The drumstick is the lower joint of the chicken leg.
The drumette is the upper arm of the chicken wing.
Drumstick pictured left, Drumette pictured right
What are Drumsticks?
Drumsticks are irregular in shape – they have a thicker end that tapers into a thinner end.
The thick end connects to the upper joint or “thigh” of the chicken where-as the thinner end connects to the feet.
What are Drumettes?
Colloquially called “drums” – are the upper arm of the chicken wing.
Drumettes are irregular in shape – they also have a thick end that tapers into a thinner end.
The thicker end connecting to the breast and the thinner end connecting to the wingette or “flat.”
The Main Confusion Lies in the Name of the Cuts
To start with, let’s take a look at “drumstick”:
Some etymologists believe that the word “drumstick” was used to describe the leg because phrases like “thigh” or “leg” weren’t polite words to use in the 18th century.
Similarly – breast is replaced by bosom; Thigh by upper joint; Leg by lower joint.
Looking at the word “drum-ette“:
In the English language, -ette is added to words to indicate a smaller version of something.
For example:
- Cassette
- Baguette
- Kitchenette
- Featurette
- Flowerette
- etc.
You get the gist.
So in the case of the “drum” – the drumette is simply a smaller version of the drumstick.
Drumsticks are the Cheapest Cut from a Chicken
Using the pricing from Wild Fork Foods:
- Chicken drumsticks: $1.79/lb
- Chicken wing sections (both flats and drums): $3.79/lb
Drumsticks and Wings Cook Similarly
I prefer to have my drumsticks and wings to hit around 190F+.
By that time the exterior skin has likely crisped up and the meat pulls cleanly off the bone because the collagen/connective tissue has rendered.
Even though wings are considered “white meat,” you can push these to around 190F+ simply because they have tons of skin, fat content, and collagen.
