WHICH POULTRY
SHOULD YOU BUY -- FRESH OR FROZEN?
You might as
well imagine that after 28 years of personally selecting and
preparing
poultry -- whole, in pieces, in all shapes, sizes, creeds, religions,
color, fresh, frozen and otherwise -- I'd have some good answers
for you. here are a few tips to live by when
you go looking for poultry.
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Always check the sale
dates. If there isn't
one, ask why. Get as close to the arrival date as you can. Good
honest producers make an effort to give their store that information
-- they have nothing to hide.
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2. |
Buy reputable
brands. "Turkey is turkey" as my old friend
Bull Mulligan from Applewood Farms would always say -- but certain
poultry producers always make an effort to grow the best.
Learn your brands in your area; just ask around, the information
is out there. I personally prefer the Hens over the Toms, and
would rather cook 2 Hens for double the amount of meat in one
roasting pan ( see Spanek Magic recipes for larger groups). Be careful of
those free give away promotions for turkey over the holidays.
You get what you pay for, and turkey is no exception.
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3. |
Read the ingredients labels. Lots of companies inject their poultry
with what I call "silly soluble solutions".
You see -- they never thought to get a Spanek Vertical Turkey
Roaster that sears in the bird's own natural juices. These companies
just figure that you are going to over-cook the darn thing --
so they try to help you avoid dry meat by adding more moisture
to the bird!
Flavor injections are O.K., just keep an eye out for ingredients
you don't recognize, or fancy terms you do not understand. Ask
your Butcher, or send us an e-mail
and we will check them out. We have a personal interest in this
business, so let us know if you have a favorite house or brand
you'd like us to try.
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4. |
Check the poultry bag for leaks in
the packaging. Poultry comes in three
grades -- A, B and C.
Grade A means the poultry
is packaged perfectly. It has no tears, split skins, holes, pokes
or stabs. This is perfect for vertical cooking.
Grade B means almost perfect.
Thee might be a wing tip missing, a tear here or there -- a broken
foot. This grade is still good for vertical cooking.
Grade C - You won't find
this grade around much any more. Usually it is already cut up
for parts and sent to the special offerings department.
Some areas still let you know the grades they are offering,
but slowly this practice is disappearing. Stick with Grade A
if you can, and know the " lingo" next time you talk
to your Butcher. Is that game hen a 22oz or 16 oz? Grade A
or B? That Butcher will look at you like you are some sort
of Chef or something!!! It's fun. He will always give you the
right cuts after that -- or make great suggestions, and that
is what you want! I walk into my favorite meat market and say
" So Max . . . what are you hiding in the back today?
Should I get some?" Have fun when you shop, especially
if you still shop at those Grade A markets that have living,
breathing butchers.
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5. |
Fresh vs Frozen! What's best?
This is a very important question so pay attention!
My good friend Merle Ellis "The Butcher" set
me straight on this long ago.
Do you really believe that a turkey will be perfectly preserved
from farm to distributor to store meat case at 32 to 38 degrees
throughout the journey? Let's hope so -- but what if?
Here is what I like. Let them flash freeze the bird fresh
at the farm -- on the spot -- when the bird is the freshest.
Get it to me at 20 to 32 degrees. Let me thaw it out and have
the freshest guarantee going.
Your vertical roaster will trap in that natural juice and
flavor. You get the best taste in
flash frozen "fresh" poultry.
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6. |
What size to buy? The
general mentality is to count how many people are coming and
then going to the store and getting a 25 lb bird for 25 people.
WRONG! To dry! Takes too long to cook!
No! No! No!
Get two 12-13 lb birds -- hens instead
of toms**. Cook them side by side in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Get 4 wings, 4 drumsticks, 4 breasts and 26 lbs of the tenderest
meat you have ever had.
It is easy and we have even made a mini-movie [ click here to
view movie ] to show you how.
** Hens are 10-16 lbs generally. Toms
are 16-30 lbs and up. Save the toms and eat the hens. They are
more tender. Our Vertical Turkey Roasters cook up to an 18 lb
bird. Here again, two 15 lb birds facing each other equals 30
lbs of meat!
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BY POPULAR
DEMAND . . .
Coming soon --
Home delivery of poultry, ham and other meat products.
Stay tuned!!
We'll have a list for you soon. Give us a call (408-446-3000),
e-mail us, or check out
our store for the latest information.
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