Ugh. What a chore. It took me a while to accomplish especially since after getting him on the chopping block, I hesitated and could not bring myself to use the meat cleaver like I had planned. I decided to run inside and get the hatchet I had originally bought for this purpose because I would be further removed than with the cleaver. Again, I had second thoughts and hesitated. Then I thought I'll just slit the throat. My knife, though new, would not get through the feathers. So back to the chopping block. About 15-20 minutes have gone by. Finally, I work up my courage and my worst fears happened. I didn't swing hard enough and did not chop so I quickly swing again. The head was still attached (completely) but I had somehow severed an artery. So, I hung him over a bucket and grabbed my knife and basically sawed through the other side.
I let him hang for a few minutes, he didn't bleed as much as I thought he would so I went ahead and cut off his head with shears. Still not much more bleeding. I dry plucked some of him and then into the scalder. Hand plucking was not that bad. It took me about 35 minutes but I did not pluck the wings. I tried but they were VERY difficult so I gave up and figured I'd just cut them off. Unfortunately, he was also molting so LOTS of pin feathers but they came out pretty easy too. Oh the down.
I then chucked him into a cooler and ran inside to double check the eviseration site. That went pretty easy, I didn't cut/burst anything. Alot of blood though. It looked like one of the arteries in his neck had clotted so he did not bleed out completely.
I rinsed him well and put him into an ice water filled cooler.
So, he didn't bleed out completely. Is this going to be a problem?
Also, I could not get every speck of lung out. Those thing shredded like mad. Will this be a problem when cooked? I plan on roasting him for Thanksgiving.
On the breast there are some reddish areas though they seem to be disappearing. Blood?
I have some finishing up to do. There are some pin feathers to pull and a bit of down on the breast but I think it will be easier to pick when dry.
UPDATE on page 2
I let him hang for a few minutes, he didn't bleed as much as I thought he would so I went ahead and cut off his head with shears. Still not much more bleeding. I dry plucked some of him and then into the scalder. Hand plucking was not that bad. It took me about 35 minutes but I did not pluck the wings. I tried but they were VERY difficult so I gave up and figured I'd just cut them off. Unfortunately, he was also molting so LOTS of pin feathers but they came out pretty easy too. Oh the down.
I then chucked him into a cooler and ran inside to double check the eviseration site. That went pretty easy, I didn't cut/burst anything. Alot of blood though. It looked like one of the arteries in his neck had clotted so he did not bleed out completely.
I rinsed him well and put him into an ice water filled cooler.
So, he didn't bleed out completely. Is this going to be a problem?
Also, I could not get every speck of lung out. Those thing shredded like mad. Will this be a problem when cooked? I plan on roasting him for Thanksgiving.
On the breast there are some reddish areas though they seem to be disappearing. Blood?
I have some finishing up to do. There are some pin feathers to pull and a bit of down on the breast but I think it will be easier to pick when dry.
UPDATE on page 2
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