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Chapter 12

Understanding Poultry and Game Birds

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Chapter Objectives1. Explain the differences between light meat and dark

meat, and describe how these differences affect cooking.

2. Describe four techniques that help keep chicken or turkey breast moist while roasting.

3. Define the following terms used to classify poultry: kind, class, and style.

4. Identify popular types of farm-raised game birds and the cooking methods appropriate to their preparation.

5. Store poultry items.6. Determine doneness in cooked poultry, both large

roasted birds and smaller birds.7. Truss poultry for cooking.8. Cut up chicken into parts.

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Composition and Structure The muscle tissue contains:

Water (Approximately 75% water) Protein (20%) Fat (up to 5%) Small amounts of elements and carbohydrates

Remember that muscles consist of muscle fibers held together by connective tissue.

Young birds are almost always more tender than older birds.

Birds that do fly always have only dark meat.

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Maturity and Tenderness Remember, we learned that tenderness of a

piece of meat or poultry is related to connective-tissue and that connective-tissue increases with Use or exercise of the muscle Maturity and age of the animal or bird

Young, tender birds are cooked by dry heat methods, such as broiling, frying, roasting and moist methods. Older tough birds are primarily cooked by moist heat.

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“Light Meat” and “Dark Meat”

Light Meat - Breast and Wings

Less fat

Less connective tissue

Cooks faster

Dark Meat – Drumsticks and

Thighs

More Fat

More connective Tissue

Longer cooking time1. Cooking whole birds

2. Cooking poultry parts

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Free-Range Chickens Are allowed to go outdoors and move

and eat freely in a natural environmentNOTE: There is no legal description of free-range

Many people think they are worth the cost

A term related to free-range is organic

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A Major Problem with RoastingA major problem with roasting is cooking

the legs to doneness without overcooking the breasts. Consider:

Roasting birds breast down for part of the time

Basting with fat only Barding Roasting separately

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Cooking Poultry Parts

Many recipes have been developed to prepare poultry parts, like wings, drumsticks, and boneless chicken breasts.

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Grading of Poultry and Inspection

All poultry consumed in the U.S. is subject to USDA inspection A guarantee of wholesomeness Required by law

This ensures that products are produced under strict sanitary guidelines and are wholesome and fit for human consumption

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Grading is voluntary but virtually universal. Birds are graded according to their overall quality Grades from the highest to the lowest

USDA grade A (the Best) USDA grade B USDA grade C The grades have no bearing on tenderness or flavor Grade is based on:

Shape of carcass Amount of flesh Amount of fat Pinfeathers Skin tears, cuts, broken bones Blemishes and bruises

Grading

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Classifications and Market Forms

Kind - Species, such as chicken, turkey, or duck

Class - The subdivision of kind, depending on age and sex

Style - Amount of cleaning and processing: Live, dressed, whole, in parts, and ready-to-cook

State of Refrigeration: Chilled or frozen

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Poultry is the collective term for domesticated birds bred for eating. It includes: Chickens Ducks Geese Guineas Squabs Turkeys Goose Pigeon

Poultry

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Chicken The most popular and widely eaten

poultry in the world It contains white and dark meat Can be cooked by almost any cooking

method It is readily available fresh and frozen Poussin - a special bird, similar to Rock

Cornish game hens, weighs 1 pound (454 grams); expensive.

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Turkey

Turkey is the second most popular poultry in the united States

It has both white and dark meat It has a small amount of fat A young turkey lends itself to being

prepared in any manner Breasts can be cut into cutlets or

scaloppine.

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Duck & Geese

The roasting of duck & geese is mostly in food service operations

Duck & geese have only dark meat Duck & geese have a high

percentage of bone to fat to meat ratio

Duck & geese have a large percentage of fat

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Squab (Pigeon)

Thr young pigeon is commercially referred to as a squab

It is dark meated and well suited for broiling, sautéing or roasting

Squab has very little fat so it will benefit from barding

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Guineas

Are domestically raised Descendent of the pheasant Tastes like flavorful chicken

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Game Birds and Specialty Products

Quail Partridges Pheasant Wild Duck Ostrich Emu

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Ratites

Ratites are a family of flightless birds with small wings and flat breastbones. They include Ostrich (native to Africa), and Emu (native to Australia) and Rhea (native to South America).

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Handling and Storing

Poultry can be purchased in many forms: Fresh Frozen Cut-up Portioned controlled (PC) Individually quick frozen (IQF)

Extremely perishable Do not cross-contaminate Often carries salmonella bacteria

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All poultry is a potentially hazardous food Fresh chickens and small birds can be

stored on ice or at 32 to 34° F for no more than four days

Frozen poultry should be held at 0° F and can be held for six months

Frozen items should be thawed under refrigeration

Do not refreeze poultry

Handling and Storing (cont’d)

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Doneness

Domestic poultry is almost always cooked well done (except for squab and sautéed duck breast).

There is a difference between well done and overcooked.

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Dry-Heat Cooking Methods

Broiling Grilling Roasting The four methods used to determine

doneness of poultry Touch Temperature Looseness of joints Color of the juices

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Copyright ©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.