butchered our first group

[ChickieBooBoo]

I guess I'll find out when I watch the video, but do you chop the head off with Quail? I didnt know you actually cut the spine out, I'll have to watch the video.

 

[GBov]

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His vidio doesnt show him actually killing them, THAT video got removed

But I grasp gently and whap the back of the head off the edge of the counter. That stuns them so they hold still for hte head cuting off bit.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

We didn't bop them and I did the gross parts~LOL I thought it would be harder, but I birthed them and raised them, so it was up to me to make the end as fast as possible. I just held them upside down over a bucket and snipped the head off at the neck FAST with a freshly sharpened set of good sewing shears (better than kitchen shears). I then bled them for about a minute, cut off the wings and feet, then handed them off to my neice to skin (she'll clean but doesn't like to kill), did the next one and by then she was handing me back the first one to gut. Then I rinsed it in one bucket and tossed them into a clean bucket of ice water. When the bucket started to get full, I'd wash my hands and pack a few ziplock baggies of birds and toss them in the cooler full of ice water. I left them in ice for 2 days, then drained the baggies and put them in the freezer.

With gutting, we did the method I saw on you tube (posted here a month or so ago) and did use the method of cutting out the spine. Everything except the lungs peeled right out, easy breezy! I then could just scrape out the lungs. I didn't save back any tidbits. Our "gut" bucket went into our pond for our VERY grateful catfish.

 

[GBov]

An odd question but one that has been bugging me, why do you all put the meat into ice water? Doesnt the water leach out flavor? I put mine either on a plate put ontop of ice if I am cutting the breasts and legs off or into ziplock baggies on ice. My meat never touches the ice or any water.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Put it right into ice water to chill it fast.
I put a little salt in ziplock bags and water to cover birds. The salt water will draw out any excess blood and makes for a better tasting bird, any kind of bird. Let soak for a day or so or even just a few hours. Rinse and cook or repackage and freeze.

My DH is very picky on getting the blood drawn off completely.

 

[GBov]

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Ah, I think blood improves the flavor so dont want to soak any of it out lol. Must just be folks doing same things different!

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

We always like the soak them so that they blood is completely gone. Some say it makes the bird a more white color instead of yellow but I didnt notice a huge color change when we did our chickens.

So, just so I get this straight rarebreedeggs4u this is what you did:

1) hang them over a bucket and snip there head off, can you use PVC cutters? Do they flap around like a chicken does once the head is cut off?
2) skin them, do you ever pluck Quail? Or do most people just skin them? When your skinning them how do you start it? (like getting your fingers under the skin to peel it off)
3) gut them, when you cut out the spine do you loose very much meat? I woudnt think they would have much meat there. Then you pull everything out and save what you want
4) rinse and soak, just clean then off with a hose and stick them in a pale of very cold overnight or something

 

[pascopol]

Hey, you are splitting hair here ...

Just (humanly) kill it

and grill it (or else)



LOL

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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lol, I know I know. If just want to do it right if I ever butcher Quail, but I suppose if I never asked I would proably do ok. I've done many chickens, so Quail should be too much different.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

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