Butchering - Knife Recommendation Needed

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I have a $2.50 pink colored paring knife that actually holds a decent edge. I sharpen before and after each bird with a simple little sharpener that takes seconds to use.

 

[schmism]

see my thread from last year for more ideas

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=405803

 

[bigredfeather]

I bought a collection of Dexter Russel poultry processing knives (bright orange handles) and have been very happy with them. They aren't the most expensive knives availavle out there, but they do a good job.

 

[4H Amy]

I'm so glad this thread is up. I have been doing lots of research on this lately as we have processed about 100 chickens this year and now I have 40 chicks and 7 turkeys to process in the next 6 weeks.

My cheap knife that I got with my processing kit needs to be sharpened constantly, so I thought about really investing some money into a great knife that would last a long time. I have been looking at the Wusthof Classic Ikon 5" boning knife. Spoke to the knife lady at Williams & Sonoma and they let you cut veggies up on a cutting board in the store. (I really don't have anything wonderful in my kitchen so this is a stretch for me to shop at this store)

The knife felt really great in my hand and they are having a sale right now so I might actually purchase one, I still have about 6 weeks to decide.

I have also been looking at sharpeners, and read a review that the Vulkanus Sharper is wonderful on any knife.

Anyone else researching the same products. I am still on the fence because of the expense but processing that many birds at one time you really want something easy to use in your hand.

I've also seen the Victorinox 6" boning knife on Amazon for about $16. For a cheaper option. Does anyone own one of these knives and do they hold up for a few years?

 

[AngelaClassAct]

I bought 2 of these, and they worked great:

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.co...el-Blade-Made-in-Sweden/productinfo/100-2581/

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Isn't that a $80-$100 knife? Maybe if I was a professional chef...

I've also seen the Victorinox 6" boning knife on Amazon for about $16. For a cheaper option. Does anyone own one of these knives and do they hold up for a few years?

Those are the knives I use. They are similar in construction and quality to the Dexter Russel knives that bigredfeather mentioned. They should last darn near forever with the proper care. I keep them sharp with a V-groove ceramic sharpener and a knife steel. I store them in a wooden knife block on the kitchen counter, not banging around in a drawer, and I never put them in the dishwasher. Dishwashers are horrible for knives.​

 

[silkiechicken]

Any of those will work. Just sharpen well and go for it. Feathers dull knives quickly so I try to avoid cutting through them.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I use a cleaver to take the neck off. No way to cut that without hitting bone, which ruins the edge on a knife.

I like a really small paring knife to cut around the vent. The smaller the better, for maneuverability. I use a boning knife to remove legs. Twist the leg so all you are cutting is tendon.

I really like my Henkels, but I have the German ones; one of mine is over 50 years old and still a super nice knife. There are different grades. The really expensive ones are made in Germany. Then Spain, and they have some (relatively) inexpensive ones made in China that I wouldn't bother with.

The last butchering I used my son's Chicago Cutlery (made in the USA). That's another company with a lot of different grades and their top of the line are excellent knives. Their inexpensive knives aren't much good.

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

Two schools of thought on knives.

There are the old carbon steel knives that will dull quicker than the newer, often stainless, steel variety. But as long as you are aware of their nature and don't let them go too far, can be quickly "tuned up" on a good steel. I know several butchers who don't do many chickens (primarily furred critters -- cows, pigs, deer and the occasional moose) who treasure and dote over their old splotchy, discolored, carbon-steel knives, and wouldn't use anything else.

That said, the high-quality (essential, stainless or carbon steel) stainless knives can be great for fine work. They'll hold an edge longer, and can still be tuned up with a steel, but they don't respond to it as well as a carbon-steel balde. When they lose their edge there's nothing to be done but to actualy sharpen them (yourself, if you know how to do it properly, or pay a pro -- a good source for that service is to ask your local restaurant who does theirs).

Best tip is to have a knife sized right for the job you're asking it to do.

The crew at the (sorta) local butcher shop that does birds every Monday use one knife. A heavy, 8", stainless boning knife. They'll first use the tip end to open the skin on the back of the neck and peel it down to remove the skin and crop, then pull the neck of the plucked bird to extend it and use the handle end of the blade to sever the last joint of the neck. They then hold the blade by its spine with the handle resting aginst their palms for leverage to cut around the vent.

Some other posts on the topic have included suggestions of the Pampered Chef, plastic handled paring knives. I have some of them. Haven't used them on birds, but they're nice knives and would do the work around the vent very nicely. But nowhere near heavy enough to do sever the neck, even if it was wrung apart.

Something like that, and a heavier knife for the neck, if you don't mind having to keep up with two knives on a busy day, might do the trick for you. Just dont forget to keep your steel handy by.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I guess a lot depends on how many birds you plan to process, and how often. And your available budget too. I do only 3-4 dozen a year at most, and I am broke. So I make do with the most economical tools I can find. I've used utility knife blades for slicing necks, and also a filet knife I bought at the fishing dept in WalMart. I'm careful to slice through the bare spot on their necks, not through feathers, and it works very well.

I have some basic paring knives that I bought at Sam's Club, and try to keep them away from the rest of the family so they stay nice. They work well for all the cleaning work.

My favorite tools are the Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors and Handy Little Knife. I got them on clearance at Publix, my local grocery store. They are small and don't look like they could do the job well, but they are GREAT.