What happened to the dark meat nuggets in the 90s?

I think it's demise was the same time chicken plants started adopting mechanically separated chicken to make such things like nuggets. From how much meat breast yields, it may not be practical to do runs of just dark meat and just white meat or a blend of white and dark.

Since the 90s the value ratios of chicken parts has also changed substantially. Yes we can all reminisce of 10 cent wing nights and 19 cents/lb leg quarters. These days even thigh meat costs a lot more than drumsticks when they used to be closer to par. Dark meat cuts if anything has costs closer to breast than decades ago.

The one thing I still reminisce about is McDonald's old nuggets. These "new" white meat nuggets suck.
I swear that the switch to white meat was just to shrink the size of them. The old ones felt like they were almost twice as thick as the new ones.

death_hawk wrote: ↑ The one thing I still reminisce about is McDonald's old nuggets. These "new" white meat nuggets suck.
I swear that the switch to white meat was just to shrink the size of them. The old ones felt like they were almost twice as thick as the new ones.

I always used to think "man the fish I catch now are so much small than the ones I caught when I was a kid"

Then one day I realized my hands are now much bigger and it could just be perspective.

Maybe this is the same? Maybe not though. You may not have been a "kid" back then. Lol

I remember these, were damn tasty (probably because of the all the sodium and not the actual meat)

death_hawk wrote: ↑ The one thing I still reminisce about is McDonald's old nuggets. These "new" white meat nuggets suck.
I swear that the switch to white meat was just to shrink the size of them. The old ones felt like they were almost twice as thick as the new ones.

I pine for the old days of beef tallow deep fryers. Better fries by far.

I also want dark-meat chicken burgers. Why is white meat more popular in Canada?

demon1102 wrote: ↑ I also want dark-meat chicken burgers. Why is white meat more popular in Canada?

In most countries I've visited, white meat is less popular but here its more popular & they do an upcharge if you want all white. Crazy to me because I can save money & not get all white lol

HP_John wrote: ↑ In most countries I've visited, white meat is less popular but here its more popular & they do an upcharge if you want all white. Crazy to me because I can save money & not get all white lol

Thighs are the same price as breasts these days it seems.... So that boat might have sailed unfortunately.

demon1102 wrote: ↑I also want dark-meat chicken burgers. Why is white meat more popular in Canada?

Over the past decade, it has considerably shifted towards the leg cuts however breast is still more popular here.

White meat is popular in North America because of generations past considering chicken legs to be a tough cut a meat (in an time they considered high cuts and low cuts where low cuts were tough). This also holds with beef and pork where high cuts are still preferred.

Also, breast meat is sweeter and leaner and dark meat is fattier. This is also from the past where lean cuts were favoured and seen as "healthier".

Gutty96 wrote: ↑ Thighs are the same price as breasts these days it seems.... So that boat might have sailed unfortunately.

@ a restaurant / take out setting? Or for groceries?

I never really calculated the meat yield without the bone. It does seem cheaper. But bones.

UrbanPoet wrote: ↑ @ a restaurant / take out setting? Or for groceries?

I never really calculated the meat yield without the bone. It does seem cheaper. But bones.

I just mean boneless/skin less thigh vs breast. I don't see thighs being much cheaper these days.

Not considering bone in.

Gutty96 wrote: ↑ I always used to think "man the fish I catch now are so much small than the ones I caught when I was a kid"

Then one day I realized my hands are now much bigger and it could just be perspective.

Maybe this is the same? Maybe not though. You may not have been a "kid" back then. Lol

To date myself, no, I was (pretty sure) close to an adult back then.
I remember the transition quite clearly because not every store transitioned at the same time.

I actually kept going to a certain location over another because they still had stock of the old nuggets for like a month after the new ones were announced.

They were noticeably thicker. I'm sure someone else can confirm this.

ChesterCheetoh wrote: ↑ I pine for the old days of beef tallow deep fryers. Better fries by far.

When did they stop using beef tallow in Canada? I worked there up until 2001 and could swear they were still using beef tallow then, but everything I can find suggests they stopped in 1990. Can't find anything Canada-specific though.

ChesterCheetoh wrote: ↑ I pine for the old days of beef tallow deep fryers. Better fries by far.

It's been years since hearing this fact so IDK if it's still true or not but apparently Japan still uses beef tallow.
If/when I visit Japan, McDonalds is definitely on my list.

death_hawk wrote: ↑ It's been years since hearing this fact so IDK if it's still true or not but apparently Japan still uses beef tallow.
If/when I visit Japan, McDonalds is definitely on my list.

Looks like a blend of beef tallow and soybean oil according to their site: https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/en/products/2010/

There is a difference between "breast meat" & "white meat" because "breast meat" is a chunk of breast & "white meat" is formed meat scraps, which could have been "dark meat" before chemical processing.

30 years ago, I had a school buddy that worked for a local chicken processor to support his master's in physics & he assured me then, "It's ALLLL white meat." I think this is the point that the industry turned away from making "dark meat" nuggets.

At the same time McDonalds was then listing "chicken skin" as a top 3 ingredient in their nuggets which is what made them so fabulous (flavourful, juicy) at the time. They ground the fatty skin right into the mix. This is when restaurants just started publishing nutritional guides & there was soon a backlash against the skin. People do not know what is good for them. (Well, maybe not good for them but good for their taste buds.) Then McD's spent decades in the wilderness churning out substandard nuggets trying to build 1 as good as what they once had.

Isn't the Banquet brand still dark meat chicken nuggets? (Banquet brand can be found @ Giant Tiger stores)

playnicee1 wrote: ↑ Isn't the Banquet brand still dark meat chicken nuggets? (Banquet brand can be found @ Giant Tiger stores)

They have a "drum & thigh" version in the US but I think what we get here is "white meat" (quotations required).

My guess...trying to make people feel that White Meat is more healthy in fried nugget form and introducing dark meat will only increase the fat content scaring consumers away