A method of cooling a dressed carcass of a slaughtered animal halved along
the backbone thereof while transferring the dressed carcass in a cooling
chamber is provided, with which reduction in process yield in the cooling
process due to evaporation of water from the dressed carcass is
suppressed to a minimum, meat juice dripping together with water does not
occur when cutting the dressed carcass, the cooling period of time is
reduced, energy is saved in cooling process, initial cost is reduced, and
productivity is improved. The dressed carcass is cooled while
transferring in the cooling chamber in a hanged attitude along the
transport route T, whereby a plurality of partitioned spaces are provided
in the cooling chamber 1 such that they are arranged along said transport
route with a relatively small distance between them in a zone where the
surface of the dressed carcass is cooled quickly and with a relatively
large distance between them in a zone where surface temperature of the
dressed carcass has approached the temperature of the cooling chamber and
the dressed carcass is cooled slowly, and water is added to the surface
of the dressed carcass while blasting cold air on to the dressed carcass
in the partitioned spaces.