Chapter 7 Poultry and Game Birds 2007 Thomson

Quality Points for Selection of Poultry • Even distribution of fat, especially in cavity • No obvious abrasions, blood spots, or bruises • Pliable or bendable breast bone and beak • Small underdeveloped flight muscles in the wings • Hairless legs and feet

Quality Points for Selection of Poultry • Firm flesh with straight, plump breasts • No scaling on the feet • Pleasant odor, especially from the cavity

Quality Points for Selection of Wild Game • Comb and wattles should be bright and undamaged • Spurs should not be too long • Feet should be smooth and slender • Should have bright, full eyes • Stomach must be intact • All damaged parts should be rubbed with flour and black pepper • Gallbladder must be carefully removed to avoid rupture

Evisceration of Poultry and Game Birds • Pluck the bird by holding it by the feet, spreading out the wings and plucking the breast feathers opposite to the way they grow; now do legs, then remove wings • Scalding or blanching the bird for 10 to 15 seconds will aid in the plucking, but take great care not to damage the skin and flesh

Evisceration of Poultry and Game Birds • Rub the bird down with a dry towel; singe the tiny hairs of the skin over an open flame, while rubbing them off as you singe • Remove the head and neck from the back of the bird, leaving the breast side of the long piece of skin intact; remove the gullet, the crop, and the windpipe from the inside of the skin

Evisceration of Poultry and Game Birds • Remove the vent and the vent fat from around the opening between the legs, and loosen the whole interior gut; remove as whole as you can without puncturing the intestine • Clean the interior of the cavity, ensuring the lungs are removed and then discarded; they are located in the spinal column

Evisceration of Poultry and Game Birds • Separate the intestines from the liver, kidney, gizzard, and heart • Wash the organs well and store for other uses; wash the bird well, taking great care to thoroughly clean the interior • Remove the feet at this time; however, if the legs are being served whole the sinew should be removed using the feet as leverage—a small incision is made on the back of the leg, down by the claws, and the sinew is drawn from their using a towel to grip them

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds • Production of a Ballontine – Method One • Remove the leg from the body of the chicken, leaving as much skin attached as possible; be sure to remove the oyster that is located in the spinal column of the bird • Remove the skin completely from the leg starting at the thigh and working toward the knuckle end of the drumstick. Take care not to damage it in any way • Soak the skin in salted water for 10 minutes; remove any unwanted fat and dry the skin well • Bone the flesh from the leg and thigh

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds • Beat lightly with a mallet until you have the piece of meat evenly flattened, then wrap around a small nugget of chosen forcemeat, stuffing, or other ingredients of your choice • This is then wrapped in the skin and shaped into a small ham • Sew up the opening with string and chill for cooking

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds – Method Two • Remove the leg from the body of the chicken, leaving as much skin attached as possible; be sure to remove the oyster that is located in the spinal column • Remove the skin completely from the leg and thigh • Locate thigh bone and clean thoroughly, removing the marrow and blanching in boiling water for 3 minutes; trim with a small saw to about 2 inches

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds • Make flavored garnished forcemeat with the flesh and stuff back into the skin, shaping like a small ham; sew the opening up as before • Stuff the bone with some of the forcemeat and place in the aperture at the end of where the drumstick was; chill and reserve for cooking

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds – Method Three • Remove the leg from the body of the chicken leaving as much skin attached as possible; be sure to remove the oyster that is located in the spinal column • Turn the leg and thigh skin side down and very carefully remove both the thigh bone and the drumstick bone, ensuring that the sinews are removed at the same time

Dressing of Poultry and Game Birds • The end of the drumstick bone can be sawed off close to the opening, leaving the knuckle in tact; make sure bones are not splintered during sawing • Place some forcemeat or stuffing to replace where the bone was and wrap the skin over the flesh securing by sewing together with butchers twine • Chill for service – Remove the legs, thighs, and wishbone from the bird – Cut into the bone, close to the breast, at the joint of the wing circling the bone to loosen the flesh. – Now scrape the wing clean, breaking at the first joint so as to have the cleaned wing bone attached to the breast – Skinning the breast at this time is optional; leaving it on would create an airline breast

The Suprême Breast • Remove the legs, thighs, and wishbone from the bird • Cut into the bone, close to the breast, at the joint of the wing circling the bone to loosen the flesh • Now scrape the wing clean, breaking at the first joint so as to have the cleaned wing bone attached to the breast • Skinning the breast at this time is optional; leaving it on would create an airline breast

The Suprême Breast • With a boning knife, make an incision along the breastbone from end to end, either side of the breast ridge • Detach the flesh from the bone, carefully starting at the pointed end, and following the breastbone closely, until the wing joint is reached • Cut through the joint and remove the breast with the cleaned wing attached • Remove the fillet from underneath and remove the sinew

How to Stuff a Chicken Breast • Make an incision lengthwise along the thick part of the wing and form a pocket by cutting underneath the incision, into the flesh of the breast; the fillet alone can now be inserted • Place the stuffing into the pocket, and close using the lightly flattened fillet as a patch to close the breast and seal the stuffing inside

How to Stuff a Chicken Breast • A small dusting of flour between the fillet and the supreme will help to seal the patch if a stuffing that will become a liquid during cooking is being used • Trim any skin or sinew from the Suprême

Trussing • Trussing with a needle: – Remove wishbone – Scrape the wishbone lightly with the tip of a small knife, now free the bone from the joint of the carcass with the fingertips and twist the bone out whole without damaging the flesh – Break the backbone in the region of the wings, with a smart tap with the back of a knife so that the bird will lie flat on the board or dish

Trussing • Trussing with a needle: – Using an 8 -inch trussing needle threaded with string; push the needle immediately behind the legs at the hinge between drumstick and thigh, through the body and out the other side in the same position – Turn the bird on its side and pass the needle through the middle portion of the wing; draw the skin of the neck over the back to close the aperture; pass the needle through the skin and the middle of the backbone, then through the middle portion of the wing. – The string ends can now be tied firmly together

Trussing • Trussing with a needle: – Pass the needle with a second string through the natural cavity in the thigh bone, through the carcass from one side to the other, then over the folded leg between the skins, through the end of the body without touching the breast, then through the skin of the opposite leg. – Tie the ends firmly just below the knuckle

Trussing • Without a needle: – Cut length of string about 3 feet or about four times the length of the bird being trussed – Hold the center 6 inches of string with both hands and place the string under the flap of skin closing the aperture of the neck end tucking under and into the space between the body and wings

Trussing • Without a needle: – Pull the two ends of the string up toward the breast, crossing over when they reach the end of the drumstick – Loop them around the end of the drumsticks and pull back down to where they came from – When you reach the middle of the bird, flip it over, still holding the string ends and tie securely against the backbone

Stuffing a Turkey • Remove the wishbone by scraping down with the tip of a small knife until the wishbone frees from the flesh • With the tip of the knife, snap through the sinew where the ends of the wishbone join the carcass • Twist off the whole bone at the tip of the breastbone, doing as little damage to the skin or the flesh

Stuffing a Turkey • Pack the stuffing into the breast end of the bird, covering it with a flap of skin • Pull the skin tight down over the neck end and secure on the spine with a wooden skewer or truss using a needle with twine • Roast immediately

Cutting a Chop from a Turkey • Remove the legs and thighs from the turkey • Remove the carcass from underneath the breast, leaving the rib skin and the breastplate intact • Split the breast down the middle, removing the center breastplate with powerful poultry shears (you should have 2 breasts, part of the plate and all ribs intact) • French the ribs and cut your chops using a small saw to cut the plate

How to Make a Galantine • Method One – Cut along the center of the back of the bird from neck to tail through the skin – Carefully remove the flesh from the bone, leaving it attached to the skin; use a boning knife to release the flesh from the bone where necessary – When you reach the wings and thighs, find the joints and cut through the ligaments to detach them from the carcass

How to Make a Galantine • Method One – Continue toward the breast, carefully trimming away the fillets from the breastbone – Be careful on releasing the skin from the ridge of the breastbone because it is very thin at that part and tends to tear – Bone out the thighs, drumsticks, and wings, channeling the bone from the winglet – Make forcemeat with the desired garnish and place a log shape of it down the center; roll and tie securely for poaching

How to Make a Galantine • Method Two – Cut along the center of the back of the bird from neck to tail through skin – Carefully remove the flesh from the bone, leaving it attached to the skin; use a boning knife to release the flesh from the bone where necessary – When you reach the wings and thighs, find the joints and cut through the ligaments to detach them from the carcass

How to Make a Galantine • Method Two – Continue toward the breast, carefully trimming away the fillets from the breastbone – Be careful on releasing the skin from the ridge of the breastbone because it is very thin at this part and tends to tear – Bone out the thighs, drumsticks, and wings, channeling the bone from the winglet

How to Make a Galantine • Method Two – Using a stuffing, forcemeat, or another smaller stuffed bird, reshape the duck to its original shape, sewing up the back and trussing well

How to Make a Galantine • Method Three – Completely skin the duck, cleaning the skin thoroughly of all blood spots and excess fat – Cut into as large a rectangle as possible with the amount of skin that you have – Layer duck forcemeat and the reserved duck breast with garnishes of your choice – Roll and tie for poaching

Pheasant • Quality Points for Selection: – The hen bird is prized as the more tender meat – Both hen and cock respond well to hanging, generally done when birds are still intact in a cool, well-ventilated room for 6 to 12 days – Fat buildup is better toward the end of the season – Commercially purchased birds have normally been adequately aged prior to sale • Cut some very small pieces of salt pork fat into strips 4 inches × ¼ inch • Place the chilled strips into a larding needle • Remove the skin from the breast without breaking it by loosening it from the vent end to the neck end lifting it gently upwards to expose the flesh of the breast • Remove the wishbone from the bird

How to Lard a Pheasant • Cut some very small pieces of salt pork fat into strips 4 inches × ¼ inch • Place the chilled strips into a larding needle • Remove the skin from the breast without breaking it by loosening it from the vent end to the neck end, lifting it gently upwards to expose the flesh of the breast • Remove the wishbone from the bird

How to Lard a Pheasant • Lard the breasts by inserting the needle into the flesh at even intervals, pulling the needle completely through and out the other side and leaving the fat neatly in the flesh of the bird • Repeat until the breasts are completed • Replace the skin securely over the flesh and truss the bird for cooking

To Bard a Grouse • Shave the fat on a slicing machine to get it very even and thin • Cover the breasts with the slices and truss tightly to support the barding during the cooking process

Studding/Truffling a Partridge • As with larding, expose the breast from the skin in order to work on the flesh • Make some lateral incisions with the tip of a small knife to create small pockets to receive the special ingredients; six or seven incisions on the whole breast are sufficient • Place the small nuggets into the pockets and smooth the flesh back over to cover the hole • Replace the skin and truss the bird to hold all fast as it cooks

Grilling Woodcock • Split the bird down the back along the backbone with a large poultry knife or shears, removing the spinal column from the neck to parson’s nose • Flatten the bird well with a mallet and remove the ribs • Tuck the legs into the body and cut small holes in the breast skin to secure the drumstick end • Trim around where the backbone had been, ensuring that there are no bone fragments • The bird can now be marinated, or just seasoned and grilled – Spread the legs out as far as they will go without tearing the skin – Place the bird breast side up on a cutting board and with a sharp heavy knife make a cut down from the tip of the breast through the ribs to where the wing joins the spine making sure that you avoid cutting the legs

Guinea Fowl • Crapaudine Method: – Spread the legs out as far as they will go without tearing the skin – Place the bird breast side up on a cutting board and with a sharp, heavy knife make a cut down from the tip of the breast through the ribs to where the wing joins the spine, making sure to avoid cutting the legs

Guinea Fowl • Crapaudine Method: – Open the bird up, using the joint of the wings and the breast end as a hinge – Trim around the cut areas, ensuring there are no bone fragments – Chill and prepare to grill

Self-Trussing a Bird • Clean the bird and remove the gizzard intestines and the gallbladder • Singe off any fine hairs around the neck • Press the thighs close to the body and push the long beak through the leg and thigh where they join all the way through the body and out the other side, again between the leg and thigh joint

Escalopes of Ostrich • Cut across the grain of the meat and slice the ostrich into 2 - to 3 -ounce pieces • Lightly beat the meat with a mallet until an even escalope is formed • Spread with a chosen stuffing, leaving about 1 inch around the edge uncovered • Dip the next escalope into some flour and pat off the excess

Escalopes of Ostrich • Place the on top of the other, making sure they fit exactly • They may be dressed in flour, breadcrumbs or cornmeal and reserved for cooking