1. POULTRY AND GAME BIRDS

2. OBJECTIVES Define the terms used to classify poultry
Explain the differences between light meat and dark meat, and describe how these differences affect cooking
Identify popular types of farm-raised game birds
Determine doneness in cooked poultry
Truss poultry for cooking
Cut chicken into parts

3. POULTRY Definition The generic term for farmyard birds, notably,
chicken, turkey, duck, goose, guinea fowl, and
squab
Most chickens on the market are produced by
large operations that house their poultry indoors
in carefully controlled environments and feed
them scientifically monitored diets

4. POULTRY - Composition The flesh of poultry is muscle tissue. Its
composition and structure are essentially the same
as those of meat
Water
75%
Protein
20%
Fat 5%
Carbohydrate
in small quantities

5. Chicken
Poussin
Rock Cornish
Black Chicken
Capon

6. Duck

7. Turkey

8. Goose

9. Guinea fowl

10. Pigeon

11. POULTRY Free Range Chickens Poultry bred in a more natural environment
which are allowed to move around freely
and eat outdoors
Organic Chickens
Poultry that has been raised without various
chemical growth enhancers or without
certain antibiotics

12. Free Range Chickens

13. POULTRY – Maturity and Tenderness
The tenderness of a poultry is related to connective
tissue and that connective tissue increases with:
Use or exercise of the muscle
Maturity or age of the bird
- Young, tender birds are cooked by
dry-heat methods
- Older, tougher birds need slow,
moist heat to be made palatable

14. POULTRY – Light Meat and Dark Meat
Chicken and turkey are usually thought of as
consisting of two kinds of parts, depending on
the color of the meat
Light meat (Breast and wings)
Less fat, less connective tissue, cooks faster
Dark meat (Legs)
More fat, more connective tissue, takes
longer to cook

15. POULTRY – Light Meat and Dark Meat
Observe these differences when preparing poultry:
Cooking whole birds
A major problem in roasting poultry is cooking the legs to doneness without overcooking the breast
- roasting breast down for part of the
roasting period
- basting with fat only
- barding
- separating breast from leg sections
Cooking poultry parts
Different poultry parts is best cooked in certain methods

16. POULTRY – Inspection and Grading
A guarantee of wholesomeness
Indicated by a round stamp
Required by law
Grading
Shape of carcass
Amount of flesh
Amount of fat
Pinfeathers
Skin tears, cuts, broken bones
Blemishes and bruises

17. POULTRY – Classification and Market Forms
The following terms are used to classify poultry:
Kind
The species (chicken, turkey, duck)
Class
The age and sex (poussin, capon)
Style
Live, dressed or ready (whole, cut up or parts)
State of refrigeration
Chilled or frozen

18. TAKE A BREAK

19. POULTRY – Game Birds Increasing in availability and demands Quail
Partridge
Pheasant
Wild duck – Mallard
Ratites – Ostrich and Emu

20. QUAIL

21. PARTRIDGE

22. PHEASANT

23. OSTRICH

24. EMU

25. POULTRY – Handling and Storage
Fresh Poultry
Extremely perishable, arrive packed in ice and be kept in ice until used
Use within 24 hours of receiving
Wash all equipment and cutting surfaces to avoid contamination
Frozen Poultry
Store at -18°C or lower
Thaw in original wrapper in refrigerator
Do not refreeze thawed poultry

26. POULTRY – Doneness Domestic poultry is always cooked well done
Except for squab and sautéed or grilled duck breast
Chicken and turkey are low in fat, so they quickly become dry and unpalatable when over cooked

27. POULTRY – Doneness Large Roasted Birds
82°C is the accurate internal temperature for large roasted birds
Insert thermometer into the thickest muscle of the inner part of the thigh, away from the bone
Smaller Birds
Looseness of joints
Clear juices
Flesh separating from the bones
Firmness to touch

28. POULTRY – Trussing Trussing means tying the legs and wings
against the body to make a compact, solid
unit.
Purpose:
Even cooking
More attractive appearance

29. TRUSSING CHICKEN

30. CUTTING UP CHICKEN – eights, bone in1 2 3 4 5 6

31. CUTTING UP CHICKEN - semiboneless1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 9 10 11

32. CUTTING UP CHICKEN - semiboneless

33. CUTTING UP CHICKEN BREAST1 2 3

34. BONELESS CHICKEN THIGH/LEG1 2 3 4 5 6

35. POULTRY – Roasting and Baking
Seasoning and Basting
Seasoning and, if desired, a little mirepoix or a bouquet garni should be placed inside the cavity
Oil the skin before roasting to help in browning and to protect against drying
Poultry may be roasted breast down and turned breast up just to brown at the end of the roasting period
Basting is unnecessary for duck and goose

36. POULTRY – Roasting and Baking
Temperature
Selection of roasting temperature depends
on the product being roasted:
Low-temperature roasting is best for large items such as turkeys and capons
The searing method may be used for chickens under 2 kg and for baked chicken parts
High-temperature roasting is used for small items such as squab and game birds, which are often served rare

37. THE END