♪♪
Narrator:
WITH SO MUCH ON THEIR PLATES,
BUSY PEOPLE RELY ON SHORTCUTS
TO HELP PREPARE MEALS.
NOWADAYS,
YOU CAN STOCK YOUR PANTRY
WITH CANS OF PRECOOKED MEAT
SO THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING
ON HAND TO USE IN SANDWICHES,
STEWS, STIR-FRIES,
AND OTHER TASTY DISHES.
THIS CANNED MEAT IS
METICULOUSLY HAND-PRODUCED
BY A CRAFT CANNERY
AND MADE IN SMALL BATCHES.
♪♪
IT CONTAINS NO ARTIFICIAL
INGREDIENTS OR PRESERVATIVES,
JUST MEAT AND SEA SALT.
WHEN A SHIPMENT OF MEAT
ARRIVES AT THE CANNERY,
THE QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER
RECORDS ITS LOT CODE
FOR TRACKING PURPOSES.
AS A FOOD-SAFETY PRECAUTION,
HE CONFIRMS THE TEMPERATURE
OF THE MEAT,
WHICH MUST COME IN BETWEEN
ZERO TO 39° FAHRENHEIT.
A SKILLED BUTCHER
THEN INSPECTS THE MEAT
AND TRIMS OFF THE EXCESS FAT.
♪♪
IF IT'S A LARGE PIECE,
THE BUTCHER SLICES IT
INTO SMALLER PIECES
SO THAT IT CAN PASS THROUGH
THE DICING MACHINE.
♪♪
THE DICER CUTS THE MEAT
INTO ONE-INCH CUBES.
♪♪
AT THE FILLING STATION,
ALUMINUM CANS CIRCULATE
AROUND A ROTATING TABLE.
AS ONE WORKER SHOVELS CUBED MEAT
ONTO THE CENTER OF THE TABLE,
OTHERS MANUALLY FILL CANS
WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PERFORMING
A QUALITY INSPECTION.
WORKERS WILL DISCARD ANY CUBES
THAT ARE DISCOLORED
OR TOO FATTY.
NEXT, TECHNICIANS PLACE
A SINGLE CUBE OF SEA SALT
IN EACH CAN FILLED WITH MEAT.
♪♪
THIS IS THE ONLY
ADDED INGREDIENT.
♪♪
AT THE NEXT STATION, WORKERS
WEIGH EACH CAN INDIVIDUALLY
AND EITHER ADD OR REMOVE MEAT
TO REACH THE REQUIRED WEIGHT.
♪♪
THE FILLED CANS NOW TRAVEL
ON A CONVEYER BELT
TO THE COOK ROOM.
THERE, THEY ENTER
THE PRE-HEATER,
WHICH BLASTS THEM WITH STEAM
FOR 20 SECONDS.
THIS EXPELS AIR THAT'S TRAPPED
BETWEEN THE CUBES OF MEAT.
♪♪
NEXT, THE CANS MOVE
INTO THE CLOSING MACHINE.
THE MACHINE COMPRESSES THE MEAT
TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE
AT THE TOP OF THE CAN.
THIS HEAD SPACE
CREATES A VACUUM ON THE CAN
TO DRAW OUT THE REMAINING AIR.
♪♪
THEN, A DEVICE ATTACHES THE LID
BY A PROCESS KNOWN
AS DOUBLE SEAMING.
THE PROCESS ROLLS THE EDGES
OF THE LID AND CAN TOGETHER,
FORMING A RIM THAT PROVIDES
AN AIRTIGHT SEAL.
♪♪
IT'S TIME TO GET COOKING.
A WORKER LOWERS THE CANS
INTO A COMMERCIAL-SIZED
PRESSURE COOKER.
♪♪
COOKING UNDER STEAM PRESSURE
PRODUCES THE TENDERIZING
EFFECTS OF SLOW COOKING
IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME.
♪♪
THE MEAT COOKS
IN ITS OWN JUICES.
THE COOKING TEMPERATURE VARIES,
DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF MEAT
AND THE CAN SIZE.
♪♪
WHEN THE MEAT IS READY,
THE TECHNICIAN REMOVES THE CANS
AND SETS THEM ASIDE
FOR ABOUT AN HOUR
TO COOL AND DRY.
♪♪
THE CANS ARE THEN MOVED
TO THE PACKAGING AREA.
♪♪
AS A WORKER LOADS
THE LABELING MACHINE,
HE INSPECTS EACH CAN
FOR DENTS OR DAMAGED SEALS.
♪♪
ONE BY ONE, THE CANS ROLL
OVER A GLUE APPLICATOR,
THEN A STACK OF LABELS,
WRAPPING THEMSELVES
IN THE TOP SEAL.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE MACHINE
COUNTS THE NUMBER OF CANS.
♪♪
AFTER ROLLING OFF
THE LABELING MACHINE,
THE CANS PASS
THROUGH AN INK-JET PRINTER
WHICH APPLIES
THE BEST-USED-BY DATE.
♪♪
THAT DATE IS NEXT
TO THE LOT CODE,
WHICH THE CLOSING MACHINE
PRINTED WHILE ATTACHING THE LID.
THIS CAN OF MEAT
HAS A FIVE-YEAR SHELF LIFE,
DUE TO TWO CRUCIAL FACTORS:
IT IS COOKED PROPERLY
AND THE CAN'S SEAL IS AIRTIGHT.
♪♪
