Process for producing precooked bacon slices

Abstract

A process for producing precooked bacon slices comprising the steps of (a) conveying bacon slices through a spiral oven, (b) indirectly cooking the bacon slices in the spiral oven using a cooking medium which is circulated within the oven at a low rate sufficient to prevent the bacon slices from being displaced on the conveyor, and (c) adding steam to the cooking medium as necessary to at least reduce the percentage or substantially eliminate the presence of air in the cooking medium.

1 . A process for continuously cooking bacon comprising the steps of:
 (a) placing bacon slices on a conveyor of a spiral oven such that said conveyor carries said bacon slices through said spiral oven in a spiral pattern, said spiral oven having at least one opening which is open to atmospheric conditions outside of said spiral oven;   (b) indirectly cooking said bacon slices in said spiral oven by contacting said bacon slices with a cooking medium circulating in said spiral oven at an average contacting temperature of at least 325° F. and at a contacting flow velocity which is sufficiently low that said bacon slices will not be displaced on said conveyor when contacted by said cooking medium; and   (c) adding steam to said cooking medium in a manner effective to maintain said cooking medium during step (b) such that a partial pressure of air which would otherwise be present in said cooking medium without adding said steam in step (c) is reduced by at least 10%.   
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein, when initially contacted by said cooking medium in said spiral oven, said bacon slices have a surface temperature which is sufficiently low to cause an amount of water from said cooking medium to initially condense on said bacon slices, said amount of water being effective to prevent burning and to promote browning of at least an edge portion of each of said bacon slices. 
   
   
       3 . The process of  claim 2  wherein, when initially contacted by said cooking medium, said surface temperature of said bacon slices is in the range of from about −6° to about 5° C. 
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said conveyor is an open conveyor which continuously carries said bacon slices upwardly in said spiral pattern through said spiral oven such that fat dripping from those of said bacon slices traveling at higher elevations within said spiral oven will fall onto those of said bacon slices traveling at lower elevations within said spiral oven. 
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said average contacting temperature is at least 375° F. and said steam is added in step (c) in a manner effective to maintain said cooking medium during step (b) such that said partial pressure of air which would otherwise be present in said cooking medium without adding said steam in step (c) is reduced by at least 20%. 
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 5  wherein said steam is added in step (c) in a manner effective to maintain a positive pressure condition in said oven during step (b). 
   
   
       7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said steam added in step (c) is superheated steam. 
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said spiral oven has choked inlet and outlet openings for said conveyor which have a height extending not more than 10 mm above said conveyor. 
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said contacting flow velocity at which said bacon slices are contacted by said cooking medium in step (b) is not greater than 20 feet per second. 
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said contacting flow velocity at which said bacon slices are contacted by said cooking medium in step (b) is not greater than 10 feet per second. 
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said steam is added in step (c) in a manner effective to maintain said cooking medium during step (b) such that said partial pressure of air which would otherwise be present in said cooking medium without adding said steam in step (c) is reduced by at least 30%. 
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said cooking medium is maintained at said average contacting temperature by circulating said cooking medium over a plurality of finned electrical heating elements. 
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising the step, prior to indirectly cooking said bacon slices in said spiral oven, of contacting said bacon slices with superheated steam. 
   
   
       14 . A process for continuously cooking bacon comprising the steps of:
 (a) placing bacon slices on a conveyor of a spiral oven such that said conveyor carries said bacon slices upwardly in said spiral oven in a spiral pattern, said spiral oven having an inlet opening and an outlet opening for said conveyor wherein said inlet opening and said outlet opening are open to atmospheric conditions outside of said spiral oven;   (b) indirectly cooking said bacon slices in said spiral oven by contacting said bacon slices for a time in the range of from about 3 to about 9 minutes with a cooking medium circulating in said spiral oven at an average contacting temperature in the range of from about 325° to about 650° F. and at a nonimpinging contacting flow velocity which is sufficiently low that said bacon slices will not be displaced on said conveyor when contacted by said cooking medium; and   (c) adding steam to said cooking medium in a manner effective to maintain said cooking medium during step (b) such that a partial pressure of air which would otherwise be present in said cooking medium without adding said steam in step (c) is reduced by at least 15%,
 wherein, when initially contracted by said cooking medium in said spiral oven, said bacon slices have a surface temperature which is sufficiently low to cause an amount of water from said cooking medium to initially condense on said bacon slices and 
 wherein said conveyor is an open conveyor such that fat dripping from those of said bacon slices traveling at higher elevations within said spiral oven will fall onto those of said bacon slices traveling at lower elevations within said spiral oven. 
   
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 14  wherein, when initially contacted by said cooking medium, said surface temperature of said bacon slices is in the range of from about −6° to about 5° C. 
   
   
       16 . The process of  claim 14  wherein said steam is added in step (c) in a manner effective to maintain said cooking medium during step (b) such that said partial pressure of air which would otherwise be present in said cooking medium without adding said steam in step (c) is reduced by at least 80%. 
   
   
       17 . The process of  claim 14  wherein said steam added in step (c) is superheated steam. 
   
   
       18 . A process for continuously cooking bacon comprising the steps of:
 (a) placing bacon slices on a conveyor of a spiral oven such that said conveyor carries said bacon slices upwardly in said spiral oven in a spiral pattern;   (b) indirectly cooking said bacon slices in said spiral oven by contacting said bacon slices with a cooking medium circulating in said spiral oven at an average contacting temperature of at least 325° F. and at a contacting flow velocity which is sufficiently low that said bacon slices will not be displaced on said conveyor when contacted by said cooking medium;   (c) monitoring said cooking medium during step (b) using an analyzer of a type used for determining a relative humidity or dew point of air and for providing analyzer result readings on a relative humidity percentage scale or other corresponding result scale; and   (d) adding steam to said cooking medium in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value of at least 10% on a relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b).   
   
   
       19 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said steam is added in step (b) in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value of at least 15% on said relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b). 
   
   
       20 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said steam is added in step (b) in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value of at least 20% on said relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b). 
   
   
       21 . The process of  claim 19  wherein, when initially contacted by said cooking medium in said spiral oven, said bacon slices have a surface temperature which is sufficiently low to cause an amount of water from said cooking medium to initially condense on said bacon slices, said amount of water being effective to prevent burning and to promote browning of at least an edge portion of each of said bacon slices. 
   
   
       22 . The process of  claim 19  wherein said conveyor is an open conveyor such that fat dripping from those of said bacon slices traveling at higher elevations within said spiral oven will fall onto those of said bacon slices traveling at lower elevations within said spiral oven. 
   
   
       23 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said average contacting temperature is at least 375° F. and said steam is added in step (d) in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value in the range of from about 15% to about 45% on said relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b). 
   
   
       24 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said average contacting temperature is in the range of from about 385° F. to about 550° F. and said steam is added in step (d) in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value in the range of from about 20% to about 35% on said relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b). 
   
   
       25 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said average contacting temperature is in the range of from about 325° F. to about 385° F. and said steam is added in step (d) in a manner effective to cause an analyzer result reading of or corresponding to a value in the range of from about 45% to about 85% on said relative humidity percentage scale to be maintained for said cooking medium during step (b).