Breast meat safe?

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
It just came across as unkind.. Sorry I should have just PMed you..I'm having a bout of foot in mouth syndrome today....

 

[Ladyhawke1]

I am glad you said something and I hope the OP will understand better my intent.

 

[onthespot]

question for greathorse. Why do we bleed out animals? Is it to keep the meat from spoiling, or for looks and/or taste, and what actually happens to meat if you don't bleed it out properly? About thirty years ago I was at my aunt's house and a dog killed one of her pheasants. I didn't know jack about processing birds, but I dug him out of his feathers and skin and cut the feet off and pulled the innards out and made stew out of him and he tasted GREAT!!! I know for sure what killed him, and set to processing him immediately, even though I didn't know what I was doing.

 

[greathorse]

Meat spoils much more quickly if not bled out. During the time of poor refrigeration it was of course very critical. Even now in my opinion the abscence of bleeding an animal allows for blood spots and a more rank flavor in the meat.

For those of us who have done this professionally all of our lives and strive for a good and quick bleed so that the quality of meat is intact the thought of an animal not bleeding out is troublesome. I repeat I really think it has more to do with attitude beleif and ritual than it actually does with food safety.

I am troubled be a deer or elk that is harvested and dies after walking and is dead when eventually found. I submit that game that is shot, dropped and bled immediately will have a lot less issue with gamey flavor than one that went down slowly so to speak.

JMO after some 35 years in the business

 

[My Little Sister's Farm]

There is no way I would eat an animal that was technically dead on arrival. The main reason is because meat "sours" or gets that gamey taste. Also, even if it has been under 45 degrees, there is still bacteria that can multiply and infiltrate the meat as it is aging WITH the intestinal tract intact (aka poo). If a heart attack caused blood vessel damage, who knows how much blood and bruising you'll find. I would cut your losses and bury the poor dear.

 

[greathorse]

I agree with most of what you say there but will offer that the inside of that chicken is sterile whether there is an intestinal tract left there or not.

Years ago when most poultry was slaughtered on the farm, it was bled, picked and taken to two with all else left inside. Chefs would eviscerate the birds prior to cooking. The reason for doing this was so that the inside of the bird was exposed to a lot less bacteria than if it had been gutted on the farm. And thats a fact.

Our access to refrigeration which is a fairly new phenomonon has changed a lot of things as it relates to animal proteins on our plate. Refrigeration was the only reason the big packing plants were able to consolidate in the way that they have.