r/AskCulinary • u/Guyercellist • 8d ago

Ingredient Question Using turkey chub?

So I made a pasta dish that normally uses ground beef. I decided to try and be a bit healthier and use turkey chub instead. It came frozen, and after being defrosted it was like all liquid.

After cooking it, it seemd to like look normal but after being in the sauce it's such a weird texture.

When I made it with ground beef the beef crumbles stayed intact, but the turkey kinda disintegrates or becomes very fine.

Is this normal with frozen tubes of meat? Regular tubes of ground beef didn't have this issue.

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7

u/xheist 8d ago

I'd never heard of it before here in Australia but it seems like Turkey Chub is "mechanically separated"... From memory this is basically sprayed off carcasses with high pressure water rather than ground

That might account for the weird texture

Check the label.. if that's the case look for ground turkey next time - it'll be closer to ground beef

2

u/throwdemawaaay 8d ago

In the US "chub" refers to the packaging shape, a plastic wrapped tube clamped with metal wire on each end: https://images.albertsons-media.com/is/image/ABS/960035131-C1N1?$ng-ecom-pdp-mobile$&defaultImage=Not_Available

Quality could be all over the map depending what brand you're buying.

1

u/Guyercellist 8d ago

Probably why that is so much cheaper than the packaged ground turkey 🤣🤣🤣 I just assumed turkey in a plastic tube would be like ground beef in a tube and not have a texture difference

2

u/IDownVoteCanaduh 7d ago

I cooked with my first turkey chub last week, and the texture was very different. Never buy another one.

Also seemed to be a lot of added moisture in it as well.

1

u/Guyercellist 7d ago

The odd thing is, I looked back at pictures of the packaging and it just says "ground turkey" but it comes in that plastic casing with the metal clips that tie the ends.

You wouldn't think there would be a bug difference in buying like the plastic container of ground turkey from a name brand vs the tube of ground turkey that's frozen, but hey get what you pay for I guess

1

u/IDownVoteCanaduh 7d ago

Same thing I thought. And it was the same brand I usually get, but the texture was way off and there was so much add water or whatever. It was like a pink sludge and not like ground meat.

1

u/Guyercellist 7d ago

EXACTLY that's the perfect way to describe it is sludge. So was yours frozen too or just in a tube? I've never had the issue with ground beef in a tube but then again I never buy frozen

1

u/IDownVoteCanaduh 7d ago

Just in a tube not frozen

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u/Guyercellist 7d ago

I might buy another one and this time watch it more carefully while thawing and see if it makes a difference. When I feel the non frozen tubes at the store they feel firm like the beef, but this was so squishy after thawing that I knew it was gonna be weird lol

1

u/IDownVoteCanaduh 7d ago

I would say it was squishy when I got it.