to meat coming
out of a meat grinder. These individual

Leaving marks
While ground-beef processors now have the technology to produce patties
that appear to be hand-made on a large-scale, continuous basis, other technologies are available to reinforce that home-made appearance.
La Mirada, Calif.-based Cook King's internal searing unit and grill marker
allow for a genuine char-flavor and appearance on products. It also manufactures an independent brander unit that allows for a top and/or bottom
brand. This system is self-contained and can be used for many applications
including installation in the front or the discharge end of existing ovens. The
degree of color and width of the grill mark is adjustable.
The Cook King Free-Standing Searing Unit and/or Free-Standing Brander can be utilized with existing ovens or independently for applying color
highlights and grill marks on products to enhance the "sell-by-the-eye" appearance. For more information, visit www.cookking.net.
Heat and Control, Hayward, Calif., also offers branding and searing systems. Its Direct Flame Searer allows processors to continuously brown or
char-grill foods to enhance their flavor and appearance. It features adjustable
flame exposure, allows easy cleaning and safe operation. It is also available
with an integrated grill-mark brander.
The Rotary Brander continuously brands grill marks on all sides of
meat and poultry. Custom markings can also be made and it is easily adjustable. Branding color is adjustable, as well. Just-grilled flavor for products can be achieved the company's Combination Searer/Rotary Brander,
which offers flame-sear browned or charred highlights or brand barbecue
grill marks for one or both sides of products. For more information, visit
www.heatandcontrol.com.
78

MEAT&POULTRY

July 2008

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Sandberg believes processors will take
innovation to the next plateau and produce more burgers with ingredients,
such as bacon and cheese. "These patties will be unique to consumers and
will likely sell at a premium to their
cost," he says. "Formax has several
different fi ll systems to accommodate
a wide variety of inclusions.
"Demand for HomeStyle Patties will
grow as consumers recognize their higher value and processors enjoy the higher
profit margins and sales from selling better-quality products," he predicts.
Hamburger-processing customers will continue driving the burger-forming evolution, McIsaac says.
"Processors need to differentiate their
products, otherwise it's a commodity
business," he adds. "Our customers
challenged us to provide a system that
gave them a home-made-style patty.
Sales of these systems have shown that
the need did indeed exist."
FM250 users have found it easy
to make smaller batches of flavored
burgers, utilizing both spice and particulates, such as mushrooms, cheese
and peppers, McIsaac says. "Experimentation and new products are easy
to do as there is no need to purchase
expensive mold plates and knock-out
systems," he adds.
"We are also seeing a move toward
filled burgers, particularly cheese encapsulated in the burgers," McIsaac
continues. "This has been an excellent market for us in the U.K., and we
are seeing a spurt in sales of systems
here in the U.S."
"I can not comment on how the technology will evolve in our very-competitive industry," Barnett says, "but the drive,
of course, is the consumer's continuing
demand for home-made quality."
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e-mail at: meatpoultry@sosland.com.

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Meat + Poultry - July 2008

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