chicken breast loaf

[nanuk]

my wife wants me to try to make some chicken breast sandwich meat in a loaf.

what would be the ideal way to make multiples stick together?

gelatin? Mixer with dough hooks?

I don't have a tumbler..... I'd have to make one

any thoughts?

 

[SmokinAl]

If you are talking about a loaf like bologna, then you would have to grind it twice, once thru the large plate, then add your seasonings & grind it thru the small plate. You would also need to add cure #1 if you are planning on smoking it like sausage. You really need to provide more details as to exactly what you are trying to accomplish, then a better plan can be implemented.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I've tried to do turkey sausage; the texture is way off from what you'd expect. If you do this as a meatloaf; you might want to consider how lean it will be and you'll need to some how get more fat in or I suspect it'll be one dried out chunk.

 

[chopsaw]

my wife wants me to try to make some chicken breast sandwich meat in a loaf.

what would be the ideal way to make multiples stick together?

gelatin? Mixer with dough hooks?

I don't have a tumbler..... I'd have to make one

any thoughts?

I'm with Al on the info . I've done it like this ,
This was 3 good sized bone in chicken breast . De-boned , skin removed .
Gelatin between the cut side of the pieces ( as can be done ) alternate wide end to skinny end .
Wrap back in the skin .

Then I use a net .

I DID brine skin ( removed ) and breast in Pop's brine .
24 hours , before assembly .
I smoked HOT 250 or so . I took it to 170 and rested .
Held together pretty good . Can't find the sliced shot .
I do this alot , and have stopped using the gelatin .

Just wanted to add this is no longer " intact " because you have surface now on the inside . Needs to be treated as such . Thats why hot and fast , taken to 170 .

 

[nanuk]

I am thinking like Chopsaw. that looks like what I want to make.

making a solid meat smoked product like you'd see in the deli NOT chopped and formed loaf or using ground meat loaf, but maybe with 3-4 breasts stuck together.

I have cure#1

 

[nanuk]

I'm with Al on the info . I've done it like this ,
This was 3 good sized bone in chicken breast . De-boned , skin removed .
Gelatin between the cut side of the pieces ( as can be done ) alternate wide end to skinny end .
Wrap back in the skin .
View attachment 372164
Then I use a net .
View attachment 372165
I DID brine skin ( removed ) and breast in Pop's brine .
24 hours , before assembly .
I smoked HOT 250 or so . I took it to 170 and rested .
Held together pretty good . Can't find the sliced shot .
I do this alot , and have stopped using the gelatin .

Just wanted to add this is no longer " intact " because you have surface now on the inside . Needs to be treated as such . Thats why hot and fast , taken to 170 .

do you add cure to the brine?

 

[chopsaw]

do you add cure to the brine?

Yes this was done in Pop's brine . I use the low salt . Gallon water , table spoon cure 1 , 1/2 cup salt , 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar is what I used .

 

[nanuk]

While I got you here, how did you make them into a loaf?

bread pan and weight??? or some black magic incantation?

 

[ab canuck]

I also do them like chopsaw. Pop's brine, chicken or turkey breasts in a bag/net. Slice up for sammies when there are any leftovers, Can't beat it and better than store bought.

 

[nanuk]

AB, do you stick them together to make a loaf, or just process them as breast, and have smaller slices?

 

[chopsaw]

My post was 3 breast together wrapped in the net and hung in the smoker . Holds together pretty good . I have also done them in singles , sliced and on a sandwich .
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/brine-cured-chicken-breast-mortons-tender-quick.269585/

 

[nanuk]

ok. Thanks for that info!

this is on my TODO list real soon

 

[ab canuck]

Yep depending on the size of breasts a couple 3 together. The turkey ones after they are deboned I put together insides facing each others. Chicken the same outsides facing out, They look better and I find cook a little more even, Bag / net them up tight.

 

[tallbm]

I did something similar to the other guys with turkey breast to make sandwich meat. The meat held together quite well UNTIL I froze and defrosted them. I think the freezing process (which forms mini crystals) works against the idea of the meat holding together once defrosted. I would do it again but NEXT TIME I'm going to slice long ways along the turkey breast so I am getting the entire slice out of the whole muscle except for the small area where the breasts come together.

In the pics below I sliced cross ways meaning every slice had both pieces of turkey breast (and other chunks of meat sandwiched between) in every slice. The seams is where they wanted to pull apart after defrosting. I hope this info helps and here are my pics to show you what I mean.

DSC_0481[1].JPG

• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

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• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

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• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

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• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

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• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

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• tallbm
• Aug 3, 2017

Oh and as for options to make it stick together, meat companies use Transglutaminase which is known as "Meat Glue". It causes two different pieces of meat's proteins to bind together (I believe, double check me). I personally try to avoid such voodoo with my food but if you eat sandwich meat ham then I believe you are basically eating various chunks of pork cured and glued together this way to make large blocks for whole muscle sandwich meat/ham :)

 

[nanuk]

are you not worried about a tougher meat if you slice WITH the grain?

 

[ab canuck]

That looks great tallbm . nanuk I have not found any of the breast getting tough slicing with grain or dry, Maybe it is because of the brine, I find them pretty good, especially in sammies. my 2¢

 

[Smkryng]

Transglutaminase which is known as "Meat Glue"

Sometimes I hate learning new things:D

 

[tallbm]

are you not worried about a tougher meat if you slice WITH the grain?

I haven't done it yet so I can't give you an answer from experience BUT the fact that I slice the meat thin on my Chef's Choice food slicer, I don't think I will have an issue. Especially with the fact that sliced sandwich meat I have done wants to tear apart more easily after freezing and defrosting. The freeze and defrost kind of tenderizes it some since the "microscopic" ice crystals seem to tenderize the meat lol.

Sometimes I hate learning new things:D

It's crazy isn't it. Check out the info on "re-formed" and "reconstituted" cured meats here: http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E14.htm

In a nutshell those two types of meat for medium to lower grade meat cured meat products are brined, cured, have binders (meat glue, etc.) all added and are tumbled and or put in moulds to then be turned into large hunks of meat made of many pieces. It is fascinating!

I don't really lean one way or the other too much in the debates on such things but I try to keep my meats, sausages, etc. as simple and as close to the original thing as I can.

For example I try sausages and sandwich meats with no binders and in some cases like with the sandwich meat I need to and binders so I do. My next attempt at my venison pastrami sandwich meat will probably bump up to 2.3-2.5% Soy Protein Isolate as the binder. 2% really helped and in my readings about 2.3% seems to be the upper limit I read where there was no change in flavor due to the binder but I don't think they went above that. I may try 2.5% to see if I can get the sandwich meat to really hold together without worry of tearing it when pulling it out of the vac sealed package after it has been frozen/defrosted. I will report back when the time comes :)

 

[nanuk]

I made a loaf with Brarcarver’s unstuffed pepperoni but cut the pepper back to make it mild.
My first attempt was crumbly.
My second, I added a bit of skkm milk dry powder. Worked great! Moist and held together perfectly.

 

[petehalsted]

I slice mine long ways, in fact if you think about it that is normally how you carve a turkey in the first place.