healthier than conventional foods, but it’s pretty clear that organic production is healthier for the birds and the environment If these matters concern you, choose Certified Organic birds at the market or, at the very least, birds that come from a reputable source that you trust Many small and large farms that are both environmentally conscious and have a humane approach to animal welfare choose not to join the Organic program because of the fees involved or because they can’t meet one of the standards (with small farms, this is often the “no antibiotics” standard, because the farmers will administer them to sick birds) Birds from such farms can still be a great choice Q: What the heck is an heirloom breed, and why would I ever want to buy a bird that’s been passed down from generation to generation? Heirloom or heritage-breed birds come from pure genetic lines that can be traced back to a specific breed through several generations What are the advantages of heirloom breeds? Well, the thing is this: we’re a country obsessed with large breasts, and these days, most chickens and turkeys are bred for one thing—maximum white meat If the breeders and poultry producers had their way, turkeys and chickens would resemble giant balloons of breast meat walking around on minuscule toothpick legs (or, better yet, sitting still and waiting for slaughter) Also, they’d have a dozen wings each In the effort to grow an ever-increasing supply of lean breast meat, flavor has gone by the wayside The modern chicken or turkey has extraordinarily large and extraordinarily bland breasts Heritage-breed birds represent an attempt to return to the old days of chicken and turkey farming, when the birds were a bit scrawnier but a whole lot tastier In blind tastings I’ve conducted, heritage-breed birds routinely beat out their modern counterparts in terms of flavor The only downside? With thinner breasts and meat that’s more prone to drying out, they’re harder to cook—which means that a thermometer and very careful monitoring of temperature is more important than ever With the recipes in this chapter, you’ll get super tasty results even from supermarket birds, but I do recommend looking for heritage birds once you feel comfortable with roasting poultry POST-SLAUGHTER PROCESSING Q: What makes a “kosher” bird kosher? According to Jewish dietary laws, animals must be slaughtered in a particular way, which includes being washed, salted, and rinsed The goal of this process is to remove excess blood from the meat In fact, any meat that you see in a supermarket was drained of blood immediately after slaughter (the red liquid in meat is not blood, by the way—see here) Kosher birds, however, get a few extra steps After an initial wash in water, the birds are covered all over with coarse kosher salt Through osmosis, additional blood and intracellular fluids are drawn out of the meat Afterward, the birds are rinsed to remove excess salt and packaged to be sold As we’ll soon find out, in the section on brining (see here), salt can have a powerful effect on meat, allowing it to ... salted, and rinsed The goal of this process is to remove excess blood from the meat In fact, any meat that you see in a supermarket was drained of blood immediately after slaughter (the red liquid... intracellular fluids are drawn out of the meat Afterward, the birds are rinsed to remove excess salt and packaged to be sold As we’ll soon find out, in the section on brining (see here), salt can have a powerful effect on meat, allowing it to... return to the old days of chicken and turkey farming, when the birds were a bit scrawnier but a whole lot tastier In blind tastings I’ve conducted, heritage-breed birds routinely beat out their modern counterparts in terms of flavor