Processing process Qs

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wvhomesteader

wvhomesteader

In the Brooder
May 5, 2015
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Hi y'all

My husband and I are doing some processing of our little meatballs this weekend. This will be our first time with shrink bags. My Question is this:

What is the process for shrink bagging?

After we eviscerate and toss them into the ice to chill do we
(A) dry, shrink bag, rest for a few days and freeze or
(B) dry, rest for a few days, shrink bag and freeze

Thanks in advance
 
We did not dry them from the ice bath. We left them in the ice bath for about 24 hours, and that was a nice pause from all of the work and clean up from the day before. Then all you have to pull out for shink bag day is the pot and a table. And we put them straight into the freezer after they were bagged.
From what I understand though, bagging and then letting them rest isn't too different except it allows the chicken to fit in the bag a little better. We had problems getting the legs to push down far enough for the bag to shink well around the legs.
 
Note that an ice bath with water will chill the bird much faster than just ice. Just like pop - if you want it cold fast, toss it into ice and water rather than just ice. Once the meat is chilled to near 35F or so, you can continue to chill, or process further. Quick chilling is key. After that you have your options. A frig is about 40 or 42F, where as the ice bath is 32F. Colder the better.
 
Water draws away heat a lot faster too not just a temp thing, would you rather be in a 50F tub of water of 50f air?
 
You can do it either way, I've done both and like said before letting them rest for a day or two in an ice bath or tub in the refrigerator will make it easy to stuff them into the shrink bags. I never had any issues with doing that, when I directly freeze them I usually pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and they turn out perfectly. It's easier for me to process them all in one day, get them in the deep freezer!

On the shrink bags, make sure the neck bone doesn't have any pointy parts sticking out as this can puncture the bag, also I use a little piece of tubing for removing the air from the bag. Put tube in bag, add tie wrap, twist & pull tight...drop in the water for 3-4 seconds remove...let shrink for a bit then pull tube out while tightening the tie wrap. No labels/cutting of bag required.

Have fun...

 
I cool mine in an ice bath during the butchering process, then drip-dry on a homemade PVC drying rack and pat dry with paper towel. Next I shrink wrap and throw into chest freezer. My chest freezer is solely dedicated to chickens. My chickens have built-in rest time; when they're sitting in the freezer freezing...and when they are later sitting in the fridge thawing. I've never had an issue with tough or chewy meat this way.
 

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