Meat processing/bleach/detergents etc.

[bowhunter40]

Hi,

Just getting ready to butcher our first crop of roos. Newdie here. I read one reccomendation of using soapy water to clean the carcass, and bleach water mix of 1/b to 4/w, as a rinse. One source reccomends both.

What do you think?

Anyone have feedback about chemical rinses, other options, necessity ?

I can readily understand why, it's just that I prefer to avoid chemical bathing if possible. Thanks.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I do not recommend either. IMHO there is no reason to rinse them with anything but water. Why is you think you need to clean them w/ either?

 

[eKo_birdies]

i've only ever added 7th generation free and clear to the scald pot (do it every time).

i don't even have chlorine in my water, as we draw it from a 500ish ft well. i'd never add bleach.

ETA

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Where do you live? My hose would freeze before I finished processing this time of year!

Soapy water on your scald to help penetrate the oil layer and get the feathers to let go. After that, do a clean evisceration and use clean, cold water.

 

[remadl700]

You need to clean the processing area with soap, water and then a bleach mixture before processing but as for the birds, water is fine. Get them into an ice bath untill you finish and then we like to keep them in the fridge for a day or two before we vacum seal them.

 

[bowhunter40]

Quote:
OK, thanks for the input.

 

[bowhunter40]

Quote:
Thanks, everyone!

What 7th gen soap do you add, ( dish?)and about how much?

I guess the bleach water rinse has to do with bacteria. I know to use it with poultry for clean up, but never heard about rinsing meat with it.

 

[eKo_birdies]

just the dish soap you use for the sink (not the dishwasher stuff) i just usually put about 1 teaspoon or so in my scalder which is 3 gallons i believe

 

[Tala]

Yeah I just put a squirt of Dawn in the scald water to help loosen the feathers.

I rinse the meat in plain ol' city tap water, put the bird on salty ice water for several days before freezing.

We *gasp* use a garden hose to fill the cooler. I'm sure we're gonna die of some kind of toxic plastic . . .

. Naw, the cigarettes will get us first

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've heard that some folks put apple cider vinegar -- don't know if it's the raw or pasturized -- in the ice water bath as a disinfectant. I don't know how much they use per cooler-full. It might be a way of cleansing the processed birds from cooties they picked up during butchering, from the table, people's hands, flies, etc, than from bacteria they may be harboring in themselves.