Understanding Poultry & Game Birds

What is Poultry?

POULTRY includes all domestic birds suitable for food except pigeon and squab.

Examples:

chicken, fowl, turkey, duck, goose, etc.

Poultry

-Has a high protein content

-Is easier to raise and transport than cows and pigs

-Is considered a staple on most menus

Buying and Storing from a variety of sources

 Know your supplier and ensure their sanitary practices

 Poultry should be delivered at freezing for fresh products or hard frozen
 Inspect for signs of temperature abuse
 Use fresh product within three days

Composition and Structure

1.The flesh of poultry and game birds is muscle tissue.

Muscle tissue is composed of:

Water (about 75%)

Protein (about 20%)

Fat (up to 5%)

2. Maturity and Tenderness

The tenderness of a piece of poultry is related to connective tissue.

Maturity or age of the animal or bird.

Maturity is a major consideration when selecting poultry.

Young, tender birds are cooked by dry-heat methods, such as broiling, frying, and roasting, as well as by
moist heat methods.

Older, tougher birds need slow, moist heat to be made palatable.

3. Free-Range Chickens
Free-range chickens are considerably more expensive than ordinary chickens.

Many people feel free-range chickens are more flavorful and worth the extra cost

Organic: Defined by the USDA as food produced without using:

Most conventional pesticides

Fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge

Bioengineering

4. Light Meat and Dark Meat

Chicken and Turkey

“Light meat”

 breast and wings

 Less fat
 Less connective tissue
 Cooks faster

“Dark meat”:

 legs (drumsticks and thighs)

 More fat
 More connective tissue
 Takes longer to cook

Handling and Storage Fresh Poultry

Fresh Poultry

It should arrive in vacuum packs or be packed in ice and kept in ice until used.

• Ideally, use poultry within 24 hours of receiving.

• Poultry often carries salmonella bacteria.

-Wash all equipment and cutting surfaces after handling poultry to avoid contamination of other
foods.

 Store frozen poultry at 0°F (–18°C) or lower until it is ready to thaw.

 Thaw in original wrapper in refrigerator
Allow 1 to 2 days for chickens.
2 to 4 days for larger birds.
If pressed for time, thaw in cold, running water in original wrapper.
 Do not refreeze thawed poultry.
Cutting Up Chicken

Splitting Chicken for Broiling

 Hold the chicken up by the tail. Cut through the bones to one side of the backbone, all the way
to the neck.
 Split the chicken open.
 Cut off the back bone as shown.
 Pull out the breastbone or keel bone—this helps the chicken lie flat and cook evenly.
 For a portion size of one-half chicken, cut the chicken in half down the center of the breast.
Make a split in the skin below the leg and slip the end of the leg through it as shown to hold the
chicken in shape.

Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in

Cutting Up Chicken

Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in

Place the chicken on the cutting board breast up. Split the chicken down the center of the breast with a
heavy knife.

Spread the chicken open and spread through the bones on one side of the backbone.

Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in

Cut off the backbone completely and save for stocks.

Cut through the skin between the leg and the breast.

Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in

Pull the leg back and cut off the entire leg section. Repeat with the other half. The chicken is now in
quarters.

To cut into eighths, cut the drumstick and thigh apart at the joint.

Cutting chicken into quarters and eighths, bone in

Cut the breast and wing quarter into two equal pieces. Another method is simply to cut off the wing.

The chicken cut into eighths. Note that the first joint of each wing has been cut off.

Game Bird

- Game birds are native or non-native birds that historically were wild game or decorative fowl but are
now raised commercially for their meat or egg production

-includes such birds and animals suitable for food as are pursued and taken in field and forest.

- (includes free range

Examples:

wild duck, plover, deer, goose, duck, partridge, woodcock, guinea fowl, partridges, peacocks,
pheasants, pigeons and doves, quail or squab (a young pigeon), swans, wild turkeys and some ducks,
such as mallards or wood ducks

Buying and Storing

 Game birds are available whole or precut into pieces

- Fresh, frozen, or canned (smaller birds)

 Factors affecting quality

-Age of the bird and manner of slaughter and packaging

-Should have springy skin and no “off” odor

Duck

- Very popular in European countries

- Various forms available

-Broiler, fryer, or roaster duckling

-Mature duck

Goose

- Flesh (including the breast) is darker than poultry

Taste is gamier and has more fat than duck

Partridge Game bird

- available in several regions of the world

- Very plump; has white gamey flesh and white meat

Pheasant

- wild flavored bird Prepared roasted, stewed, or braised

- Raised on farms

Most weigh between 1½ – 2¼ lb

Available frozen, or fresh in some locales

Sold as a dish for two people

Pigeon

- Available from farms

Comes in two forms

Squab: young bird with extra tender meat

Pigeon: older bird with tougher flesh

Quail

- Related to the pheasant Weighs 3 to 7 ounces in total

Inspection and Grading

Inspection

-A guarantee of wholesomeness (fit for human consumption).

-Indicated by a round stamp.

-Required by U.S. law.

Grading

-Based on quality.

-Indicated by a shield stamp and letter grade.

-Not required by U.S. law

The USDA inspects all poultry before and after the kill

Inspection is mandatory but grading is voluntary

Assessment:

Direction: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and write FALSE if the statement is wrong.

T 1. Poultry is a domesticated species that can be raised for eggs, meat and/or feathers.

F.2. Do not wash equipment and cutting surfaces after handling poultry to avoid contamination of other
foods. WASH

T 3. Store frozen poultry at 0°F (–18°C) or lower until it is ready to thaw.

F4. Poultry includes such birds and animals suitable for food as are pursued and taken in field and forest.
GAME BIRDS

T.5. Maturity is a major consideration when selecting poultry.

F 6. Light meat are legs (drumsticks and thighs), have more fat, more connective tissue and takes longer
to cook. DARK MEAT

T 7. Inspection is indicated by a round stamp and required by U.S. law.

F 8. Dark meat have breast and wings, have less fat, less connective tissue and cooks faster. L

IGHT MEAT

T 9. Free-Range Chickens are more flavorful and worth the extra cost.

F10. Grading indicated by a round stamp and required by U.S. law. INSPECTION