Poultry farming, buying and storing

Intro

• Poultry is any domesticated edible bird raised for human consumption, including eggs.
• Examples of poultry are chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant and quail.
• Poultry has high protein, a mild flavor and low fat content
• Poultry is easy to raise and transport
• Domesticated birds, especially chicken, have been part of humanity's since before recorded history.
• Poultry can be found in just about every cuisine and prepared using all cooking methods, compatible with a wide range of ingredients.

Buying & Storing

• Poultry may be purchased frozen, refrigerated, or canned.
• Signs of bad poultry include, off or stale odor, flesh not firm to the touch with a slightly slimy feel, ice pack melted, large amounts of blood or clear fluid, and broken boxes or torn bags.
• Poultry has a short shelf life and is time sensitive, only lasting 3 days refrigerated or thawed.

Federal Inspection & Grading

• Poultry is inspected before & after being butchered by an agent of the USDA
• After the slaughter, the inspector ensures the carcass was not contaminated as a gauge of wholesomeness.
• Inspectors look for excess pinfeathers, damaged limbs and incomplete removal of internal organs.
• Retail grading has to do with appearance and fat content of the bird.
• There are 3 retail grades and 2 procurement grades.

Grades: A, B & C

• Grade A birds are free of deformities and free of pinfeathers with thick flesh and a well-developed fat covering.
• Grades B & C birds are free of cuts, tears, or broken bones and are used primarily for food processing poultry products.

Quality Factors for Carcasses & Parts

• Conformation is the appearance and shape of the bird.
• Fleshing is the measurement of how much flesh is on the drumstick, thighs, & breaks of birds.
• Fat Covering is when older birds have more fat in the abdominal area.
• Pinfeathers are very small, fine hairs under the feathers that can result in it a lower grade.
• Exposed cuts, tears, and broken bones result in a higher grade bird.
• Skin discoloration, blemishes & bruises will dry out the skin and the bruises need to be removed before selling.

Types of Poultry Eligible for Grading

• Chickens
• Turkey
• Ducks
• Geese
• Pigeons
• Guineas

Chicken

• Chicken is the most common & most universal of all domesticated animals.
• Chickens are a source of both eggs and meat.
• Cost-effective compared to beef and pork, chicken can be raised on a relatively small footprint.

Classes of Chicken

• Poussin chickens weigh 16-18 oz. are very small immature birds that are best prepared using grill, broil, roast, or saute.
• Cornish Game Hen (Rock) chickens weigh 18-24 oz, and are best prepared using grill, broil, roast, or sauté.
• Broiler/Fryer chickens usually weigh 1.5-3.5 lbs, which is the most common class size with cooking methods that are all encompassing.
• Roaster chickens usually weigh 3.5-5 lbs, and are larger birds with tender meat that are best prepared with all cooking methods.
• Fowl (hen/stewing chicken) chickens usually weigh 3.4-6 lbs, and are mature females, that flavorful but tough and best prepared with a simmer or braise method.
• Capon chickens usually weigh 5-8lbs, are castrated males, and are best prepared with a roast or poach method.

Turkey

• Turkey is popular in the food service arena, and versatile.
• Turkeys are mostly used in the form of deli breasts or lower-fat versions like ham or bacon.
• Roast turkey is the most popular preparation during holidays.
• Turkeys are cost effective, leaner than beef or pork and perceived as healthier
• A hen is a young bird with tender flesh ranging from 8-16 lbs, best prepared with all cooking methods.
• A tom is mature birds with fairly tender flesh that weighs 16 lb and is cooked by roasting.

Feathered Game

• All remaining birds used in foodservice are feathered game.
• Examples of featured game used in foodservice are wild turkey, goose, pheasant, duck, partridge, quail and woodcock.
• Wild (hunted harvested) birds CANNOT be sold in the US, any in foodservice must be farm-raised (including free range).

Duck

• Duck is very popular in Europe, Asia & Arkansas, with 80 species of duck available for food service.
• Both breast and legs of duck are dark meat, and the skin contains a large amount of fat.
• Cooking methods such as slow roasting helps render most of this fat from the skin.
• Duck traditionally has a lower proportion of meat per bird than other forms of poultry.
• Duckling typically weighs 3-6lbs, which is the most popular form for foodservice and can be prepared using all cooking methods.
• Roaster duck weighs 4-7 lbs, a mature bird usually cooked under 16 weeks old, using roast or braise.
• Mature ducks weighs 4-10 lbs with tough older meat, used in processed foods.

Goose

• Goose is popular in Europe, with dark meat (breast meat is dark too)
• Goose shares several similarities with duck including both birds are waterfowl, yield only dark meat, and have thick fatty skin.
• Goose is larger than duck and has fattier meat.
• Goose is a large bird and often the centerpiece of holiday meals.
• Young Goose weighs 6-10 lb, is a young tender bird best prepared through roasting
• Mature Goose weighs 10-16 lb and is a tougher fleshed bird that is best prepared through braising or stewing.

Game Birds

• Many poultry varieties in the game bird category are hunted in the wild.
• Game birds used in foodservice, are domesticated farm raised birds.
• Game birds add an exotic touch to menus, with a stronger, richer flavor than chicken.
• Guinea fowl weigh 12-24 oz and is an African bird related to pheasant, with lean meat and both dark and light meat, best prepared with all cooking methods.
• Squab weigh under 1 lb and is a young pigeon with all dark meat and a rich flavor, best prepared with roast, grill or saute.
• Pigeon weighs 1-2 lb and is a mature bird with all dark meat with a stronger flavor.
• Partridge weighs 12-24 oz, is of European and Asian origin with light and dark meat, mild flavor and is best prepared among all cooking methods.
• Pheasant weighs 1.75-4 lb, is a long-tailed game bird originally from Asia, lean with delicate breast meat and darker, sinewy legs and is best prepared with all cooking methods.
• Quail weighs 3-7 oz, is a very small migratory bird originally from Europe, delicate flesh, usually served in pairs and is best prepared with roast, grill, or saute.

Offal Meats

• The offal meats that are commonly obtained from poultry are called giblets.
• Dressed birds are often sold with the giblets packed in the cavity.
• Giblets consist of four items---the neck, gizzard, heart and liver.
• Necks are often used for poultry stock, while the other organs need to be cooked separately from the bird itself because they have a stronger flavor.

Furried Game

• Furried game is wild animals that are rarely available from commercial wholesalers, but may be available from specialty wholesalers (especially during hunting seasons).
• Other game is available from farms.
• Farm raised game meat is milder.
• Furried game are meat with a dark color and strong taste.
• Furried game available in forms like beef include: Tenderloin, Ground meat, and Roasts.
• Never purchase from an unlicensed individual.
• Examples of furried game: Antelope, Wild boar, Buffalo, Beefalo and Deer (venison).
• Venison is meat from moose, elk, red-tailed deer or white-tailed deer.
• Hare & rabbits is another common example of furried game.