The Guide to Chicken Breast Chicken Breast is a MUST item for modern meat processing companies. No other meat item is as well accepted by as many religious groups, ethnic minorities and, of course, by children. With the right ingredients and processing methods, manufacturing of juicy chicken breast is easy and profitable. Raw Materials We suggest to use fresh, well-trimmed chicken breast fillets, free from connective tissue and sinews which both will negatively influence the binding and water absorption process. If only frozen raw material is available, make sure the chicken breast are defrosted slowly, best inside sealed pouches in a cold water tank. Whole muscle Chicken Breast recipes can use up to 50% added water, restructured product even more. The most common recipes contain 30-40 % added water for extra juiciness and texture. Depending on the local water temperature, between 50 and 100% of the added water should be flaked ice. Flaked ice dissolves faster in brine making tanks and is more economical. Water Modern ice machines offer UV-Disinfections which has direct influence to the final product’s shelf life. More information on ice machines can be obtained from http://www.maja.de. Check HERE or in the service section of our website for your Online BrineCalculator®: www.ingredients.de Registered address friedrich gewürze gmbh Marktstätte 8 D-78462 Konstanz Company Register in Freiburg Nr. HR B 1548 VAT # DE812371827 Managing Director Phone Email Reinhard J. Friedrich + 49 7531 89276-0 info@ingredients.de Telefax +49 7531 89276-10 Internet www. ingredients.de Seasoning and ingredients per kg total recipe weight [chicken breast + added water] 0.8 Salt or Nitrite Curing Salt, depending on local food law and common recipe use. Nitrite Curing Salt has a preserving factor which is not 1.2% allowed in all countries for cured chicken breast. We have salt and several varieties of ready-to-use curing salt available, including our concentrated pre-blend CureMix5/5 [# 11.005] which contains 5% sodium nitrite and 5% potassium nitrite. Salt/Cure 3% to the brine AGAGEL 350 [# 11.017], texture improver for processed poultry products, both whole muscle and re-structured. Especially developed for cuts with added yields of 30 – 100%. For tumbling and injecting methods. Check Online BrineCalculator® for usage rate details. AGAGEL 350 is extremely economical due to low usage rate of only 3% to the brine. For prices, click onto the photo or blue text. AGAGEL 350 3 g Meister Lak 95 [# 11.010], a combination of di- and tri phosphate with a ph value of 9.5. Alternatively, use any other fast dissolving STPP. 2 – 3 g/kg Smokin’ Joe [optional] Save time and energy, and reduce pollution by using Smokin’ Joe instead of naturally burnt smoke. If Smokin’ Joe is used, reduce the salt content accordingly 10 – 20 g/kg Seasoning [optional] Optional: Smokin’ Joe smoke flavour in powder form, on carrier salt. Adds old-fashioned smoke flavour to chicken breast products without the need of actually smoking the product after cooking. Optional: Use any Decor Seasoning of your choice to add extra value to Chicken Breast, such as Chicken & Spice, Cajun, Red Grill or Hot Seasoning. For a bird’s eye view on all chicken sausage seasonings, click here. ProTip: Add the decor seasoning before cooking, best by adding into the open tumbler, using the machine as a mixer. Processing Chicken Breast Preparation Especially for whole muscle Chicken Breast, it is highly recommended that the meat chunks are separated from the membrane by using a skinner. This will improve binding considerably due to higher protein release of the meat chunks. Photo courtesy of Maja Machines: http://www.maja.de Skinning machines are available in butcher shop sizes up to fully automatic membrane skinning machines, for pork, beef, lamb, game and poultry applications. friedrich ingredients recommends skinning machines from Maja. page 2 of 3 Recipe Guide, updated 09 August 2007 Processing [continued] Brine Preparation Start by pre-blending AGAGEL 350 with some salt/curing salt. This will improve the dissolving result of the ingredients. The ice should be completely dissolved in the water, and the temperature should not have exceeded +2° C. Lower temperatures mean longer shelf-life! Dissolve the pre-mix of AGAGEL 350 and salt/curing salt in the brine first. Then, add the phosphate, the remaining salt/curing salt and any optional ingredients [no decor seasonings] and dissolve completely. Injecting [optional] Injecting reduces the tumbling time and increases moisture absorption and tenderness. Depending on the equipment used, the needed amount of brine can be injected in one or more strokes. The remaining brine should be added into the tumbler, together with the injected breasts. Choose 1.8 bar pressure. ProTip: Multiple injecting using low pressure is preferred over single, high pressure injecting. High pressure injecting may cause damage of the breasts structure, causing gel pockets and uneven brine distribution. Tumbling Most modern tumblers offer vacuum tumbling in intervals. We recommend to use 20 minutes tumbling, followed by 20 minutes rest. Set your tumbling machine to 6, better 7 intervals of each 20/20 minutes [tumbling/rest]. Photos courtesy of Günther Machines: http://www.guenthermaschinenbau.de Reduce rpm, if possible, and set your vacuum pump to 80% minimum. Any excess brine, if existing, may be absorbed with Potato Starch or similar. ProTip: If high yield Chicken Breast [above 50%] are in need, we suggest to start with an extra ‘dry’ cycle, meaning 20 minutes tumbling, followed by 20 minutes rest without any brine or dry ingredients. This will release the surface protein by 100%, making the Chicken Breasts more juicy and tender. Cooking, Chilling Carrageenan which is the active ingredient in AGAGEL 350 needs a temperature of 70° C to form a non-reversible network with the meat’s own protein, yet resulting into increased water binding and holding performance. Photo courtesy of Fessmann Smokehouses: http://www.fessmann.de To comply with the food legislation in most countries, and for maximum shelf life, cooking to an internal temperature of 72° C is highly recommended. ProTip: Stop the cooking process as early as 70° C. The temperature will still go up to 72 or even 73° C, even if the oven is shut off. This will avoid loss of juices and yield. Store at 2 – 4 ° C for at least 24 h before slicing or shipping 1 1 This recipe was developed with the best of knowledge, and according to today’s technical standards. However, we cannot accept any responsibility for the result or lack of acceptance. page 3 of 3 Recipe Guide, updated 09 August 2007