Why you should use the Tenderbuck Electrostimulator:
The History of Electrostimulation
1749
Electrical stimulation of meat has been a common practice in commercial meat processing facilities for decades. In fact, one of the first recorded discussions of electrical stimulation came from none other than Benjamin Franklin back in 1749. In their book “The Private Franklin: The Man and His Family”, authors Claude-Anne Lopez and Eugenia W. Herbert discuss some of Franklin’s experiments with stunning turkeys with electricity. In the name of science, a few of the unfortunate fowl were inadvertently killed. Interestingly, Franklin found that the meat from these electrocuted turkeys was better than their non-electrocuted brethren, stating that “Killing turkeys electrically, with the pleasant side effect that it made them uncommonly tender, was the first practical application for electricity.” A key endorsement of electrostimulation from a great historical gourmand and one of our favorite founding fathers.
1970s
Fast forward to the 1970’s. The world is finally ready for commercial electrostimulation of meat, and Sam Kane Beef and in Texas is the first one to the table. Other large processors would soon come on board, including leading poultry and pork processors. Most recently, Nolan Ryan Beef has incorporated electrostimulation as a required part of their process to guarantee tenderness and flavor. Still, this standard process, common in large-volume, quality processors, has relatively little visibility to the consumer, and remains an industry secret known only to Meat Science graduates and processors.
1983
In 1983, Texas wild game purveyor Broken Arrow Ranch saw an opportunity to bring top-notch game from the field to restaurants all over the country. At the time, wild game was available, but much of it was imported, and the meat was often tough and gamey. Providing fresh, tender, delicious, all natural venison and wild boar was the goal, but field harvesting makes some of the commercial advances used in standard processing facilities difficult. To ensure maximum quality, Broken Arrow Ranch innovated, developing custom mobile slaughterhouses and specially equipped trucks to make field harvesting and processing of exotic game possible. One of these innovations is field electrostimulation of harvested game, initially using large commercial electrostimulators that were not really configured for field use. This is the beginning of Tenderbuck Electrostimulators.
2004
In 2004, we were approached to repair one of these broken commercial field electrostimulators. After years of development, evaluation, field testing, and thousands of field electrostimulations, Tenderbuck is proud to present their revolutionary new product for meat-hunters, artisan butchers and processors, and gourmands and game aficionados worldwide. For the first time, the private hunter can get the benefits of electrostimulation in the field with their game. While the device is small, the effect on meat taste, tenderness and quality is profound. The unit is totally portable, powered by a small rechargeable, replaceable 12 volt lead-acid battery, and is capable of stimulating over a dozen animals before requiring a recharge. With Tenderbuck’s patent pending technology and safety features, hunters will soon be bringing home restaurant-quality meat.