How to Butcher a chicken, by a rookie. G rated

[the43k]

Youtube sent my previous video to the adult section, so I edited for all audiences. Hope you find it helpful

 

[hennible]

Nice job.

 

[the43k]

thx

 

[TedSheckler]

Had to make an account after watching your video (Went to the "Unrated" version) and have to stress what you said about having a sharp and proper knife. For people both in regular cooking and butchering I have seen go with the $25 chef knife from the grocery store thinking that is their best option for a reasonable price but I am sorry they are usualy crap and lose what edge they have very quickly.

Look torwards bushcraft knife companys like Morakniv where you can buy a $9 knife like the Craftline Q Allaround model that has a razor edge or a little less disposable model from them or other great knife company's that can be easily maintained with a fairly cheap wet stone/strop for a life time with a little practice.

Also as far as the cutting if you cut right behind the ear at the jaw line you avoid the feathers entirely for the most part, With a good knife cutting in that spot you almost have to hold back from cutting too deep which is a good problem to have IMO.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I did not watch the video, but in case it is not covered, I find a pair of poultry shears to be very valuable. I use those to avoid cutting bone with the knife. It saves the sharp edge on the knife, which I agree is very important.

I cut my chickens into serving piece when I butcher, plus I save the carcass for broth, so there are several places the poultry shears come in real handy and save the knife edge.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Any knife will dull, even good ones. If you're going to butcher a bunch of birds, you either need to learn to sharpen quickly, or have a bunch of knives. I use a couple of cheaper coated utility knives, and keep a sharpener/steel on hand and sharpen as needed. I use one knife for the initial cut, and it gets sharpened/steeled every bird. The other ones get used past that point, and get sharpened as needed.

I don't use poultry shears like Ridgerunner does, but I keep a large cleaver on hand for dealing with bone. I tend to keep my birds whole until I want to use them - although thinking about it, breaking them up isn't a bad idea.

I had to self-teach - but I found this book extremely helpful/useful - not specifically for poultry, but just kind of on the tools required, how to set up a workstation, tool maintenance, and the thought processes involved - why you cut where you do- I bought it more because it has a huge section on sheep and goats, but it's a great resource.

http://www.amazon.com/Butchering-Po...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1414177410

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any knife will dull, even good ones. If you're going to butcher a bunch of birds, you either need to learn to sharpen quickly, or have a bunch of knives. I use a couple of cheaper coated utility knives, and keep a sharpener/steel on hand and sharpen as needed. I use one knife for the initial cut, and it gets sharpened/steeled every bird. The other ones get used past that point, and get sharpened as needed. 

I don't use poultry shears like Ridgerunner does, but I keep a large cleaver on hand for dealing with bone. I tend to keep my birds whole until I want to use them - although thinking about it, breaking them up isn't a bad idea. 


I had to self-teach - but I found this book extremely helpful/useful - not specifically for poultry, but just kind of on the tools required, how to set up a workstation, tool maintenance, and the thought processes involved - why you cut where you do- I bought it more because it has a huge section on sheep and goats, but it's a great resource. 

http://www.amazon.com/Butchering-Poultry-Rabbit-Lamb-Goat/dp/1612121888/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1414177410

It does slow the process quite a bit, but I use part for food for the family and at different times the other parts for broth. It's just personal preference and how we use the birds.

 

[the43k]

Had to make an account after watching your video (Went to the "Unrated" version) and have to stress what you said about having a sharp and proper knife. For people both in regular cooking and butchering I have seen go with the $25 chef knife from the grocery store thinking that is their best option for a reasonable price but I am sorry they are usualy crap and lose what edge they have very quickly.

Look torwards bushcraft knife companys like Morakniv where you can buy a $9 knife like the Craftline Q Allaround model that has a razor edge or a little less disposable model from them or other great knife company's that can be easily maintained with a fairly cheap wet stone/strop for a life time with a little practice.

Also as far as the cutting if you cut right behind the ear at the jaw line you avoid the feathers entirely for the most part, With a good knife cutting in that spot you almost have to hold back from cutting too deep which is a good problem to have IMO.

Did you find the "R rated" that bad? Youtube forced the video into the adult only section. Thought that was a little overboard.

 

[the43k]

Thanks for the tips…

 

[CrazyTalk]

Youtube tends to do that anytime anyone complains - and any time you talk about animals, there are complainers.