Plucking vs Skinning

[CMV]

Depends what I am processing, how much time I have, how many helpers I have, etc. I do both skinning and plucking. Waterfowl I tend to skin rather than pluck because I don't usually have all day to get one bird plucked.

Chickens I generally scald and pluck.

 

[classicsredone]

For those of you who skin, how do you keep the bird moist during cooking. Skin holds some of the good stuff in. Do you baste with oil? Cover the bird with foil? My husband grew up with a sheltered city life, and I'm slowly working him up to processing a few birds with me. He watched the video linked in this thread and remarked that it was a lot less bloody/gory than he thought it would be.

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote:
Last fall, DH bought me a sous-vide machine for my birthday. Essentially, it's a water bath, and cooks food at very low temps. I put the breast or legs in a vacuum seal bag, with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and onion powder, seal it up and cook in the sous-vide. The meat is moist, tasty, and never overdone!

Big caveat, it's not a cheap machine. But, a slow cooker or rice cooker can be converted for less money, they just don't look as nice. Guess I'm spoiled. I use the sous-vide at least 3 times per week for cooking chickens, rabbit, goat, duck pork, lamb...etc...!

 

[jason_mazzy]

Seeing as duck fat is a high quality treat, I would want to keep the skin on so I can grill or roast or fry the bird. A delicacy are potatos fried in rendered duck fat!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

For ducks - we wax them

Use parafin wax from the canning section of your grocery store - I recommend 2 blocks for a small duck and 3 for a large one, to start. After each duck we add another block of wax.

Fried tators in goose grease is actually a favorite of mine...........makes my tummy rumble just thinking about them

 

[Andy Glass]

I prefer skinning over plucking .....less mess and faster!!
Andy

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

If you scalder is right on time around 146-150 degrees and you use a bit of dish dawn soap I prefer to pluck over skin. the feathers just wipe off if done right. takes me aprox 3-4 min to completely pluck a bird and cut it and have it ready to gut. If the feathers show some resistance you need hotter water or longer scalding time. JMHO
I have done ducks, geese, turkeys, (48 lbs dressed i might add) and chickens. I find that pluckers can bruise the birds. So I only fire up the plucker for more then 75 birds.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Quote:
The skin is my favourite part of the bird

 

[Mahonri]

I just processed one of our roos yesterday. I skinned. Pretty easy.

 

[booker81]

I've done both, skinning and plucking. Both have their places. I prefer to pluck by hand - a good scald makes all the difference.

The skinned critters were used in soup or used to make stock. We skin out the wild ducks we hunt, and I now make sausage out of those, no need for skin