How Factories Produce Canned Meat | How It's Made

Summary

This video highlights the meticulous process of preparing canned meat at a craft cannery. It follows the journey of meat from arrival to canning, showcasing quality control measures, manual inspection, and precise steps like dicing, adding sea salt, sealing, and pressure cooking. The video emphasizes how proper cooking, airtight sealing, and quality control contribute to the meat’s five-year shelf life. With no artificial ingredients, this product provides a convenient, ready-to-use option for busy people seeking wholesome, easy-to-prepare meals.

Takeaways

• 😀 Pre-cooked canned meat is a convenient shortcut for busy people, ideal for sandwiches, stews, stir-fries, and other dishes.
• 😀 The canned meat is made in small batches by a craft cannery and contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives, just meat and sea salt.
• 😀 The quality control manager records the lot code of the meat shipment and confirms its temperature, which must be between 0 to 39°F for food safety.
• 😀 A skilled butcher inspects the meat, removing excess fat and cutting large pieces into smaller ones for easier processing.
• 😀 The meat is diced into one-inch cubes using a dicing machine before being processed further.
• 😀 Workers manually fill aluminum cans with the diced meat, inspecting each cube for quality and discarding any that are discolored or too fatty.
• 😀 Each can receives a single cube of sea salt, the only added ingredient, before moving to the next station.
• 😀 The filled cans are weighed individually, adjusting the meat quantity to meet the required weight.
• 😀 Cans then go through a pre-heater, which blasts steam to expel air trapped between the meat cubes, preparing them for sealing.
• 😀 The closing machine compresses the meat inside the can and creates a vacuum seal by rolling the edges of the lid and can together.
• 😀 After sealing, the cans are cooked in a commercial pressure cooker under steam pressure, which tenderizes the meat quickly by cooking it in its own juices.
• 😀 The cooked cans are set aside to cool and dry for about an hour before moving to the packaging area, where they are inspected for dents or damaged seals.
• 😀 Cans are labeled with a best-used-by date and a lot code, indicating a shelf life of five years due to the proper cooking and airtight seal.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the script?

The script focuses on the process of producing canned meat in a craft cannery, detailing the steps involved from receiving raw meat to the final packaging and labeling.

Why is it important to record the lot code when the meat arrives at the cannery?

The lot code is recorded for tracking purposes, ensuring quality control and traceability in case of any issues with the product later.

What temperature range is crucial for the meat upon arrival at the cannery?

The meat must arrive at the cannery between zero to 39° Fahrenheit to ensure it is safe for processing.

How does the butcher prepare the meat for the canning process?

The butcher inspects the meat and trims off excess fat. If the piece is large, it is sliced into smaller pieces to be processed by the dicing machine.

What role does the dicer play in the meat canning process?

The dicer cuts the meat into one-inch cubes, which are the correct size for the canning process.

What is the only added ingredient in the canned meat?

The only added ingredient is a single cube of sea salt, which is placed in each can along with the meat.

What happens to the cans after they are filled with meat and sea salt?

The filled cans are weighed individually, and any adjustments are made to ensure they reach the required weight before moving to the next step in the process.

Why are the cans subjected to steam in the pre-heating process?

The pre-heater blasts the cans with steam for 20 seconds to expel any air trapped between the cubes of meat, which helps with the sealing process.

How is the can sealed during the process?

The can is sealed using a double-seaming process, where the edges of the lid and can are rolled together to form an airtight seal.

What role does the pressure cooker play in the meat preparation?

The pressure cooker cooks the meat under steam pressure, providing the tenderizing effects of slow cooking in a much shorter time frame, cooking the meat in its own juices.

What factors contribute to the five-year shelf life of the canned meat?

The meat's five-year shelf life is due to it being properly cooked and the can's airtight seal, which prevents contamination and preserves freshness.

What process occurs before the cans are labeled?

Before labeling, each can is inspected for dents or damaged seals, and the labels are applied using a machine that wraps the label and glues it in place.