Poultry & Cuts of Chicken

Cuts of Chicken Diagram

Chicken Cuts Position

 

Poultry is a category of domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of collecting of their eggs, or killing for their meat or feathers. These most typically are members of the super order Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails and turkeys) and the family Anatidae (in order Anseriformes), commonly known as "waterfowl" (e.g.domestic ducks and domestic geese).

Poultry also includes other birds which are killed for their meat, such as pigeons or doves or birds considered to be game, such as pheasants. Poultry comes from the French/Norman wordpoule, itself derived from the Latin word pullus, which means small animal.

Poultry is the second most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 30% of meat production worldwide, after pork at 38%.

Processing of poultry

1.    Slaughter –the bird is placed upside down in a “killing cone” a funnel type arrangement to keep the bird calm and avoid hindrance to the slaughter process due to fluttering of wings. Then in a humane approach the bird is stunned with a electric shock /or not in case of Kosher (Jewish) and halal (Islamic), thereafter the jugular vein is severed off either from outside (general practice) or from inside the throat (known as sticking) important in oriental cuisine where the head of the bird should be attached to the carcass for specific preparations. The bird is kept in cone till the blood is drained off .It might or might not be hung depending on climatic conditions etc.

 2.    Scalding –The bird is dipped in hot water (60-70 degree Celsius approx) for a minute or two this loosens the feathers on the skin for the next process. This process also makes the feathers wet and heavy which stops them from flying around and sticking to the carcass.

 3.    Plucking-as the name suggests the processes involves plucking off feathers from the carcass either manually or using a rotor.

 4.    Singeing- The process involves burning away fine hair not cleaned in the process of plucking. This process is very important because a lot of preparations involve chicken with skin on it; presence of fine hair /feather/fur is a very undesirable feature in any meat/poultry product.

 5.    Trussing: Trussing means tying the bird with string to make a compact solid unit. It serves two purposed:

Even cooking. Extended legs and wings cook too quickly.

More attractive appearance, especially when presented and served whole. Trussing also helps to keep the stuffing in place.

 6.    Evisceration –This process involves removal of internal organs of the bird, it has to be carried out carefully so as not to puncture the guts of the bird, which might result in fecal contamination of the flesh. After which the organs are sorted and desired organs for consumption (giblets-liver, heart, spleen) are washed, packed in plastic bag and further packed in the bird itself (abdominal cavity).

 7.    Washing-This process is a standard hygienic practice followed by most of the poultry processing units, washing with plain cold water removes any dirt, blood, feathers or any dirt that might have stuck to the carcass.

 8.    Chilling –The process involves bringing the temperature of the bird down from its last body temperature / room temperature to about 4 degree Celsius using a very cold brine bath (-4 degree Celsius) approx/ice shush bath (0 degree Celsius). This can further be brought down to -18 degree Celsius if the birds have to be frozen.

 Fabrication (Butchery)

 The two basic parts of poultry are:-

1. The upper half which houses the breasts, winglets and supreme.

2. The Lower half comprises of legs.

 The fowl can be used as whole for roasts, can be cut up into two halves for pot roasts, and the legs and breasts can be further fabricated into boneless or small pieces as required.

 The Legs being more exercised in case of fowl have more connective tissue and myoglobin fixation hence they take longer to cook compared to the breast pieces, which have comparatively less connective tissue and cook faster.

 The same is not true in case of Game and Water Fowl as their breast muscles too are well exercised.

 Health Threats

1.    Though there are numerous diseases one can list in case of poultry given below are the most common ones.

2.    Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu", A(H5N1) or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.

3.    A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A (H5N1) for "highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1", is the causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as "avian influenza" or "bird flu".

4.    Salmonellosis is an infection with Salmonella bacteria. Most people who get infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, and 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts 3 to 7 days; most affected persons recover without treatment.

5.    Staphylococcus can cause a wide variety of diseases in humans and other animals through either toxin production or penetration. Staphylococcal toxins are a common cause of food poisoning, as it can grow in improperly-stored food.

Nutritional Aspects

1.    Chicken is high in protein, low in fat and low in cholesterol as compared to red meats, making it a good selection for a healthy diet.

2.    Our bodies require a certain amount of protein daily and the body does not store protein so we need to replenish it each day.

3.    A portion 90 gm chicken provides a large amount of our daily requirement for protein. Our bodies also require fat in our diet, which allows us to absorb vitamins that are fat-soluble and energy producing. But, too much fat is not healthy.

4.    Chicken is lower in fat than most other meats and over half of the fat is unsaturated fat, the type that helps lower cholesterol.

5.    The white meat is lower in fat than the dark meat of the chicken but the dark meat is higher in iron, an important nutrient for a healthy body.

Cooking Whole Birds:

Very often we notice that the breast portion of the whole bird is dry and tasteless. This is due to the fact that it cooks faster and thus dries up by the time the leg portion is done. Also, the breast has much less fat which would have kept it moist during the longer cooking time required. A major problem in cooking whole poultry is cooking the legs to doneness without overcooking the breast. Various techniques are devised to overcome this problem.

1. Roasting the bird with the breast portion down as gravity draws the juices towards the breast rather than away from it.

2. Basting with fat only, not with water or stock. Fat protects from drying, but moisture washes away the protective fat.

3. Barding the breast with a thin layer of pork fat or a rasher of bacon.

4. Cooking the leg and breast portions separately as is done often with turkey.

Cooking Poultry parts:

Many recipes are devised to cook certain parts of poultry, such as the wings, breast, legs and wings. These recipes take into account the tenderness of the different cuts of poultry. For example, flattened boneless breast of poultry will cook easily and quickly by sautéing or pan frying, whereas the drumsticks and legs when braised release enough gelatin to make a rich bodied sauce.

CUTS OF POULTRY

These include

Breast: Aile, Aileron, Supreme

Leg : Drumstick (pilon de cuisse) & Thigh (gras de cuisse)

INSPECTION AND GRADING

Like meat, poultry is subject to inspection and grading.

Inspection is a guarantee of wholesomeness and means that it is fit for human consumption. Inspection is required by law.

Grading is based on quality and is not required by law and depends upon:

a. the amount of flesh

b. the amount of fat

c. pin feathers (present or absent)

d. skin tears, cuts, broken bones

e. Blemishes and bruises

Good grade poultry are used by food service operators, restaurants, fast food outlets and caterers. Lower grade poultry will be used by the canning industry and the pre prepared food industry.

CLASSIFICATION AND MARKET FORMS:

The following terms are used to classify poultry:

Kind: The species, such as chicken, duck, turkey

Class: Sub division of the species such as Capon, Mallard

Style: Refers to the amount of cleaning and processing:

Live: almost never purchased in modern commercial units.

Dressed: Killed, Bled and plucked.

Ready to cook: Dressed, eviscerated with head & feet removed

State of Refrigeration: Chilled or Frozen.

HANDLING & STORAGE:

Fresh Poultry

1. Fresh poultry is extremely perishable. It should arrive packed in ice and kept in the ice until it is ready to be used.

2. Ideally, it should be used within 24 hours of receiving and never more than 4 days later.

3. Poultry often carry salmonella bacteria. Wash all knives, cutting boards and other processing equipment to avoid contamination of other foodstuffs.

Frozen Poultry

1. Store frozen poultry at 0C) or lower until ready to thaw.°F (-18°

2. Thaw in original wrapper in the refrigerator. Length of time will depend on the size of the bird. Large turkeys will take upto 4 days to thaw completely. If pressed for time, thaw in cold running water in the original wrapper.

4. Do not thaw in hot water.

5. Do not re freeze raw poultry.

DONENESS:

Poultry is almost always cooked well done. Very often however, it is difficult to tell the difference between well done and overdone. Chicken and turkey are low in fat and therefore have a tendency to get dry and stringy. Even duck and goose which are high in fat taste unpalatable if overcooked. Many skilled chefs are able to tell whether or not poultry is cooked merely by looking at it. However, until you have reached that level of experience, you must rely on other method.

1.Internal Temperature: The most accurate guide is the internal temperature of the bird. Use a thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the bird, the joint between the drumstick and the thigh. The internal temperature must be 180F° C). Testing should be done away from the bone.°(82

1. Looseness of the joint: The leg will move freely in the socket.

2. Clear juices: The juices inside the cavity and those, which run when the bird is pierced, will be clear. If they are red or even pink, allow further cooking. No juiced is an indication that the bird is overcooked.

3. Flesh separating from the bone: Muscles (flesh) will begin pulling away (shrinking) from the bone, especially the breast and leg bones. Excessively shrunken flesh means it is dry and overcooked and dry.

4. Firmness to touch: Test with finger pressure. Especially useful method for boneless pieces of meat.

Not Recommended: Piercing with a fork and twisting the flesh. Too many valuable juices are lost.