Poultry roll

Poultry rolls can be made from dark meat, white meat or their combination. The meat is obtained from breast meat, leg meat, trimmings and the skin of turkey/chicken. In this product, pieces of meat are bound together to form a coherent product. Salt is added to extract the salt-soluble protein (mainly actin and myosin) that contributes to binding the meat pieces and holding moisture and fat within the product. The skin and some of the trimmings are usually finely chopped (the term "emulsified" is often used by the industry, even though no true emulsion is formed) to facilitate the binding of the fat. Seasonings are added to provide flavor. Moisture is added to compensate for cooking losses and to improve the juiciness of the product. If added moisture exceeds a certain level (limits vary in different countries) of the raw meat, the product should be labeled as a water-added chicken/turkey roll.

The meat pieces are mixed together with the non-meat ingredients until the meat becomes sticky (i.e., used as an indication of good protein extraction) and all the added moisture is absorbed. The mix is then stuffed into casings, and the product is cooked either in a water bath or an oven, depending on the casings used, equipment available, market preference, etc.