Method of flameless broiling or baking greasy meat products

Claim 1

A method of flameless broiling or baking in a tunnel oven of greasy meat products of ordinarily flame-producing character, said meat products having a tendency to burn or produce flame because of grease therein, by conveying the products through the tunnel oven for being heated by infrared radiation at predetermined emission temperatures ordinarily causing flaming of the meat products, the tunnel oven at opposite ends having an entrance and exit, said entrance and exit being maintained open at all times, the tunnel oven having a tunnel floor, said method including heating the interior tunnel surfaces of the tunnel oven to provide for cooking of the meat products in the tunnel oven by infrared radiant energy emitted directly from said surfaces, trapping within said tunnel oven a substantially quiescently trapped, oxygen-starved heated tunnel atmosphere having a slight overpressure by preventing the free exchange of the atmosphere exteriorly of said tunnel oven with said tunnel atmosphere by maintaining the entrance and exit to the tunnel oven at all times at an orientation such that the highest point of each of said entrance and exit is lower than said floor, said tunnel atmosphere substantially preventing burning or flaming of the meat products while within said tunnel atmosphere, and conveying the meat products through said tunnel atmosphere within said tunnel oven by first carrying the meat products upwardly at an angle inclined to the horizontal through said open entrance and into said atmosphere, carrying them along the length of said tunnel oven within said tunnel atmosphere while heating said meat products by the emission of infrared radiation directly from the interior tunnel surfaces resulting from said heating thereof, and subsequently conveying them downwardly at an angle inclined to the horizontal out of said tunnel atmosphere through said open exit, said predetermined emission temperatures being within the range of from about 200° F. to about 1200° F.

Claim 2

A method of flameless broiling or baking in a tunnel oven of greasy meat products of ordinarily flame-producing character, said meat products having a tendency to burn or produce flame because of grease therein, by conveying the products through the tunnel oven for being heated by infrared radiation at predetermined emission temperatures ordinarily causing flaming of the meat products, the tunnel oven at opposite ends having an entrance and exit, said entrance and exit being maintained open at all times, the tunnel oven having a tunnel floor, said method including heating the interior tunnel surfaces of the tunnel oven to provide for cooking of the meat products in the tunnel oven by infrared radiant energy emitted directly from said surfaces, trapping within said tunnel oven a substantially quiescently trapped, oxygen-starved heated tunnel atmosphere having a slight overpressure by preventing the free exchange of the atmosphere exteriorly of said tunnel oven with said tunnel atmosphere by maintaining the entrance and exit to the tunnel oven at all times at an orientation such that the highest point of each of said entrance and exit is lower than said floor, said tunnel atmosphere substantially preventing burning or flaming of the meat products while within said tunnel atmosphere, and conveying the meat products through said tunnel atmosphere within said tunnel oven by first carrying the meat products upwardly at an angle inclined to the horizontal through said open entrance and into said atmosphere, carrying them along the length of said tunnel oven within said tunnel atmosphere while heating said meat products by the emission of infrared radiation directly from the interior tunnel surfaces resulting from said heating thereof, and subsequently conveying them downwardly at an angle inclined to the horizontal out of said tunnel atmosphere through said open exit, said predetermined emission temperatures being within the range of from about 200° F. to about 1200° F.