Process of making a bacon-like meat product of reduced fat content

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A COMPOSITE BACON-LIKE MEAT PRODUCT OF REDUCED FAT CONTENT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING SMALL UNTRIMMED PIECES OF ECONOMICAL MEAT CUTS, SAID MEAT PIECES BEING IN AN UNFROZEN CONDITION; FORMING A BINDER FOR THE MEAT PIECES BY BLENDING AN AQUEOUS BRINE CURING SOLUTION WITH ABOUT AN EQUAL AMOUNT BY WEIGHT OF GROUND MEAT TO FORM A BINDER COMPOSITION HAVING A STCKY PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY; COOLING THE BINDER TO A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST 10*F. BELOW THE TEMPRATURE OF THE UNTRIMMED MEAT PIECES AT IMTIMATELY MIXING THE RELATIVELY COOLER BINDER WITH THE RELATIVELY WARMER SMALLER MEAT PIECES TO COAT THE SURFACES OF THE MEAT PIECES WITH THE BINDER; ENCASING THE BINDER-UNTRIMMED MEAT MIXTURE AND MAINTAINING THE ENCASED MIXTURE UNDER REFRIGERATION FOR A CURING PERIOD OF AT LEAST ABOUT 14 TO 16 HOURS; AND SUBSEQUENTLY INCREMENTALLY HEATING THE ENCASED CURED MIXTURE WITHOUT DEHYDRATION TO A SURFACE CONDITIONING TEMPERATURE OF AT EAST ABOUT 108*F FOLLOWED BY HEATING TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 117*-125*F AND SUBSQUENTLY TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 135*F.