Tenderloin at 70 degrees: Poaching

Should be small, even strips with no tendon sheath left attached after trimming. The small strip lying under the breast, attached along a tough white tendon. It is the most tender muscle on the bird and cooks in a fraction of the time, which is why it is the natural candidate for skewers, goujons and a lightly seared sashimi in Japan.

Pull the white tendon out before cooking by gripping it and scraping the meat back with a knife; it never softens. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Poaching.” Use 70 degrees and 70 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

At the counter, read the use on Tenderloin before the photograph. 70 degrees is the internal heat, “Poaching” is the dish, and 70 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. It is thin enough that residual heat alone can finish it — pull it from the pan the moment it turns opaque.