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HOW TO ROAST A BIRD Who doesn’t love roast chicken? Crackly, crisp, salty skin Moist, tender meat Deep aromas filling the house Little bits of fat and meat to tear off with your fingers or teeth as you linger over the last sips of your whiskey (whiskey goes with chicken, right?) It’s about as classy and classic as food can get, and my go-to meal for company or the rare quiet night in with the wife and dog But, to be perfectly frank, most of the time, I don’t like roast chicken, because most of the time, well, chicken, just isn’t roasted very well The problem is one I’m sure everyone of you has experienced: dry breast meat and it doesn’t just apply to chicken—we’ve all also experienced dry turkey) I’m not talking about the kind that frays around the edges as soon as a carving knife comes close to it or that instantly turns to sawdust when it hits your tongue; I’m talking the kind that is just good enough that you can still smile and say nice things during dinner, but just bad enough that you wonder why the Pilgrims couldn’t have eaten prime rib during that first fall The problem, as we all know, is with overcooking So first, let’s take a quick look at what happens to chicken breast meat as it cooks: • Under 120°F: The meat is still considered raw Muscle cells are bundled up and aligned in long, straight cablelike fibrils wrapped in sheaths of elastic connective tissues, which are what gives meat its “grain.” • At 120°F: The protein myosin begins to coagulate, forcing some liquid out of the muscle cells, which then collects within the protein sheaths • At 140°F: The remaining proteins within the muscle cells coagulate, forcing all of the liquid out of the cells and into the protein sheaths The coagulated proteins turn the meat firm and opaque I like my chicken and turkey breasts cooked to 140°F • At 150°F: The proteins in the sheaths themselves (mainly collagen) rapidly coagulate and contract All the water that was forced out of the cells and collected within the sheaths is now squeezed out of the meat completely Despite government warnings to be sure to cook chicken to 165°F, in reality, above 150°F or so, muscle fibers have become almost completely squeezed dry Congratulations, your dinner is now officially cardboard On the other hand, leg meat must be cooked to at least 170°F OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement It’ll still be perfectly edible at around 160°F (any lower than that, and the abundant connective tissue will remain tough), but the juices will still be pink or red and the meat will not have yet reached optimal tenderness Unlike breast meat, leg meat contains plenty of collagen Given a high-enough temperature (say 160°F and above) and a long-enough time (say the 10 minutes it takes the legs to get from 160° to 170°F), the collagen will begin to convert into rich gelatin, keeping the meat moist and juicy even after the muscle fibers have shed most of their liquid So, the question is, how you cook legs to 170°F without taking the breasts beyond 145°F? I use three different methods, depending on the situation and the bird at ...collects within the protein sheaths • At 140°F: The remaining proteins within the muscle cells coagulate, forcing all of the liquid out of the cells and into the protein sheaths The coagulated proteins turn the meat... The coagulated proteins turn the meat firm and opaque I like my chicken and turkey breasts cooked to 140°F • At 150°F: The proteins in the sheaths themselves (mainly collagen) rapidly coagulate and contract All the water that... temperature (say 160°F and above) and a long-enough time (say the 10 minutes it takes the legs to get from 160° to 170°F), the collagen will begin to convert into rich gelatin, keeping the meat moist and juicy even after the muscle fibers have shed most of their liquid
Ngày đăng: 25/10/2022, 22:50
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