Washingtonians

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Scalding - if done badly won't be much help. For a medium turkey, about 3 minutes of scald works best. If plucking is still difficult (feathers don't come out easily) scald a bit more.

Are you hand plucking? Yes, that would be quite a job

this is a pretty good place for info
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Butchering-Plucking.html

Yes, we are hand plucking. I am NOT looking forward to it. OK, what about the ice water bath after the scalding?

Thanks!!

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote:
You don't use the ice water bath until AFTER the plucking. If you did it right after the scald, the skin would tighten up again, defeating the purpose for the scald in the first place.

We use TWO tanks, one for red water and one for clear. The bird goes into the first (red water) tank. The water will turn pink from the residual blood. After all of them are done, into the next tank. The birds should not discolour the water. You want the birds to chill as fast as possible.

We also keep a spray bottle of diluted belach on the table, for keeping everything sterile.

One final not

HAVE ALL YOUR KNIVES, REALLY, REALLY SHARP! There's nothing worse than trying to work will dull knives. It's also dangerous.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
You don't use the ice water bath until AFTER the plucking. If you did it right after the scald, the skin would tighten up again, defeating the purpose for the scald in the first place.

We use TWO tanks, one for red water and one for clear. The bird goes into the first (red water) tank. The water will turn pink from the residual blood. After all of them are done, into the next tank. The birds should not discolour the water. You want the birds to chill as fast as possible.

We also keep a spray bottle of diluted belach on the table, for keeping everything sterile.

One final not

HAVE ALL YOUR KNIVES, REALLY, REALLY SHARP! There's nothing worse than trying to work will dull knives. It's also dangerous.

Thank you so much!!!!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
Pretty roo

He is also ridicullously sweet-tempered.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
I write, yes- mostly blog posts and short stories, although I have burned the same novel twice now. I'm not brave enough to be a good fiction writer; as soon as it becomes necessary to damage a character in service to the plot I cop out.

Thanks for thinking well of me.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

I hate it when the strongest weather sign there is- lack of lensatic clouds on Mt. Rainier- turns out wrong. On the other hand, I probably needed a bit of downtime after yesterday.

Did I mention that the daughter is flying to Europe tomorrow? *sigh*

Been a while- a very long while! Since my husband and I had the house to ourselves for as long as two weeks.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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Yes I have an answer and the perfect solution to yer question.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Yes I have an answer and the perfect solution to yer question.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/23104_41513_100001660334591_3262979_s.jpg

LOL I WISH!!!

 

[VelvettFog]

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Have a set of needle nose pliers.

 

[justbugged]

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DH and I skin the birds. I also learned the hard way to de-bone most of the meat also. I save all the bones for stock and chicken soup. We first bleed the birds, then skin it and then remove the craw/crop part. At that point it is gutted and then put into ice water. I finally learned to de-bone it about 3 days later, and I bag everything in vacuum bags.

Why do you wait three days?

The meat has to be allowed for rigor to pass. It took us about 2 years to figure out why our meat was tough. All flesh goes through rigor after death. From what I understand, so by allowing the chicken to rest in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days after the kill, the meat becomes very tender. I use most of my chicken be-boned. I do miss not having a whole bird with it's skin on for roasting. I have a recipe that I picked up from America's Test Kitchen for Chicken Diablo. The whole bird has the back bone cut out and the bird is flattened. I then stuff under the skin with oil infused herbs. The bird is then slow roasted on the BBQ. I still haven't figured out away to do this without the skin on the bird. So I am going to need to borrow CL's chicken plucker next spring. I want between 6 and 8 whole birds with the skin on. But the rest are going to be skinned and de-boned like we have been doing.

The first year I didn't de-bone any of the meat. I regretted that quickly. When I use frozen chicken I needed it cut into pieces for the most part. I do know though if you are roasting chicken that the skin and bones make a big difference in flavor. I have been cutting up the hearts and liver to feed to the mean meat eating beasties in the fish tank.