another way to pluck a chicken

[Cyberous]

I agree,.. water temp at 150 works perfect for me. I did this with my first one worked great.

I up'ed the temp on my second processing attempt to 170 thinking it would cool down to 150 by the time I got it to the destination and (second chicken) and it was too hot and turned the skin yellow(cooked) on the first chicken and became much harder to pluck as the skin started to rip.

I'm using the turkey fryer this weekend with a temp gauge to make sure its nice and close and temp is a perfect 150deg.

edit for grammar

Don

 

[kingmt]

I use a temp of 150 to scald. I dip about three times until a wing feather comes out easy but it seems that the tail doesn't get hot enough so I turn it over & give the tail another dunk then hit it with my plucker & feathers go everywhere. There is only a few tail feathers to pull & I'm done. Kinda fun.

My first few mistakes were figuring out that hotter is not better. I almost cooked a bird through the first time. 150 seems to be a good temp.

 

[cybercat]

Most recommend dunking in scalding water for 7 to 10 seconds then dunk in cold ice bath and then pluck.

 

[Cason]

I bought a pair of these on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/POTATO-TATER-PE...66:2|39:1|72:1205|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

I'll find out Friday if they work or not!

 

[shelby69]

I scald at 150 and then pull the big ones by hand and finish using a dog drooming glove. It has little rubber nipples on the palm. Works great for me.

 

[spook]

Super topic, I like those peeler gloves but only saw them on TV, I bet your going to like those.
I just processed 18 birds (45 lbs) and dipped in water that is steaming and carry it out, works for a while- then reheat. I was always told that you heat it until you don't want your hand in the water...don't check it that way, please...I used a "mechanical feather" removers.
With the Cornish X it seems to rough, the cost too, as it bruised, broke bones and tore skin in a few birds. I still had to pluck them.
DH has gloves that he wears at work that have cloth backs and rubber palms for working with glass.
Still have 5 left and now I have ideas! Thanks!

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
Please explain how they would get bruised in the plucker. Once the bird is dead there would be no reaction to make the blood rush to the skin. If the skin is being ripped I have to ask how hot your water was. I understand all pulckers can be different I also know over 150 F or held in the water to long makes the skin weak. I have made this mistake with the water temp.

Do you use killing cones? The bird can be bruised in catching it, killing it, or a week before the deed is done but a dead bird won't bruise. I hang the bird upside down in a jug (homemade killing cone) & cut its neck. This lets the bird drain its own blood by its heat pumping it dry & most of the time the bird wont struggle.

I could see some broken bones from one like the whizbang.

 

[cybercat]

Bruising is caused by broken blood vessels. So even when a chickens is blooded out there is still some blood in it. I am sure everyone has cooked a chickens that had dark bloody veins and when opening a pack of chicken you see blood too. Not all the chicken gets blooded out so it can still bruise in that way from the small capillaries that are still holding blood.

 

[enola]

Putting a few drops of dish liquid in the SCALDING water also helps the water get right to the skin quickly.

Boiling water is not good to use. The skin cooks a little and rips, resulting in a bird with rips in it's skin. A very unappetizing appearance.

And, I would absolutely LOVE to see someone pluck a 6 pound chicken in 20 seconds.

If it can be done in 20 seconds, it should be in the Olympic Games.

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
The bruise is from the capillaries being busted but there is more. I am only guessing the rest because I really don't know. Anyhow I'm thinking the heart is pumping the blood & it is under pressure so the blood fills under the skin. No heart pumping no pressure to fill the skin.

I do know that dead animals do not bruise. If they did then all the birds I process would be bruised all over. The birds you get from the store would be also. Those pluckers hit hard.