Many dinner tables receive oohs and aahs when a large roast or massive turkey arrives, wafting amazing scents as the centerpiece of a meal.
However, most consumers purchase more small cuts on a continuous basis, according to a report from the Food Industry Association.
In that report, researchers also shared findings that:
- 42% of consumers now buy just the amount needed.
- 73% of consumers sometimes/frequently buy pre-marinated/pre-cut/pre-seasoned meat.
- Meat departments generated 87.1 billion dollars in sales in 2022.
As you can see, smaller muscles are big money-makers for meat processors. Sure, it’s safe to assume most of these consumers would feel giddy about enjoying a 25 lb tomahawk prime rib roast. However, they’re buying smaller cuts more regularly.
Elevate your product’s quality and performance when you purchase a commercial vacuum marinater like the Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology at Challenge RMF. The unique, gentle tenderizing action—in combination with vacuum marinating capabilities—makes our industrial equipment the big winner for smaller muscles.
Contact us to talk about your needs, and read on for insight about improving your bottom round and your bottom line.
Your Aid for Marinade
Challenge RMF offers two different ways to marinate your smaller cuts of meat.
The Challenge RMF Massager/Marinater
As the cornerstone of Challenge RMF’s line of meat processing equipment, the massager/marinater stands out from the competition for all the right reasons.
- Delivers uniform, dependable performance.
- Handles both delicate and hardy muscles.
- Doesn’t degrade muscle fibers or integrity.
- Reduces/eliminates need for yield enhancers.
- Offers customizable options to suit your production needs.
- Designed to last!
Multiple Sizes
We produce our Challenge RMF drums in sizes to handle your production needs at any scale. Our batch capacities range from 2,500 pounds to 22,000 pounds.
Vacuum Marination
The vacuum door for our massager/marinater performs a dual function:
- Creates an internal vacuum for improved marinade/brine/flavor penetration.
- Allows you to add more marinade/flavorings without interrupting the cycle.
The Challenge RMF Cryogenic Marinater
Our unique tenderizing action combined with precise and efficient chilling delivers effective marination—and quickly cools the product to forming temperature.
This cryogenic commercial vacuum marinater also includes our Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology for better tenderizing, greatly reduced loss, and enhanced marinade penetration.
The combination of tenderization, marination, and chilling have made our cryogenic marinater a prime choice for poultry producers. These units can handle batches from ±2200 pounds to ±6600 pounds.
How Marinade Works
With 73% of consumers sometimes or frequently purchasing pre-marinated/pre-cut/pre-seasoned meat, these flavor-enhanced smaller muscles provide profitable rewards.
But what is it about marinating meat that makes it more enticing for the end consumer?
What’s in a marinade?
Marinades typically contain:
- An acid (vinegar, citrus juice, tomato juice, etc.)
- An oil (olive, peanut, truffle, sesame, walnut, chili, etc.)
- Flavorings (fresh/dried herbs, spices, garlic, ginger, citrus zest, mustard, ketchup, etc.)
- Sweeteners (molasses, honey, brown sugar, etc.)
What a Marinade Does
A marinade works wonders for the taste and mouth-feel of a meat while also helping the meat producer improve profit.
Tenderization
Acids in marinades break down meat proteins, creating pockets for the marinade’s flavors to penetrate and bond with the muscle tissue. This tenderizes the meat and increases yield.
Seasoning
Salt draws moisture out of the meat and dissolves into that moisture. Then, the vacuum step of a massager/marinater helps the meat re-absorb this solution. The sodium ions season the meat, while the chloride ions prevent the proteins from contracting too much while cooking.
The results? Improved yield, better meat consistency, and improved mouth-feel for the end customer.
Flavoring
Aromatic molecules within your marinade infuse the meat with their tastes. If your marinade includes oils, they can carry and import flavors from herbs, spices, garlic, onions, etc.
Browning
Marinating can enhance the meat’s exterior, promoting quicker browning while creating a protective barrier to prevent burning. It also reduces cancer-causing substances created in the grilling process.
Common Small-Muscle Products
Challenge RMF clients use our commercial vacuum marinater to produce a broad range of delicious products for their commercial customers.
Poultry
- Chicken Tenders
- Bone-in and Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Breasts
- Whole Chickens
- Duck Breasts
Beef
- Beef Jerky
- Fajita meats
- Beef Steaks
- Beef Roasts
Pork
- Pork Tenderloins
- Pork Chops
- Pork Roasts
Seafood
- Shrimp
- Catfish Filets
- Scallops
- Fish Filets (other than catfish)
Other Products
- Pet Treats
Yes, Seafood Too
From tuna to tilapia, catfish to cod, shrimp to sole, seafood producers use our Meat-on-Meat Massage™ Technology to marinate filets and more.
The uniquely gentle way that a Challenge RMF massager/marinater moves the muscles through the drum greatly reduces degradation and loss.And that gentle massage compounds with the ability to control the length of cycle time, amount of vacuum, rotational speed, and—with our cryogenic marinater—the temperature within.
At the end of your process, you can achieve seafood with maximum yield and excellent quality.
Real Client, Real Difference
The difference between a generic meat tumbler and a Challenge RMF commercial vacuum marinater can be the difference between losing money with high maintenance costs and having equipment that creates greater revenue.
An early adopter of our technology was a major meat supplier to restaurant chains. They learned the difference and what it meant to their bottom line.
This company specialized in custom-designed beef and poultry products for foodservice chains across the country. They produced more than 100 proprietary entrée products as a midline meat processor out of Los Angeles.
According to the feedback they gave us, their reject rates resulting from generic tumbler damage dropped dramatically after they installed the Challenge RMF commercial vacuum marinater. They attribute this increased quality to the superior unique design of Challenge RMF.
Ask us about our list of satisfied meat processors in the U.S. and around the globe. We’d be happy to share real-world examples relevant to your industry.
The Issue With Average Tumblers
The majority of generic meat tumblers use “hydraulic shock” to tenderize the product. The straight flights inside a tumbler drum lift the meat on its “shelf space” as the drum rotates.
When the flight ascends to the correct angle, the meat drops off the flight and down to the bottom of the drum.
The action in generic meat tumblers poses 4 problems:
- Impact damage. Hydraulic shock disrupts both muscle fibers and connective tissues. The meat loses form as the action creates a protein “mush” on the outside of the muscle. This slimy exudate can block marinade penetration. In the end, hydraulic shock delivers inconsistent flavor and texture.
- Structural damage. In an average meat tumbler, the action it uses to “tenderize” the product tends to pull, rip, shear, and tear muscles making quality standards difficult to achieve. This product damage and degradation makes for a high reject rate.
- Capacity limits. Generic tumblers do not process differently sized batches in the same manner, and in the same cycle times, because of their hydraulic shock action. If you imagine a “barrel” of product being lifted and dropped, the inside of the barrel receives less action than the outside of the barrel. The Challenge-RMF Meat-on-Meat rolling and folding action treats differently sized batches similarly, including the same cycle time.
- Reduced flexibility. Tumblers are not recommended for use with more delicate muscles, especially seafood and high-end cuts of meat, because of the damage they cause.
Why Meat-on-Meat Massage™ Technology Works Better
A commercial vacuum marinater from Challenge RMF uses a special massager/marinater drum design.
It’s the Helical Flights
Instead of long, straight flights inside the drum like with an average tumbler, the Challenge RMF massager/marinater has helical flights that roll and fold product gently along the sloped drum’s surface.
As the meat travels through the curved, continuous helical flights, it rolls over itself, creating a natural massage action. The contents receive both external friction and the gentle press-and-release from the product’s weight as each piece cycles from top to bottom in the drum.
With every turn of the drum, all of the pieces receive a gentle but strong massage, ensuring an even, full-contact load without any dead spots.
If you looked inside the Challenge RMF massager/marinater as it turned, you’d see an almost wave-like motion on the surface. That’s the magic: the meat-on-meat action tenderizes and improves marinade absorption as the drum rotates and moves the contents non-stop.
With a Challenge RMF commercial vacuum marinater, you get:
- Consistently high yields
- Greatly reduced loss risk
- No muscle shear
- No skin separation
- No damage to the fat cover
Better Structure for Longer Life
We weld each helical flight with precision so it stays fixed to the drum.
Straight flights flex the weld points as they lift the meat and as they drop it. This causes extra stress on the flights, the welds, and the drum itself.
Our helical flights move the meat along the length of the drum, sliding it and rolling it rather than lifting and dropping it. The helical flights also reinforce the drum strength rather than stressing it. This design delivers exceptional stability to the drum for improved durability and ROI.
The Flavor of ROI
If you want to know the ROI from an investment in Challenge RMF Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology, we’ll use the words from one of our clients:
“Our Challenge RMF massager paid for itself in just 11 weeks by eliminating product damage. How’s that for ‘return on investment’?”
After purchasing Challenge RMF Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology, the client reported:
- Improved quality control
- Increased profitability
- Greatly reduced ripping/tearing
- Improved customer satisfaction
Their red meat and poultry products all received marination, mixing, and/or massaging as part of their process. With the entire marketing program based upon the quality of their products, they had to use reliable technology that supported quality rather than degraded it.
They achieved those goals with Challenge RMF’s help, having saved enough from loss prevention in the first 90 days to pay for the machine itself. Plus, they’re able to achieve their standards of quality more easily and consistently with every batch.
Increased Yield
The massaging action of a Challenge RMF commercial vacuum marinater delivers ROI on yield, too.
Generic tumblers activate protein on the outside of the muscle. Challenge RMF’s Meat-on-Meat Massage™ technology activates proteins on the inside of muscles, too! This better utilizes the water-binding properties of these proteins while driving the marinade more evenly and deeply into the muscles themselves.
You can increase yield throughout the muscle without needing to add expensive extra ingredients to do it for you.
Meat Your Match
A commercial vacuum marinater from Challenge RMF offers superior results at a lower life-cycle cost. Request a quote, and let’s talk about your needs. We could even set up an on-site demo, depending on your goals.
Get more ROI immediately with the right equipment from Challenge RMF.
About Challenge RMF
For over 45 years, we’ve designed and built meat massager/marinaters, loaders/dumpers, cryogenic marinating technology, and more for manufacturers and processors.
Challenge RMF clients can reach our engineers and product specialists via phone, over email, and in-person. We’ve helped companies the world over, customizing and installing meat massaging technology in diverse production applications.
From brand-new equipment to replacement parts and repair service, we’re there when you want us and here when you need us. Come explore what’s possible with Challenge RMF.
