Chicken prep

I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to ADD anything to the meat at all before inspection.

TwilightChrome said:

I have been reading that most folks are trimming meats at home whenever possible before a competition. This sounds like a great idea to me. My understanding of the rule is that you can't marinate, rub, inject, or otherwise do flavor-altering things to meat before meat inspection. My question - can you use TGase aka meat glue before the meat inspection? Normally after trimming chicken I would put the TGase on between the meat and the skin, wrap them up, and put them in the cooler. Can I do this as part of trimming at home, or do I need to wait until after meat inspection at the competition?

Thank you,
-TC

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I would wait until after inspection. Might be a grey line in that meat glue is not a seasoning - but I wouldn't risk it.

You can trim but you cannot add. My interpretation to the rules would be that includes meat glue also.

If you are unsure, I'd wait until after inspection. Ask the rep for a ruling at the next contest you go to. Then you'll know.

There was a movement back in 2013 to add it to the rules, that it would be illegal to use ahead of time, but I don't think it ever passed?

I have always assumed this would be illegal. I do find it odd that you can use kosher and enhanced but you can salt or brine it yourself prior to inspection, all of these seem about the same to me and it is just a matter of who adds the salt.

I do have another chicken prep question. Do you trust the use or freeze by dates on fresh chicken? Would you consider trimming, vacuum sealing and refrigerating (37 degrees in the fridge) thighs today, Monday, for a comp on Saturday?

The reason I ask is that today picked up some thighs for a comp this weekend that I was going to trim, vacuum seal and freeze. The Foster Farms thighs had a use/freeze by date of 5/4/16 (9 days out) and the breasts had a use/freeze by date of 5/6/16 (11 days out). I was worried about 5 days in the fridge but the 9-11, as days marked on the package, seems crazy to me.

If you remove the skins for scraping or any other reason, then you might as well transport the skins separated. Then you can wrap the skins using meat glue and shape for cooking.

Not sure, but try this, because I noticed that after pre-trim, I put the skins back on and vacuum seal them, then toss on the ice....that skin gets perfectly tacky all by itself in the vacuum seal and cold, I mean like ridiculously perfect. The cold and vacuum seal helps form and shape them as well.

Why use meat glue in the first place? The skin adheres back to the meat when you cook it without it.

Meat glue? That just sounds nasty.

I've been cooking KCBS for five years now and have cooked in contests with the best of the best in terms of reps and I have yet to encounter a rep that has ever checked our meat enough to tell if meat glue has been used. With that said, we don't use it. And I don't necessarily think meat needs to be inspected close enough to determine whether or not glue was used...just stating a fact.

I vac seal and freeze my chicken well in advance of a comp. I pull a pack out of the freezer on Tuesday for a Fri/Sat comp. Works great.

Not worth getting chicken DQ'd and having to trim over....

Burnt at Both Endz said:

There was a movement back in 2013 to add it to the rules, that it would be illegal to use ahead of time, but I don't think it ever passed?

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This is from the Aug 16 2013 KCBS board meeting....

Jeff Stith

Rules Committee

A Member wants to know if wild boar would be considered legal pork. Would like the input of the board.



Motion for rules change for 2014: Motion that Transglutaminase (TG or TGase), commonly known as meat glue, be considered illegal to use prior to meat inspection. Rule 7 would read as follows:

7) All competition meats shall be inspected by the Official Meat Inspector during the times established by the contest organizer but not prior to the day before judging. Once the competition meat has been inspected, it shall not leave the contest site. Cooking shall not begin until the competition meat has been inspected by the Official Meat Inspector. All competition meat shall start out raw. No pre-seasoned meat is allowed other than manufacturer enhanced or injected products, as shown on label EXCLUDING but not limited to teriyaki, lemon pepper or butter injected. The use of transglutaminase (meat glue) prior to meat inspection shall not be allowed. When the contest organizer supplies the meat, the contestant is not required to enter only that meat. Competition meat not meeting these qualifications shall be disqualified; given a one (1) in all criteria by all six judges.

Second Steve Farrin

3 Aye, Mike Peters, Steve Farrin, Jeff Stith

8 oppose, Kim Collier, Mike Budai, Mark Simmons, Dave Compton, Randy Bigler, Wayne Lohman, Don Harwell

Motion fail

- See more at: http://www.kcbs.us/news.php?id=673#sthash.hrqtRswE.dpuf

seeing this thread- I requested confirmation od - (prior to Burnt at Both Ends Post) & received confirmation today from the rules committee-that it was discussed last year that meat glue is pretty much undetectable. According to the research by the committee "meat glue" does not season and is not injected. There is no rule preventing use of meat glue.

Hope this helps.