suggestions for hot water for processing chickens? $ issues.

[chooniecat]

about to become first time "happy chicken" processor and have money issues so as far as supplies I thought I could use hot plate/appropriate sized pot/thermometer to do the job. does that sound OK for that part? my neighbor has supposedly done it before(decades ago) and has agreed to show me what he knows. everything I have seen/read on here does not do it for me and I need to walk thru it with someone that has done it before. something is always omitted (it seems!)or I have questions when I have read about it. anyhoo-hot plate/pot/thermometer OK? have knives and home-made cone.

 

[TimG]

If by hot plate you mean a warming tray of some sort, I doubt it will be able to get a good quantity of water up to the right temperature and maintain it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've been boiling the water in big stockpots on the kitchen stove and carrying them outside when I need them. I have a giant pot I keep up on a few cinder blocks and fill with the boiling water from the stove. Of course boiling water is too hot for scalding, so I can add more water from the hose until it gets to the right temp, around 150 degrees. It will stay good & hot enough for scalding without having to be kept over a heat source. If I'm doing many birds on one day I will continue boiling up more pots of water on the stove to replenish my scalding water outside.

You can also get it boiling on the stove & keep it hot on a BBQ grill.

I saw a very helpful video on YouTube showing the processing process. They show how to skin a chicken, instead of plucking, and also some good detailed footage of cleaning out the carcass.

I'm going to try to insert the correct link here, but if it doesn't work, just go to YouTube & search for "Chicken Processing on Custer Family Farm".

Chicken Processing on Custer Family Farm

I wish you great success on your chicken processing!

Edited to say that my link doesn't go all the way through, it just takes you to YouTube, you'll have to type in the title in the search box to find it -- it's worth the trouble to watch it!

 

[chooniecat]

oooo-ooooo-oooo! You made me think of another question I had. do you HAVE to put chic in hot water if you are going to just skin it?? the very first one we will do(my 4 yo roo) we will probably just skin but will want to leave the other chickens with skin for roasting(more tender?) actually, now that I think of it,the next bunch is 6 yo and will probably just boil to tolerable tenderness for shredded sandwiches. I ramble. upcoming group are only 3 month old layers so they will be 2 yo at cooking time.

 

[Judy]

You might as well skin any over about 4 mos as they will be tough and need long slow cooking. No, you do not have to scald them to skin them, that's why it's so much easier to skin them. Leaving skin on will not make them more tender. Brining and resting in the fridge will help some, but nothing will make a 4 or 6 year old chicken tender.

 

[chooniecat]

excuse me for rambling more-watched the video mentioned above and it answered my question on boiling a chicken you just skin. thank you for the great vid suggestion. still lost at what exactly to do when starting to gut (be careful of this and that?) but imagine we will learn the hard way. I think I am scared of having to waste any meat if I cut open some inard thats going to taint the whole thing(do I seem ignorant or what?) these are very much pet-like to processing and hate the thought of a wasted bird. THANKS AGAIN!

 

[chooniecat]

so-if i wanted a whole chicken to roast(say-a future 10 wo meat chic) I could just skin it(which by the video looked soooo easy,I'll pay for that comment probably)and roast it ?(never had a skinned whole bird) my experiences with whole birds have been w/skin from grocery and haven't bought one in several years, actually have not eaten chicken in several years. I am so excited forgive me. it looked so easy.

 

[cassie]

I have a BIG stock pot and a propane burner. I stick a thermometer in the water and I am good to go.

 

[TipsyDog]

Have you looked at Frugal's awesome picture thread on how to process a bird? If not, I think it's a well done step-by-step picture instruction...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=109583

 

[WalkingWolf]

I only do a couple birds at a time. I fill a 5 gal bucket 3/4 full from boiling water from the stove. Cover the bucket and then cull and bleed the birds. By the time I dunk them it is just right to scald. I don't need more than that for a couple birds at a time.