Ground Beef Production Process Notes

Ground Beef Production Overview

• Introduction

• Ground beef processing is a key part of Empirical Success since 1981.

• Focus on high-quality, cost-effective ingredients for food processors.

• Strong emphasis on safety and efficiency through research and development.

• Production Scale

• Uses over 3 million pounds of raw beef trimmings in a typical 22-hour production day.

• Produces over 700,000 pounds of finished ground beef.

• Also generates about 1.9 million pounds of tallow.

• Processing Steps

• Raw Material Collection: Sourced from 20 suppliers across the U.S. and Canada.

• Blending and Sorting: Beef trimmings sorted for defects, comprising various primal cuts (Chuck, Round, Sirloin).

• Equipment Used:

  • Force Feeder: Sizes trimmings, ensuring quality and efficiency.

  • Desinewers: Remove sinew and bone from trimmings.

  • 5X5 Surge Tank: Maintains continuous operation during processing.

  • Niros Pumps: Control product flow rates.

• Separation Process

• Materials separated using decanters (heavy and light protein phases).

• Heavy protein sent to pH mixer; light phase processed through centrifuges (500s).

• Tallow Processing

• Oil transfer to raw oil tank, then to Tallow Dryer to remove water.

• Tallow reaches 200°F before cooling and quality check before distribution.

• Final Products

• Finished products categorized as:

  • Lean Ground Beef Chips

  • Lean Ground Beef Strands

  • Lean Ground Beef Blocks

• Staff and Operations

• Operates with 60 employees across two shifts.

• Approximately 450,000 lbs of raw material processed in an 8-hour shift.