Hobart Food Equipment Group, Troy, Ohio, supplies meat saws, mixer grinders, tabletop grinders and tenderizers for use by butchers and other grocery retail meat department employees, says Carolyn Bilger, senior marketing manager.

Later this year, Hobart will launch a new meat saw that boasts an enhanced integrated meat pusher. The sliding carriage provides an enhanced experience of convenience for the operator, Bilger says. It easily flips out of the way when not in use and the tool-less disassembly of minimal parts facilitates break-down for cleaning.

Meat room equipment is rather basic and utilitarian, Bilger says. Cleaning and sanitation are key — therefore, providing easy-to-remove parts that can be thoroughly cleaned drive technology is essential.

“The meat room space in many retailers has become smaller, and because of this, there is a trend toward reducing the equipment footprint,” she adds. “By providing product that can be easily broken down and thoroughly cleaned, retailers are saving labor dollars by reducing the time required to clean.”

Products that are easy for the operator to use also aid in labor savings.  The less time required for an operator to understand how the equipment works, Bilger points out, the faster they can get to the task of cutting and prepping meat. 

Butchery is a skilled trade — having qualified individuals operating and maintaining equipment ensures that the tasks are done efficiently, with minimal product waste. 

Hobart’s meat room equipment, Bilger says, provides quality and assurance operators can rely on so that they’re able to perform a variety of meat cutting techniques.

“Beyond performance, cleaning and sanitation are key drivers for Hobart,” she says. “We spend a lot of time with our customers observing, asking questions and discovering pain points for operators. This helps us learn how to continuously improve our products in areas of cleaning, performance and easiness of operation.”

Easy to clean, easy to sanitize, easy to use

Hobart’s mixer/grinders for retail grocery meat departments are easy to clean and easy to sanitize and grind meat without smashing it, according to the company.

Both ergonomic and simple to use, Hobart’s mixer/grinders are designed to increase production and decrease labor time. While doing so, they also demonstrate one very important thing to your customers — quality and consistency.

Units come in a variety of designs to handle small or large volumes and everything in between. Stainless steel construction gives them added durability, and upfront, easy-to-reach controls ensure efficiency.

Hobart’s wedge cylinder mixer/grinder is equipped with a grinding end that improves consistency and delivers full-rate feeding for the entire batch. In addition, an easily converted hopper lid creates loading options on either side of the machine. And depending on the product, Hobart’s mixer/grinders can withstand up to 150-pound hopper capacity.

Hobart’s meat saws, meanwhile, have been designed to be easy to use safely. Both the upper and lower pulleys are completely enclosed, and the blade is guarded above and below the cutting zone.

A pusher plate eliminates the need for handling items too close to the blade, and with its integrated pulley system and 3-horsepower motor, Hobart’s meat saws provide a clean, precise cut with every use.

Hobart’s 403 tenderizer is capable of turning out meats for hundreds of creative meal ideas.

It can cut flank steak, sirloin, chicken breast or pork for stir-fry and fajitas. It can strip-cut cooked ham, turkey and cheese for chef salads or garnishes.

And with its Knit-Knife stainless steel blades, Hobart’s tenderizer can cut meat and knit it so firmly together, it will cook as one solid steak.

Patented, sensor-based technologies

Shelton, Connecticut-based Treif USA provides a full line of dicing, portion-cutting and other machines for use in grocery retail meat departments.

Treif’s dicers provide top cutting quality thanks to patented, sensor-based cutting technology, AVS (automatic pre-compression system) and residual piece optimization.

Cleaning is easy thanks to the units’ hygiene cylinder. Ideal cutting conditions are achieved thanks to product specific accessories, e.g. gentle cut gridset for tender products like fresh meat.

Optional add-ons include a scale for packing units of a prescribed weight and remote maintenance.

For portion-cutting, Treif’s Jaguar, Puma E/EB, Lion F/FB and other units provides precisely sized portion thanks to Treif’s DVS (dynamic feed system) technology.

DVS guarantees continuous, careful product transport adjusted to particular products right to the blade. Product movement is minimized – an important prerequisite for precisely cut slices.

The result is powerful and simultaneously precise portioning of cutlets, steaks and many other fresh, cooled and frozen products. The company’s portion cutters also offer precision sickle blades, intelligent product holders and automated processes that significantly accelerate production.

A full lineup

Countryside, Illinois-based Hollymatic offers a full line of grinder/bulkers, mixers and grinders, formers and portioners and other equipment for meat preparation.

The company’s 175 Mixer Grinder, for instance, is a workhorse that combines high production, superior mixing capabilities and an easy to clean design. The unique figure 8 mixing paddle blends fat to lean fast and easily, the result of which is ground meat that’s blended correctly and looks good longer.

The Hollymatic 190 Automatic Feed Grinder, meanwhile, was designed for first grind coarse ground production of whole muscle products in supermarkets and meat plants. The 190 features a compact design and high strength/ torque augers, and it can take on grind-tempered meat and large fresh meat pieces with ease and speed.

And in the formers and portioners category, Hollymatic’s Super Patty Machine is an industry favorite for producing high quality patties. It forms and portions a wide variety of products including meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, bakery items and more. The Super is found in more supermarkets, restaurants, drive-ins, small locker plants and institutions than any other patty machine, according to Hollymatic.