Splitting breast

[fresheggs4u]

How in the world do you easily split the breast to package after butchering. I have butchered several birds and have 30 to do next week. I always have a hard time splitting the breast.
Any suggestions? Also do you let the meat rest before you split the breast or does it matter?

thanks!

 

[airmechreed]

The best thing would be to debone with a fish filet knife that way you won't have to deal with the bone, however if you are diehard about bone in chicken I would invest in a good pair of sharp shears used for bird hunting you can pick them up at a cabellas, sportsmans warehouse, or bass pro shop.

 

[fresheggs4u]

thanks i have fillet some before. But i think the meat has a better flavor with the bone in. I will see what i can find. There is a basspro shop about an hour away.


Thanks!

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you split it in half with a front half and a back half, there is a cartilage joint located close to the end of the keel bone.

If you want to split it with a left side and a right side. Lay it down on a cutting board and force the point of a chef's knife into the middle of the round-ish end of the keel bone. Get the knife all the way down to the cutting board and then rotate in downward to make the cut. That first cut will do half the distance that you need to split. Then you turn the breast the other way, slick the point of the knife down in, again, and rotate it downward.

You will have to apply some pressure.

The other way is to get yourself a good chef's chopping blade. Keep your fingers out of the way, start swinging up high and hit that breast with a good hard chop. It will cut right in half.