Cooking Guide - Others | The Meatery SG

GENERAL COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Pan-frying

For a chilled chicken breast/boneless leg (250g):

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.
Season the chicken with your preferred seasoning.
Heat up a pan or skillet on medium heat.
Once the pan starts smoking, add in a small amount of oil with a high smoke point (such as avocado or peanut oil), enough to coat the entire pan.
Immediately place the chicken onto the pan and press it gently to ensure maximum contact between the steak and the pan.
After 5 mins, flip the chicken and press gently again. Cook the chicken for another 5 mins.
Take the chicken out of the pan and let it rest for 5 mins.
Your chicken is now ready to serve.

For a chilled chicken breast/boneless leg (250g):

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.
Season the chicken with your preferred seasoning.
Fire up your charcoal or electric grill and aim for a medium heat.
Once the grill is hot enough, place the steak on the grill and press it gently to ensure maximum contact between the steak and the pan.
After 5 mins, flip the chicken and press gently again. Cook the chicken for another 5 mins.
Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for 5 mins.
Your chicken is now ready to serve.

For a chilled chicken breast/boneless leg (250g):

Season the chicken with your preferred seasoning and seal it in a sous vide-safe vacuum bag (other methods are also viable - see helpful pointers). You can add in herbs or spices if you wish - rosemary, sage and thyme are suitable for chicken.
Set up your sous vide circulator and tank, and set the temperature to 64°C. Drop your chicken into the sous vide bath.
Leave the chicken in the sous vide bath for 1-3 hours max, and take it out of the bag once done.
Pat the chicken dry with a kitchen towel.
Heat a pan up to high heat, and once the pan starts smoking, add in enough cooking oil (with a high smoke point eg. avocado or peanut oil) to coat the pan.
Immediately place the chicken onto the pan and press it gently to ensure maximum contact between the chicken and the pan.
After 15-20s, flip the chicken over and press again gently for the same amount of time.
Finally, take the chicken off the pan and serve the chicken as it is or cut into slices.

For a whole chicken (1-1.2kg):

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Pat the surface of the chicken completely dry with a kitchen towel and rub a little oil on the skin for nice browning.
Place chicken on a wire rack, or nestled on top some vegetables to prevent the bottom of the chicken from getting soggy. (It is recommended to place the chicken breast side up in the oven, with the legs towards you.)
1 - 1.2 kg chickens are best roasted for 30-45 minutes, or until juices run clear, or when it reaches an internal temperature of 64°C.
Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 20-25 minutes before carving into the chicken.

Pan-Frying

For a chilled duck breast (220-250g), and a target of medium rare:

Remove the duck from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature (30 mins).
Score the skin side of the duck in a tight cross-hatch pattern, but not too deep until it reaches the meat.
Place the duck on a cold pan skin-side on without oil and start the fire on medium low heat to render out the duck fat. Press the duck gently to maximise contact with the pan. (This process will take roughly 5-7 mins)
Once there is only a thin layer of fat left on the duck AND the skin has turned slightly golden brown, remove the duck fat (don’t throw it away!) and turn up the heat to medium.
Cook the duck for another minute on the skin side, then flip the duck over.
Add in some butter and start basting the duck.
After 1.5 mins, take the duck off the pan and let it rest for 5 mins on a carving board.
Finally, serve the duck as it is or cut into slices.

Some helpful pointers:

To cook it to medium/medium-well, add on 15/30 seconds of cooking time after you have flipped the duck breast.

For a chilled duck breast (220-250g), and a target of medium rare:

Remove the duck from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature (30 mins).
Score the skin side of the duck in a tight cross-hatch pattern, but not too deep until it reaches the meat.
Fire up your grill and aim for a medium heat.
Once the grill is ready, place the duck skin-side on without oil. Press the duck gently to maximise contact with the grill.
Cook the duck for 2 minutes, then flip the duck over.
Cook the duck for another 2 minutes, then take the duck off the grill and let it rest for 5 mins on a carving board.
Brush the duck a few times with a little butter infused with some herbs (thyme and/or rosemary) and garlic. (The herbs and garlic are unnecessary but add a great deal of flavour.)
Finally, serve the duck as it is or cut into slices.

For a chilled duck breast/leg (230-270g), and a target of medium rare:

Season the duck with your preferred seasoning and seal it in a sous vide-safe vacuum bag (other methods are also viable - see helpful pointers). You can add in herbs or spices if you wish - rosemary, sage and thyme are suitable for duck.
Set up your sous vide circulator and tank, and set the temperature to 57°C. Drop your duck into the sous vide bath.
Leave the duck in the sous vide bath for 45 mins to 4 hours max, and take it out of the bag once done.
Pat the duck dry with a kitchen towel.
Heat a pan up to high heat, and once the pan starts smoking, add in enough cooking oil (with a high smoke point eg. avocado or peanut oil) to coat the pan.
Immediately place the duck onto the pan and press it gently to ensure maximum contact between the chicken and the pan.
After 15-20s, flip the duck over and press again gently for the same amount of time.
Finally, take the duck off the pan and serve.

For a 2.3kg whole duck:

Remove the duck from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 130°C.
Score the skin of the duck and season it with your preferred seasoning.
Place the duck on a roasting pan/tray breast side up and roast the duck in the oven for 2 hours.
Once done, remove the duck from the oven, cover it in aluminium foil and let it rest for 30 mins.
Save the fat and drippings in the roasting pan/tray for use in other dishes.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 225°C.
Once the duck has rested, put it back in the oven for 15-20 mins or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Remove the duck from the oven, let it rest for 5 mins, and serve.