Need a knife...

[Coops Dad]

I've been processing chickens for four or five years using a cheap Uncle Henry's gutting knife. It's mild steel and I can put a really nice edge on it but it dulls very quickly. On top of that it doesn't feel good in my hand, having a handle that feels clunky and square, and it gets fairly slick when things get wet.

I usually put a .22 into the brain and immediately slit the neck arteries. Once drained, they get de-feathered. I separate the gullet and trachea from the neck then use a set of Gerber bone shears to take the neck. After that, I use the crappy Uncle Henry to trim off the tail/oil gland and cut around the cloacal opening but it's getting burdensome to keep struggling with a disagreeable blade. From the bloodletting to the gutting work to the separation of joints, breasts, etc., I need a new and better blade.

Points for lower cost, ease of acquisition and quality of the edge. What's your go-to knife for processing chickens- manufacturer, model, blade profile, etc.?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've been processing chickens for four or five years using a cheap Uncle Henry's gutting knife. It's mild steel and I can put a really nice edge on it but it dulls very quickly. On top of that it doesn't feel good in my hand, having a handle that feels clunky and square, and it gets fairly slick when things get wet.

I usually put a .22 into the brain and immediately slit the neck arteries. Once drained, they get de-feathered. I separate the gullet and trachea from the neck then use a set of Gerber bone shears to take the neck. After that, I use the crappy Uncle Henry to trim off the tail/oil gland and cut around the cloacal opening but it's getting burdensome to keep struggling with a disagreeable blade. From the bloodletting to the gutting work to the separation of joints, breasts, etc., I need a new and better blade.

Points for lower cost, ease of acquisition and quality of the edge. What's your go-to knife for processing chickens- manufacturer, model, blade profile, etc.?

I use a Scalpel. Costed alittle over $1. Bought 2, both came with 20 replacement blades. Each blade is reusable until it finally dulls.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Sounds like a boning knife would do you good.

I bought an offbrand from McMurray Hatchery of what is pretty much a Dexter boning knife. It's a 6 inch mid-flex and it works well for me. I sharpen them before processing and maybe need to sharpen one more time the whole day, but keep in mind I do not use knives for the kill - just evisceration. I like that the knife has a nice tip on it that makes it easy to open the flesh when beginning evisceration. I also use this knife during parts of the actual butchering process.

The exact one I have is #3 here. The name brand one would probably be something like this. Honestly, I would just go with the Dexter if you can. It's a well-known brand used in restaurants and is probably of higher quality. They are easy to sharpen and keep clean.

 

[FunClucks]

I bought a game processing set. The one I happened to end up with was Outdoor Edge WildCAPE, WildSKIN, WildBONE (each knife has its own name). Very happy with the smaller two knives so far, although yeah they need sharpening every bird or two. I use them for doing the deed in addition to gutting and parting out.

 

[Coops Dad]

I bought a game processing set. The one I happened to end up with was Outdoor Edge WildCAPE, WildSKIN, WildBONE (each knife has its own name). Very happy with the smaller two knives so far, although yeah they need sharpening every bird or two. I use them for doing the deed in addition to gutting and parting out.

That's what I'm fighting in the current knife- a need to freshen the edge every couple of birds. I use shears for the joints and taking of the necks but the boneless stuff ordered by my wife gets tedious with a poor blade.

 

[Sally PB]

How do you sharpen your knives? Can you recommend a sharpener or stone?

Yeah, I can look online, but personal recommendations are much more helpful!

 

[Coops Dad]

How do you sharpen your knives? Can you recommend a sharpener or stone?

Yeah, I can look online, but personal recommendations are much more helpful!

I use a set of stones and a stone guide by Lansky on my edc utility knives, "the Lansky method"; I start on a new blade by putting a 17* edge on the it using the full set of stones, then finishing with the extra fine and polishing stones to put a 22* edge on it. Under a loupe, it puts a really sharp and useful edge on the edge which stays scalpel-sharp a lot longer than either a 17* or 22* edge on its own. Once done, I touch it up weekly using the fine to polishing stones at the 17 and 22 angles. If the blade is nicked or damaged, I start at the rough or coarse stones as needed.

It usually takes two beers per knife for the first sharpening, one beer per for touch-ups.

 

[Sally PB]

It usually takes two beers per knife for the first sharpening, one beer per for touch-ups.

Will it still work if I substitute kombucha tea?

Thanks for the information.

 

[Coops Dad]

Will it still work if I substitute kombucha tea?

Thanks for the information.

Yes, it will work but bacteria water is a sub par substitute for Shiner Bock.

 

[FunClucks]

That's what I'm fighting in the current knife- a need to freshen the edge every couple of birds. I use shears for the joints and taking of the necks but the boneless stuff ordered by my wife gets tedious with a poor blade.

I use the sharpener included in the knife kit - it's a pull through type sharpener, with a course and fine sharpening area. Not the best, but pretty quick and doable between birds. Something like 7 pulls on each area and you're done. And since the kit comes with 3 knives, I rotate through them as they lose their sharpness, and that helps lengthen the time between sharpening sessions. I don't LOVE the edge the pull through sharpener puts on the knives, but it's quick and does get them sharper than they were before. Anything that takes 2 beers to do and doesn't last more than 1-2 birds is just not worth the effort, in my book. So yeah, I'm still struggling with this also. I wouldn't mind taking a while to sharpen something if it stayed sharp for a while, like 10-15 birds. I have no idea if that's even possible. I've been happy with my ceramic cutting knives for indoor chicken breast cutting/food prep, but those aren't sharpenable far as I know (by me).