Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Kassaundra]

The guy in the video made it look like he was cutting through butter.....but then again, he's the chef.

Here is the link again: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=828ABF9A20548231C5AB828ABF9A20548231C5AB

My knife didn't have any trouble w/ the actual cutting (it is a very sharp knife) but the blade length was just a little cumbersome and akward.

The other thing I ran into was his pulling method, I had much more connective tissue that required a "snip" here and there w/ the knife that he didn't seem to have. And my bird's wishbone didn't come out nearly as easily as his!!!!!!

 

[BCMaraniac]

My knife didn't have any trouble w/ the actual cutting (it is a very sharp knife) but the blade length was just a little cumbersome and akward.

The other thing I ran into was his pulling method, I had much more connective tissue that required a "snip" here and there w/ the knife that he didn't seem to have. And my bird's wishbone didn't come out nearly as easily as his!!!!!!

With a shorter knife, you have more control. I don't know if you noticed, but when he was getting the wishbone out, it was broken. He said that it was because of the plucker used. So he had a commercial bird. I bet that is a lot of the difference......a young CX, probably.

 

[Beekissed]

His bird was nothing but MUSH. I'm assuming that would be the equivalent of a whole broiler bought in the store and thawed out thoroughly. You won't find a home grown, free ranged bird being that mushy and loose in their connective tissue, no matter how much you rest the carcass. I had the same issue...meat was much more firm, ligaments and cartilage much more intact, but was still a good result in the end.

Now, the turkey I did was more like his bird as it was a store bought, commercially produced product, so it ended up being much easier to debone than one of my CX. I would like to do this year's Thanksgiving Day turkey in the same manner...I feel so much less goes to waste that way and the bones are great for cooking down into gravy stock for the meal. I hate the thought of even eating a commercially grown bird and the juices therein, but the family will be expecting it.

But, with deboning the turkey you can get more stuffing into the bird and those leg bones can be removed after the cooking, leaving the legs more palatable. I didn't cut off the ends of the legs like he did in this vid, but did more like they did in the ballantine vid..just broke them and then removed the bone slivers and the end after the cooking. It was a pretty presentation and took a less cooking time, with all the meat being juicy. I tried to keep on all the skin that I could because that is one of my favorite parts.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I can't believe how nonchalant they were about contaminating everything in the kitchen with raw turkey. Cooking would be a lot more fun and easier if I didn't have to wash my hands between handling raw raw turkey a roll of foil wrap or a container of seasonings. My hands would be so much happier!

 

[Beekissed]

I'm that casual too. I don't care about all that germophobe stuff...it's not realistic nor practical in a working kitchen. The chopping board always gets scrubbed down with bleach after use and we have been using bleach in our dish water for eons now, so a wipe down with the dish rag is all we do to the table and such. We do not extend that to surfaces like seasonings, tinfoil boxes, etc. as we understand how long germs actually live on the surface of things....which is not long. They normally need a good medium in which to live to thrive and stay alive...like wet areas...but exposure to air and being dried out lets them die. Since all our wet areas contain bleach, we don't worry.

We just don't get intestinal germs around here...when everyone else at school, work and other parts of the family are throwing up and having diarrhea, my family just doesn't catch it. Not because we are germophobes, but because we wash all dishes in mild bleach solution and we develop hardy immune systems by not being germ freaks in other ways. The combination of good immunities, fresh air, fresh water, good foods, a clean house and that little help with germ control when washing communal eating surfaces seems to keep us very healthy.

I'm not a frequent hand washer...I'll wash when I feel it's necessary, but one can wash away the protective coating of oils and acids on their hands that can kill germs and provides a barrier that prevents those germs from gaining entry into the body. I never use hand sanitizer...it's the worst thing that ever hit the medical field and then the public use. It's counterproductive and I never advocate it.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

have not been here in a while. Life happens and seems to be happening even faster and crazier every day. I successfully processed 4 cockerels last weekend with the help of a friend. She was also wanting to learn so we both studied up and then got to work. Killing and plucking are easy enough but still the clean out was tricky. seems like there was lots of extra bits in there. Anyway, I have yet to eat chicken since then. They have been resting in the fridge since then. I guess it is time to either cook them or freeze them...I am leaning toward freeze.

You did it chicks! the extra bits meaning the lungs? a small spoon would work well, but I know we went over all that here, there is a actual tool. I think you should bake one Chicks, it seriously helped me move on. the taste makes you feel like an idiot for waiting so long lol!

 

[chicksooner]

You did it chicks! the extra bits meaning the lungs? a small spoon would work well, but I know we went over all that here, there is a actual tool. I think you should bake one Chicks, it seriously helped me move on. the taste makes you feel like an idiot for waiting so long lol!

I grilled then baked a couple legs. I figured they would be tough and they were but the taste was pretty good. One kid chowed down and the other refused to eat it after the first bite due to the chewiness. They did not know it was one of ours and I haven't said anything. I put it back in the oven on low to see if it will help it any. I am going to roast a whole one. It just might be a while yet as they are huge. For size. This is out of the oven and smaller than when they went in. 2 legs in a round metal pie tin.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Those are some meaty legs!! Look great!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: our brahma legs were the same, I kept them with the juice and froze and ended up in potpie. Breastessess however had been EATEN fast!

 

[chicksooner]

our brahma legs were the same, I kept them with the juice and froze and ended up in potpie. Breastessess however had been EATEN fast!

I prefer white meat myself.