BYC Cookbook

[FunClucks]

@BigBlueHen53 have you ever culled then froze a bird to process at a later date?

Culling and plucking by hand takes a significant amount of time and this time of year it seems unlikely I'd get around to processing before the sun goes down. I tend to put off culling until I have a full day to dedicate to the whole process. I'm sure with experience it'll require less time. If I end up processing the majority of my cockerels from hatches I'll invest in a plucker, but so far I've managed to rehome them.

Lots of us have done that. And I think you mean dispatching instead of culling - most folks use culling to mean either eating or rehoming, but basically they're not part of your flock any more, but not necessarily dead. Dispatching means you sent their spirits to God, and processing is the whole process of dispatching thru preparation for cooking, and can include parting out the meat or separating the carcass via spatchcocking.

I process one or two birds at a time - they take me about 1.5-2 hrs each, depending on if I skin or pluck. I put whole carcasses in the fridge and rest them for days until rigor passes. Alternatively you can put them in the freezer and then take them out later to age them before cooking. Either way, I'd recommend you remove feathers and entrails before freezing - I wouldn't freeze something you aren't ready to further process (cut up and/or age) prior to eating. I don't process outside when it's cold enough for my hands to freeze. If you have to do it, I'd do as much as you can outside, have a bowl of really hot water to warm your hands up in occasionally, maybe two with one soapy, and then get inside to finish parting out the carcass as soon as possible on a cutting board or something. It's not so bad when skinning (nice warm carcass if you do it in less than 30 minutes helps keep your hands sorta warm), but the washing of the hands and knives is not pleasant.

Freezing with entrails can make it take longer to get the bird down to 40F, you want to do that part as quickly as possible to reduce bacterial load. Also, don't stack them up at all, give them their own place with lots of coldness so you don't have warm spots or overload your heat removal capacity of your freezer.

In England, it was common practice at one point to hang game birds up for a week in cold temperatures, then harvest the breast meat. You might look into doing something like that (temps are key), but if you go that route, don't go messing with the entrails after a week - I've not found that it's safe from a bacterial perspective. But others might know more than me about that method, as I've never tried it - it's more common when hunting pheasant and such.

Hopefully, you'll get insight from someone who has tried to put whole birds in the freezer, and found it's not a big deal - I've not tried it myself.

 

[redinator]

Lots of us have done that. And I think you mean dispatching instead of culling - most folks use culling to mean either eating or rehoming, but basically they're not part of your flock any more, but not necessarily dead. Dispatching means you sent their spirits to God, and processing is the whole process of dispatching thru preparation for cooking, and can include parting out the meat or separating the carcass via spatchcocking.

I process one or two birds at a time - they take me about 1.5-2 hrs each, depending on if I skin or pluck. I put whole carcasses in the fridge and rest them for days until rigor passes. Alternatively you can put them in the freezer and then take them out later to age them before cooking. Either way, I'd recommend you remove feathers and entrails before freezing - I wouldn't freeze something you aren't ready to further process (cut up and/or age) prior to eating. I don't process outside when it's cold enough for my hands to freeze. If you have to do it, I'd do as much as you can outside, have a bowl of really hot water to warm your hands up in occasionally, maybe two with one soapy, and then get inside to finish parting out the carcass as soon as possible on a cutting board or something. It's not so bad when skinning (nice warm carcass if you do it in less than 30 minutes helps keep your hands sorta warm), but the washing of the hands and knives is not pleasant.

Freezing with entrails can make it take longer to get the bird down to 40F, you want to do that part as quickly as possible to reduce bacterial load. Also, don't stack them up at all, give them their own place with lots of coldness so you don't have warm spots or overload your heat removal capacity of your freezer.

In England, it was common practice at one point to hang game birds up for a week in cold temperatures, then harvest the breast meat. You might look into doing something like that (temps are key), but if you go that route, don't go messing with the entrails after a week - I've not found that it's safe from a bacterial perspective. But others might know more than me about that method, as I've never tried it - it's more common when hunting pheasant and such.

Hopefully, you'll get insight from someone who has tried to put whole birds in the freezer, and found it's not a big deal - I've not tried it myself.

I'm in southern louisiana so freezing temps isn't a real issue, it's running out of daylight, lol.

Setting up the tables equipement, heating water to scald etc takes the better part of 3 hours, then hand plucking another 45 minutes at least . . . it'll probably get quicker once I have a dedicated area, but I've only processed one cockerel so far, with help. I also have to decide the day before that I'm going to do it, because I've been told your should starve the bird for 24 hours before dispatching.

I was hoping I could dispatch and pluck one day, then toss it in the freezer and deal with the entrails a few days later after it thawed and passed rigor.

 

[FunClucks]

I'm in southern louisiana so freezing temps isn't a real issue, it's running out of daylight, lol.

Setting up the tables equipement, heating water to scald etc takes the better part of 3 hours, then hand plucking another 45 minutes at least . . . it'll probably get quicker once I have a dedicated area, but I've only processed one cockerel so far, with help. I also have to decide the day before that I'm going to do it, because I've been told your should starve the bird for 24 hours before dispatching.

I was hoping I could dispatch and pluck one day, then toss it in the freezer and deal with the entrails a few days later after it thawed and passed rigor.

Ah, I'm in Alabama. Slightly warmer, but not by too much. I use a headlamp, love that thing, never run out of light that way. I've processed in the dark quite a bit, it's generally quite peaceful.

My processing setup is a foldable plastic table and two plastic foldable chairs, 3 sharp knives, two large metal bowls, a dry towel, the hose, and a 5 gallon bucket with a trash bag in it. Also a trash bag I've cut open and strapped around a tree using a wire. The table sits over grass and/or mulch in my yard and is slightly angled so water runs off a certain side, there is a metal wire curved into the shape of a hook that I've attached to the leg of the table where I set the hose so it doesn't go on the ground when not in use. A container of dish soap and small table over by the processing tree to hold my knives complete the setup. You can also set your knives in a metal bowl when not in use, if you don't have a small table to put by your processing tree.

Setup of table and chairs and trash bag on tree can be done the day before, I don't care if it gets rained on. I bring out knives and bowls and soap just prior and wash down knives, table, and trashbag on tree (vertical processing surface). I wrap the bath towel around the selected chicken, sit in the chair, drain the chicken into the 5 gallon bucket while holding on good to the chicken including wattles or comb to control where the blood goes. After a few minutes, I unwrap chicken, hang it upside down from the tree using a stiff piece of wire like a shackle. Then I skin, remove head, rinse off the outside of the carcass. Place bird on table, remove legs. Rinse again and as needed. Remove crop, esophagus, and then entrails. Cut off edible entrails from the unedible (to me) entrails, cut off rest of entrails with tail to remove entire vent area from body of bird, and then rinse out carcass. Put carcass in gallon ziplock bag or if it's too big, into large metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, place in fridge to age. I age the edible entrails too.

No need to starve the bird. I process anytime I have a minute, usually at the end of the day. Just be careful about it, and it can be done pretty easily. I leave a flap of skin around the vent to contain any ickiness until I remove the entirety of the entrails along with tail and vent. I sort of smoosh the esophagus down so the stuff stays in the crop, and cut that and the breathing tube off at the base of the neck. Just don't nick the entrails when opening up the bird and you're good - use a very sharp knife, pull skin away from body a bit, and go slowly. If you mess up, rinse really well, it's generally fine.

If you scald you can peel and eat the feet, I don't scald, so I save them as bait to catch feral cats for fixing.

Scalding takes me ~30-45 min to set up turkey broiler and pot, and heat the water. Clean the pot and store it upside down on broiler in the shed, and it's easy to set up. I use a candy thermometer and a really high BTU turkey broiler. If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to heat the water, either you're using too much water (I doubt it) or you need a higher BTU turkey broiler so it will get hot more quickly. Also, try putting a lid on to make it heat faster. The actual scalding of the bird only takes about 15 minutes - temp should be 145F and submerse for a few minutes at a time until pin feathers come out easily. Plucking should take maybe 15 minutes if you have a good scald, you should be able to run your hand across the bird and clumps of feathers should stick to your hands and come right out. Pin feathers might be done individually, but you should be grabbing clumps of feathers at a time or running your hand across the bird and they come right out. I don't cut off necks unless I'm parting out a carcass - if they're older they go in the pressure cooker, so they stay whole to save me work.

Parting out happens after aging if it's cold out, and can be done inside if needed.

I work by myself, and can go from bird alive to fridge in 1.5 hrs when skinning, and 2 hrs when plucking. Not counting scalding water setup. And I'm one of the slower folks on here when it comes to processing. As long as you get it done safely, that's what's most important. Speed comes in time. Good luck!

 

[redinator]

Ah, I'm in Alabama. Slightly warmer, but not by too much. I use a headlamp, love that thing, never run out of light that way. I've processed in the dark quite a bit, it's generally quite peaceful.

My processing setup is a foldable plastic table and two plastic foldable chairs, 3 sharp knives, two large metal bowls, a dry towel, the hose, and a 5 gallon bucket with a trash bag in it. Also a trash bag I've cut open and strapped around a tree using a wire. The table sits over grass and/or mulch in my yard and is slightly angled so water runs off a certain side, there is a metal wire curved into the shape of a hook that I've attached to the leg of the table where I set the hose so it doesn't go on the ground when not in use. A container of dish soap and small table over by the processing tree to hold my knives complete the setup. You can also set your knives in a metal bowl when not in use, if you don't have a small table to put by your processing tree.

Setup of table and chairs and trash bag on tree can be done the day before, I don't care if it gets rained on. I bring out knives and bowls and soap just prior and wash down knives, table, and trashbag on tree (vertical processing surface). I wrap the bath towel around the selected chicken, sit in the chair, drain the chicken into the 5 gallon bucket while holding on good to the chicken including wattles or comb to control where the blood goes. After a few minutes, I unwrap chicken, hang it upside down from the tree using a stiff piece of wire like a shackle. Then I skin, remove head, rinse off the outside of the carcass. Place bird on table, remove legs. Rinse again and as needed. Remove crop, esophagus, and then entrails. Cut off edible entrails from the unedible (to me) entrails, cut off rest of entrails with tail to remove entire vent area from body of bird, and then rinse out carcass. Put carcass in gallon ziplock bag or if it's too big, into large metal bowl, cover with plastic wrap, place in fridge to age. I age the edible entrails too.

No need to starve the bird. I process anytime I have a minute, usually at the end of the day. Just be careful about it, and it can be done pretty easily. I leave a flap of skin around the vent to contain any ickiness until I remove the entirety of the entrails along with tail and vent. I sort of smoosh the esophagus down so the stuff stays in the crop, and cut that and the breathing tube off at the base of the neck. Just don't nick the entrails when opening up the bird and you're good - use a very sharp knife, pull skin away from body a bit, and go slowly. If you mess up, rinse really well, it's generally fine.

If you scald you can peel and eat the feet, I don't scald, so I save them as bait to catch feral cats for fixing.

Scalding takes me ~30-45 min to set up turkey broiler and pot, and heat the water. Clean the pot and store it upside down on broiler in the shed, and it's easy to set up. I use a candy thermometer and a really high BTU turkey broiler. If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to heat the water, either you're using too much water (I doubt it) or you need a higher BTU turkey broiler so it will get hot more quickly. Also, try putting a lid on to make it heat faster. The actual scalding of the bird only takes about 15 minutes - temp should be 145F and submerse for a few minutes at a time until pin feathers come out easily. Plucking should take maybe 15 minutes if you have a good scald, you should be able to run your hand across the bird and clumps of feathers should stick to your hands and come right out. Pin feathers might be done individually, but you should be grabbing clumps of feathers at a time or running your hand across the bird and they come right out. I don't cut off necks unless I'm parting out a carcass - if they're older they go in the pressure cooker, so they stay whole to save me work.

Parting out happens after aging if it's cold out, and can be done inside if needed.

I work by myself, and can go from bird alive to fridge in 1.5 hrs when skinning, and 2 hrs when plucking. Not counting scalding water setup. And I'm one of the slower folks on here when it comes to processing. As long as you get it done safely, that's what's most important. Speed comes in time. Good luck!

Um, could you make a video, so I can follow along step by step? lol

 

[kattabelly]

In England, it was common practice at one point to hang game birds up for a week in cold temperatures, then harvest the breast meat. You might look into doing something like that (temps are key), but if you go that route, don't go messing with the entrails after a week - I've not found that it's safe from a bacterial perspective. But others might know more than me about that method, as I've never tried it - it's more common when hunting pheasant and such.

Game can be hung for much longer than a week and it's generally perfectly safe to use the whole bird after that, unless it was gut shot. Some folk who like their meat really gamey will let it hang until it's pretty much falling apart. I use the same method for chickens, only for less time (roughly a week max, depending on how cold it is)

I'm in southern louisiana so freezing temps isn't a real issue, it's running out of daylight, lol.

Setting up the tables equipement, heating water to scald etc takes the better part of 3 hours, then hand plucking another 45 minutes at least . . .

What are you doing to need three hours for setup? Even if you're processing outdoors, setting up whatever you use to heat the water and then dragging a table out and giving it a wipe down shouldn't take anything like that long..?

it'll probably get quicker once I have a dedicated area, but I've only processed one cockerel so far, with help. I also have to decide the day before that I'm going to do it, because I've been told your should starve the bird for 24 hours before dispatching.

No need to withhold food for 24 hours. I personally prefer to slaughter early mornings before they've had a chance to eat anything, because there's no risk of an empty crop leaking food into the cavity. I don't do any of the washing or soaking in ice water that a lot of people seem to do with carcasses though, so that might not be so important to you. It's not a huge issue if they do have a full crop, just a bit inconvenient.
E2a - I've also found they can sometimes vomit or leak a bit of food during slaughter if they have eaten, which is a problem for me because I collect the blood to cook with and don't want it contaminated. Again, probably less of an issue for most people though.