Processing knives

[greathorse]

The knife used in the cut up chicken video is a beef skinning knife. I would not use it for the purpose of cutting a chicken. He is very good with it and obviously comfortable but it is really a single purpose knife used for skinning beef. A lamb skinner would be shorter but could be used. I have that identical knife in my repetoire.

 

[peterlund]

Quote:
Wondering what wonderful Thai recipes you might share with this soon to be snow covered fellow forum friend!
Obviously you leave the bird intact to age right? Sort of like aging any wild game.... I was stunned when I first visited a meat packing plant in my youth, and saw the sides of beef hanging.... Not pretty, but mighty tasty!

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I use the Victorinox knives with the Fibrox handles. I have a number of them 4 to 6 inches long. Mostly the thin boning style.

I keep them sharp with a knife steel. If you don't try cutting bone and don't throw them in the dishwasher to bang around, the steel will keep them sharp for a long time.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
I think the reason why it's used is for the legs in particular. The "oyster" is hard to get with a regular knife. I'm thinking that's why it's used, but it looks to work good on the breast as well. I'm going to give it a try because I can't seem to always get all the meat when making that cut with a straight knife. For $30.00 it may be money well spent.

 

[ShadyHoller]

I like the Dexter-Russell knives with the white handles. If you've ever been inside a commercial kitchen, you've seen them. They go dull easily, but they sharpen back up even more easily, just with a honing steel. They are cheap (as far as these things go) and you don't have to be too concerned with taking care of them. I know it's bad for the edge, but I throw mine in the dishwasher, which I never would do with a good knife. I bought mine at a local commercial restaurant supply store, but you can find them online.

I use a little boning knife (which is really just a big paring knife) for most processing work, like the one in the picture. For the fatal blow to the neck, however, I rely on the time-honored whack with a hatchet that I sharpened on a bench grinder. Not high-tech, but effective. Then hang by the feet over a bucket, then scald, etc.

 

[lacasitarojafarm]

We use a sharp paring knife for cutting the artery. Sharp sharp becasue you are coming in contact with bone sometimes and you want to be as humane as possible.

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/he4st3pakn.html

We use branch loppers to cut off the feet and the neck. Fast sharp and not messing up my expensive knives on bird bones.

If you want to *dress* the bird like cut it into piceces, then a sharp chef's knife for the meat and the paring knife again for the tendons. You don't need a cleaver if you are good at dressing the bird because, except for the backbone you're just cutting tendons.

Kitchen shears for the backbone.

 

[greathorse]

Quote:
I think the reason why it's used is for the legs in particular. The "oyster" is hard to get with a regular knife. I'm thinking that's why it's used, but it looks to work good on the breast as well. I'm going to give it a try because I can't seem to always get all the meat when making that cut with a straight knife. For $30.00 it may be money well spent.

I am going to tell you that is a clumsy knife to use for that purpose. If you prefer to use the information from a farmer that butchers occasionally over a butcher that has made knives and cutting poultry a career that is you choice. I have been in many poultry processing plant and I have never seen a skinning knife on the property much less to cut and debone a breast. The oyster area is pulled out as opposed to cutting.

A six inch curved boning knife is the knife I would use for this job, a good skinning knife is not a bad knife to have in the event it ends up being cumbersome for you.

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Quote:
I think the reason why it's used is for the legs in particular. The "oyster" is hard to get with a regular knife. I'm thinking that's why it's used, but it looks to work good on the breast as well. I'm going to give it a try because I can't seem to always get all the meat when making that cut with a straight knife. For $30.00 it may be money well spent.

I am going to tell you that is a clumsy knife to use for that purpose. If you prefer to use the information from a farmer that butchers occasionally over a butcher that has made knives and cutting poultry a career that is you choice. I have been in many poultry processing plant and I have never seen a skinning knife on the property much less to cut and debone a breast. The oyster area is pulled out as opposed to cutting.

A six inch curved boning knife is the knife I would use for this job, a good skinning knife is not a bad knife to have in the event it ends up being cumbersome for you.

Well I can't speak with as much assurance as I usually do, being a computer geek who farms after sundown and occasionally butchers chickens, but I do use a beef skinner to cut up my birds and it does a good job. At first I thought he was crazy for using one in the video but when I tried it the chicken just fell apart under the knife. I don't find the knife to be clumsy at all. Since Salatin has been doing 15,000 birds a year for decades I would guess he's tried other options. The satellite image of his farm shows 45 chicken tractors! Jeff, $30 won't kill you and like Greathorse says, it isn't a bad knife to have laying around anyway. I started with an pretty old skinner then bought a Victorinox. I prefer the Victorinox.

I have never tried pulling the oyster meat off but will give it a try this week. I may try my curved boning knife just to see. I use those for evisceration. That's probably a mistake too. It's fun learning and I think it's important to have my assumptions challenged and my ignorance corrected. Hats off to both of you.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Well since I process chickens for a living and not just for myself I truly want the best knife. I didn't mean any disrespect but like SundownF said... Salatin has tried his knives I'm sure. I have tried the 6 inch boning knife and like I said it has a hard time getting that oyster meat. I wouldn't be so quick to count Salatin as a "farmer that butchers occasionally" he has probably done more birds than you and I combined and I must say I have done a few thousand. For me, I'm just tying to find the easiest way to cut up a chicken without wasting precious meat... I'm not going to say much more but I'm willing to bet the way Daniel uses that knife in the video, that particular knife is probably worth it's weight in gold at Polyface.


I process my own deer... so if it doesn't work out.... I can always use it for that. Either way it's money well spent.

 

[Beekissed]

I use the stainless steel Rada brand knives~usually the butcher knife sized ones~ and keep my sharpener right on the processing table to put a quick edge on a dulled blade as needed. I use my old loppers to decapitate after the bleed out.