Page 41 - NOV2021 Digial Issue

The problem is that at 170°F breast meat is dry. Because legs have more fat they can go up to 180°F or so before they get dry. Do if you wait til the juices run clear you have a good chance that the meat will be dry.
What causes the pH to be high or low? “Muscle pH fluctua- tions are typically a function of genes and pre-slaughter stress conditions” said my scientist contact. “Stress may occur during catching, transportation, holding at the plant and unloading the birds. Climatic conditions can also have an impact. These are all things we try to control since meat [from these animals] will not retain moisture during fur- ther processing. This leads to a less juicy product for the consumer, and yield loss, which is money to us.”
What about red bones?
The chicken thigh with the purple bone shown here was cooked to 180°F as measured with a precise thermometer. It is well past a safe serving temperature. It is also scary looking. That is, until you understand what's going on. The red or purple color you see is the color of bone marrow be- cause blood is made in the bones. As birds age, more cal- cium is deposited on the exterior of bones and the blood in the marrow becomes less visible. But modern breeds, feeds, and additives grow chickens from egg to three pounds in just 6 1/2 weeks! Dr. O. Peter Snyder of the Hospitality In- stitute of Technology and
Management reports that red or purple bones are more common these days because “Chicken is so young—6 1/2 weeks at slaughter—and the bones are too porous, even though the animal is large enough to be sold for food.”
The same goes for turkey. According to Penn
State University, female turkeys (hens) will go from hatching (called a
“poult”) to 14 to 20 pounds (live weight) in 12 to 14 weeks. Males
(toms) can reach 35 to 42
pounds in 16 to 19 weeks. Often the bones don’t have time to thoroughly calcify, and even though your bird may be cooked properly, even though it is perfectly safe, the purple or pink color remains. According to Dr. John Marcy, Profes- sor and Poultry Processing Specialist at the University of Arkansas, “The dark color next to the bone is even more pronounced in chicken [or turkey] that has been frozen be- cause that process forces more marrow pigments out of the bone.”
Pink meat
Sometimes that purple color in bone marrow can discolor the nearby meat, and the meat can appear pink even though it is cooked to a safe temperature. Other times, pink meat comes from nitric oxide (NO) or carbon monoxide (CO) produced by your cooker locking in the pink color of myoglobin. NO and CO are common combustion byprod- ucts in gas, charcoal, and wood grills and smokers, even in- door gas ovens. A pink color may even appear throughout the meat. The USDA says “Often meat of younger birds [can be] pink because their thinner skins permit oven gases to reach the flesh. Older animals have a fat layer under their skin, giving the flesh added protection from the gases. Older poultry may be pink in spots where fat is absent from the skin. Also, nitrates and nitrites, which are often used as preservatives or may occur naturally in the feed or water supply used, can cause a pink color.”
And of course, meat can become pink as a result of NO and CO in smoke. The famous smoke ring appears as a pink band of meat right beneath the skin, but it can sometimes extend as much as 1/2 inch into the meat.
Go by temperature, not color
According to the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA), “The color of cooked meat and poultry is not al- ways a sure sign of its degree of doneness. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that a
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