Do you eat your own chickens rare?

[donrae]

Huh.

I'd not read about rare meats, but I've always preferred my meat done. My honey hates to see me "ruin" steak!

I was just talking with my son tonight about factory chicken vs venison. When I handle venison, sure, I wash after, but I don't have the "yuck" feeling I often have after handling factory chicken. I'm also not worried about the venison being rarer for my guys.......I just don't feel it has the same bacteria load. I do count on our good immune systems to keep us healthy and feel it's important to challenge the immune system, give it something to do so it doesn't turn on you! We have meaties ready in about two weeks, I don't know how I'll feel about them. I'm just thinking rare chicken.............not so much. How rare are you talking? Do you have a temp?

I do know I don't hesitate about recipes calling for raw eggs (mmm, hm Ice cream) with my eggs, but wouldn't do it with factory eggs. Might be a mental thing?

Look forward to seeing more discussion here.

 

[Ahab]

Quote:
Duck is almost always better rare. Duck breast in particular should never be cooked past medium-rare. Chicken, culinarily speaking, is a little different. Chicken breast is ruined by overcooking. It's officially done at 160F; leg/thigh at 180F. This is in part for pathogen suppression and in part because underdone chicken legs/thighs haven't rendered their intramuscular fat and the flavors haven't melded. Chicken breasts, on the other hand, have no intramuscular fat, and I consider them done at about 145F, when they're just springy to the touch.

 

[honeydoll]

Thanks for the temp ideas Ahab. I don't hesitate to eat recipes with my eggs in it raw either. I would feel more comfortable eating my chicken meat rare than store bought.


Donrae: I don't know of temp. I just read eating them rare is healthier.

I know meat cooked at high temps is bad for us to consume, so I assume that means grilling, one of our favorite things to do in the summer.

Carolyn

 

[Stacykins]

Maybe it is just all the fear mongering getting to me, but I can't stand the idea of eating raw poultry. The texture in and of itself is a huge turn off. I can eat rare and raw red meat (cannibal sandwich = personally ground beef filet mignon w/spices on toasted bread). And fish I can do too (living in Japan for four years helped that out). But poultry? No thanks!

 

[Salt and Light]

I cooked some Freedom Ranger rooster breast the other night, and while not rare, it was medium to medium-rare. All I can say is DEEEELiscious!!!!

 

[Baymule]

I have eaten duck that was rare and it was great. Steak absolutely must be rare to medium rare. Chicken? No way.

 

[Oregon Blues]

From a sanitation standpoint, I wouldn't hesitate to eat my home raised poultry rare. However, I think that underdone chicken tastes disgusting and the texture isn't all that great, either.

Chicken is at its best when it barely reaches done, and before the juices are all cooked out.

If I've raised it myself and processed it myself, I know that the meat isn't contaminated with bacteria. I know for a fact that I've washed my hands, not sneezed on it, and not dropped it into the dirt and chicken poop. It hasn't been rinsed in a vat of filthy water that hundreds of other birds have been dragged through.

Chicken from the market, on the other hand IMO, really needs to be fully cooked and anything that it has touched in the raw state needs to be thoroughly sanitized.

 

[honeydoll]

I absolutely agree about market chicken needing to be fully cooked. I don't know if I could ever truly enjoy a rare chicken, even my own. I am afraid of becoming sick. But this is a new idea to me, and I may work up the nerve one day to try it.

On a side note, I bought the cheapest chicken from WalMart a few months ago, it was absolutely disgusting to me. Since I have started to raise my own meat birds, I cannot hardly stand store bought chicken now. It feels greasy, slimy and just pain gross. I never thought twice before, but since my first batch of Cornish X, I was converted. My first thought when eating rare chicken meat, was about this chicken, and I thought no way!

Now I am ruined, and when I run out of my meaties, I have to buy store bought, and I always hate that. I need to find a system where I don't have too many chickens, but can avoid running out of my meaties. Because I am now ruined for store bought chicken.

Carolyn

 

[KenK]

Duck is very good rare. I don't think I could make myself eat rare chicken.