Cutting up chickens at butchering time?

[Mrs. K]

I see that most people seem to package whole chickens when processing.

Next week, 15 CX are headed to freezer camp. What I would like to do, is cut all the wings off and package, cut all the backs and necks out and package for soup and broth, and then package half a chicken, 1/2 breast, leg and thigh, to cook for meals.

Any problems with this that I am not seeing?

Mrs K

 

[Amosis16]

I throw the birds in a vat of ice for a day or so. I find they are easier to cut up once they are thoroughly cold. Also the ice water seems to help get more of the residual blood out of the meat

(According to people I know who work in the poultry processing plants, the big guys also soak the birds in ice water for a while before cutting them up)

 

[Mrs. K]

After we gutted them, we sat them on their tail, and cut down along the neck and back bone on both sides, this butterflied the chicken. Really worked well, as you could check and see if you got every thing out. The neck, back and feet went in one cooler, the rest in another. Me and three other people got 15 washed and bagged and in the fridge in about 4 hours.

 

[lazy gardener]

I cut my birds up b/c it saves so much room in the freezer.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I don't see any problems, though I personally would probably pack some white meat only with white meat (in case I wanted chicken salad or sandwiches or soups) and some dark meat with dark meat (for barbeques and sauces.) Just personal preference.

 

[bbond]

That sounds like a good idea actually. I waited too long to butcher and ended up having some that didn’t fit in bags so I had to cut them up. Worked out well because sometimes a whole chicken is too much to cook all at once.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I see that most people seem to package whole chickens when processing.

Next week, 15 CX are headed to freezer camp. What I would like to do, is cut all the wings off and package, cut all the backs and necks out and package for soup and broth, and then package half a chicken, 1/2 breast, leg and thigh, to cook for meals.

Any problems with this that I am not seeing?

Mrs K

That is pretty darn close to what I do. The only possible problem I see is that it will take longer so you may not have the time to process as many as you wish at a time.

Are you going to have different ice chests to throw the different parts in? That could make sorting them for packaging easier. I use zip-loc bags to sort like that. It's not necessary but it might save you a bit of time plus cold hands digging through the ice water when sorting.

When I package I package two thighs, two legs, and two breasts together. I try to match the larger thigh with the smaller to balance out the meat in a package better, and so forth.

 

[Mrs. K]

bond - how long did you wait? I am a bit intimidated with the idea of getting 15 done in a day.

 

[trudyg]

All the posts I've read say to let the bird rest for a bit (overnight?) before cooking or it will be tough since rigor has not passed. I don't know if it passes just as well once the bird is cut up. Since it's a big job doing 15 in one day, could you process and leave the whole until the next day and then cut up to package?

 

[Mosey2003]

15 is a lot to do in one day by yourself, will you have help?

I cut mine up completely the last time I butchered, worked out just fine. I let them rest whole, then cut them up the day after, simply because I was tired. Then I packed all the similar pieces together, vacuum sealed, and froze.