US1792561A - Meat cure and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1931. E. H. WRIGHT MEAT CURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed Dec. 9, 1927 LIN, CPU M- II.

INVENTOR. f/F/VEST h. WRIGHT,

WrW

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 17, v 1931 UNITED STATES ERNEST WRIGHT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI MEAT CURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Application filed December 9, 1927. Serial No. 238,995,

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing meat curing materials, and to the product resulting therefrom. For many years, it has been recognized that meats cured by the smoke of certain of the hard woods, such as hickory for example, have a very delightful flavor, and meats cured by smoking in the manner indicated, have become a delicacy, and command a very high 10. price. However, the method of curing meats by hanging them up in a smoke house and exposing them to wood smoke over a considerable period of time, is so slow and, consequently, so expensive that ways have been eagerly sought for accomplishing substan tially the same result in a more economical way. Having, upon one occasion, observed a drip from a stove pipe, burning hard wood, I conceived the idea of condensing the gases driven ofi from hard wood, and of utilizing the resultant liquid in the curing of meats.

By the process of the present invent-ion I am able to conveniently and economically produce a meat cure which will impart to the meat the exact flavor of hard wood smoke.

Further, the process contemplates the elimination from the product of undesirable elements, such as wood alcohol, carbon monoxids and carbon dioxide. In addition, the

R0 process contemplates the dehydration of the liquid smoke hereinafter referred to as the condensate. Among the advantages of dehydration maybe mentioned the fact that it is sometimes desired to mix the condensate withmaterials of granularor crystal forma tion, such as salt, or saltpeter, for example.

Byde-hydrating the condensate it is possible to mix the same with the crystalline carrier,

without undue sogginess of the latter, such as would result from the intermixing with the carrier, of a water bearing condensate.

In carrying out the method ofv the present invention, I proceed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

A suitable hard wood, such as hickory for example, is charged into the retort 5, of a still, such as those commonly employed for the destructive distillation of wood. At the beginning of the run, which is usually in the morning, the temperature'is maintained at from 100 to 160 F. At these temperatures a very substantial part of the gases which contain wood alcohol, aredriven off. These gases .are permitted to escape from the systom through a pipe 6, leading to a barrel 7, this pipe being known as the retort drip. During the time that these lightervapors are being driven off, a valve 8, which'control's the communication of the interiorof the retort with the condenser 9 of the still, is

kept closed, and thereafter said valve is opened and the vapors driven off from the wood, are permitted to' pass into the coils of the condenser, which are kept cooled in any 765 suitable and conventional way, such as by runn1ng water over them. The temperatureof the retort israised as the run progresses, be-

ing gradually increased through the day to a maximum of about 900 F. This slow in crease in temperature results in driving off SIICGGSSlVGlY heavier fI'flCtlOIlS and all the fractions which pass through the condenser, and which are condensed therein, are delivered to a suitable container 10. A vent 11, at .75 the top of the condenser permits the escape of certain uncondensible and undesirable vapors, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It has beenfound that the material discharged'through theretort drip 6, at the so 7 beginning of the run, consists of'wood alco- 'l1ol,1light oils, and some pyroligneous acid, and that of this material substantially 18% is wood alcohol. Thus, it will be seen thata very substantial proportion of this obj ectionable agent is gotten rid of by the simple expedient of discharging'those fractions first released at relatively low temperatures, completely from the system, before permitting any of the vapors to pass into the con denser and before permitting any of the con densate to pass to'the container 10.

l Vhile, for purposes of explanation, I have illustrated all'of the apparatus as being so connected as to' carry out the process in a continuous manner, it isto be understood that this is not essential, but that the'material delivered to the container 10 may be led (ii rectly therefrom for further treatment, or may remainthere until needed, and may be i taken therefrom, either through a pipe leading to some other unit, or in manually handled containers, such as buckets or the like. However this transfer may be effected, the condensate is next delivered from the container 10 to a conventional type of vacuum still 12, for the purpose of dehydrating the same. The result of dehydrating is to very considerably increase the degree of concentration of the condensate. Nhile the degree of concentration may be varied within wide ranges, I have, by dehydration, converted a quantity of the material having a specific gravity of 1.013 to a very much heavier concentrate of anhydrous residue comprising 47.75% of the original quantity. This dehydration may be accomplished by treatment of the condensate in the vacuum still for approximately 4 hours 19 minutes. at an average vacuum of 26.83 inches of mercury.

This condensate, while being of utility in conjunction with granular or crystalline car riers, as afore stated, is also of utility for ap plication as a liquid. It is clear that it may be painted upon the meals to be flavored, with a brush, or that itmay be used in the brine or pickle in which meats are being cured. lVhen used in the latter fashion, it is clear that by reason of its concentration, due to dehydration. a small quantity of the liquid smoke Will sufiiee to treat a large quantity of the brine or pickle. An additional advantage of thus concentrating the liquid is, that shipping expenses are markedly reduced. The user, if the material is to be applied with a brush, for example, need only add a desired amount of liquid, such as water, to a small amount of condensate, in order to have a much larger quantity of liquid smoke ready for meat treatment. The removal of the water renders it possible to thus mix the concentrated liquid with liquids other than water, having desirable flavoring characteristics, suitable for use in meat treatment.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

1. The herein described method of preparing a meat cure product, which consists of distilling hard wood at a temperature of from 100 to 160 degrees F, discharging to the atmosphere the gases released at these temperatures, then gradually increasing the temperatures employed from 160 degrees F. to a maximum of 900 degrees F., and condensing the gases released at temperatures above160 degrees F.

2. The herein described method of-preparing a meat cure product, which consists of distilling hard. wood at a temperature of from 100 to 160 degrees F., discharging to the atmosphere the gases released at these temperatures, then gradually increasing the temperatures employed from 160 degrees F. to a maximum of 900 degrees F and condensing ERNEST H. lVRIGI-IT.

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