Introduction

Different cooking methods will require different preparation methods. As a kitchen staff, you should be familiar with the procedures for preparing poultry for cooking. This lesson will present the techniques for preparing poultry such as disjointing and deboning, marinating, trussing and stuffing poultry.

Cutting Poultry and Game Meat

As a kitchen staff, you should be familiar with the procedures for cutting poultry meat such as removing the backbone and cutting the poultry in half and in quarters. However, before proceeding to that, here are some reminders for cutting poultry meat:

• Gently cut meat from the bones.
• Cut same portions evenly.
• Trim fat and sinews carefully.
• Use a sharp knife when cutting meat into portion cuts.

Cutting Poultry and Game Birds

Procedures for Cutting Poultry and Game Bird

1. Remove the backbone.
2. Place the poultry on the board with the breast facing up.
3. Make a cut through the center of the breast. Cut through the center of the bone in the breast (keel bone).
4. Gently remove the parts of the keel bone.
5. Place half of the poultry on the board facing down.
6. Cut along boundary dividing the upper part of the lower part of the half.
7. Do the same with the other half of the poultry.

Preparing a Suprême Portion Cut

Procedures for Preparing a Supreme Portion Cut

1. Start by removing half of the breast.
2. Stretch the wing to see the skin around the joint closest to the breast.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut through the joint to remove the winglet and the wingtip.
4. Scrape the meat away from the bone. Do this gently leaving as little meat as possible.

Preparing a Ballotine Portion Cut

Procedures for Preparing a Ballotine Portion Cut

1. Disjoint the legs. Take as much skin as possible.
2. Remove the bones and sinews on the thigh. Gently scrape the bones off using a sharp knife.
3. Make a cut deep enough to reach the thigh and the leg bone.
4. Make a deep cut along the bones of the thigh and the legs deep enough to reach the bones. The cut will make a turn as you reach the joint connecting the leg and the thigh bone.
5. Slide the knife underneath the bone gently to scrape the meat surrounding it. Lift the bones and slice the meat off. Do this until you reach half an inch near the joint connecting the feet and the legs.
6. Cut the bone by striking precisely using a sharp knife.
7. Remove the bone completely from the meat. You now have a ballotine ready for stuffing.

Preparing Drummette Portion Cuts

Procedures for Preparing Drummette Portion Cuts

1. Disjoint the drummette and the winglet. Set the winglet aside.
2. Make a cut around the end with the least amount of meat.
3. Remove the cap that covers this end of the drummette and scrape the meat toward the other end.
4. Clean the bones by scraping the meat, tendons and the cartilage off.
5. Take the winglet and disjoint the it with the wingtip.
6. Make a cut around the end of the winglet opposite to the joint connecting it to the wingtip.
7. Feel for the smaller bone and pull it out.
8. Scrape the meat toward the joint connecting it to the winglet to the wingtip.
9. Clean the bones by scraping the meat, tendons and the cartilage off.

Disjointing and Deboning Poultry and Game Meat

Boning or deboning is the removal of the bones from a carcass, primary or secondary meat cut. Meanwhile disjointing is the process of separating parts from the whole carcass. This topic will present the following procedures:

• Deboning the Breast
• Deboning Chicken Legs

Deboning the Breast of Poultry and Game Birds

Procedures for Deboning the Breast of Poultry and Game Birds

1. Remove the wings. Cut the joint attaching the wing to the breast.
2. Remove the breast bone and parts of the backbone that may have been left on the breast. Gently scrape the bones off of the breast using a pairing knife. Lift the bones and scrape as much meat as you can.
3. Skin the breasts. Lift the skin. Slice the thin membrane that attaches the skin to the body.
4. Trim the breast. Cut the chicken tender off of the breast and trim off the sinews.

Deboning the Legs of Poultry and Game Birds

Procedures for Deboning the Legs of Poultry and Game Birds

1. Remove the thigh and leg. Pull the leg away from the carcass and cut through the skin until you reach the joint connecting the leg to the body.
2. Pop the joint loose and cut the legs from the carcass.
3. Make a cut around the end of the drumstick to detach meat and tendons from the bone.
4. Make a cut parallel to the bones of the thigh and the drumsticks.
5. Using a sharp knife, gently detach the meat from the bones. Run the knife underneath the bones to free them off of the meat under.
6. Pull the bones off of the surrounding meat.

Stuffing Poultry and Game Meat

Stuffing is the method of putting herbs and spices inside a whole carcass or in between the flesh to add more flavor to the meat being cooked.

The traditional stuffing includes:

• thyme and parsley stuffing (chicken);
• chestnut stuffing (turkey);
• sage and onion stuffing (ducks and geese); and
• farces, bread, dried fruits, fresh herbs, dried mushrooms and native berries (game birds).

Pocket Method

There are two ways to stuff breasts. One is by making a pocket out of the breast meat where the stuffing can be secured by butcher’s twine (pocket method). The other method is by using a honer to poke a hole in the meat for the stuffing.

To stuff breasts using the pocket method:

1. Make a cut in the middle part of the breast where it is thickest.
2. Fill the pocket with just enough stuffing.
3. Secure the stuffing using butcher’s twine or toothpicks.

Trussing Poultry and Game Meat

Trussing is the method of tying a piece of meat using a butcher’s twine to keep its shape during cooking. This will also help in making the fowl cook evenly. Poultry can be trussed whole or in portions. Rolled poultry and game meats are also commonly trussed.

Trussing Whole Poultry and Game Birds

1. Place the poultry on the board with the breast facing up.
2. Tuck the wings by securing the first wing joint behind the back of the bird.
3. Tie the tips of the legs by forming a knot in a figure of eight using the middle part of the twine.
4. Tighten the knot to put the legs close to each other and to close one end of the bird.
5. Bring the two ends of the twine toward the neck. Pull the twine firmly and let it run along both sides of the bird.
6. Tie the twine into a knot.

Marinating Poultry and Game Meat

Marinating is the process of subjecting the meat into a solution before cooking in order to add more flavor and to break connective tissues to make the meat more tender. This process is usually done on leaner cuts of poultry meats and game meat.

A standard marinade has:

• olive oil;
• mustard;
• chopped garlic;
• rosemary; and
• thyme.

However, you can still use other ingredients as long as your marinade contains the following:

• Oils for distribution of flavor;
• Acids for tenderizing such as wine, vinegar and lemon juice; and
• Flavors such as spices, herbs, vegetables.