when to process?

[warcard]

So we are going to try and process our first turkey this year.

Questions:
Is a one year old slate blue tom too old?

We are planning on going to the in-laws (6hr drive). Can we process the turkey on Sunday? Do we just keep it refridgerated until Thursday or should we freeze it?

How do you scald a turkey? That's alot of boiling water.

Thanks.

 

[pdpatch]

No it's not to old. Make sure you at least let the turkey rest for 24 to 48 hours after butchering, technically 4 hours minum. Soak the turkey in a brine solution at least all day before cooking.

as far as scalding, we have a propane burner that came with my smoker so it's heavyer then a regualar turkey fryer one. On this we but a metal trash can. between 1/2 to 3/4 full of water, to use as a scalder. we scald at 145 degrees for 1 minute, Using a stick to move the Turkey around. Several Universities recomend using trash cans. But the USDA recommends not using any ganvinized metal when processing poultry.

We use my engine lift (Cherry picker) to get the birds in an out of the scalder since I have a really bad back. It really helps with the Great Whites and BB bronze.

 

[warcard]

Thanks. If we process Sunday it won't be cooked until Thursday so maybe I will try the 24 hrs in brine and then freeze until we leave and let it thaw on the drive Wednesday evening before cooking Thursday.

Still gotta figure out the scalding logistics here.

Of course this all rests on the assumption that my husband and I actually get up the nerve to do this.

We can kill Bambi and process him, but we haven't actually managed a home raised animal yet.

 

[sweetshoplady]

The killing is the hard part. I put off culling my very naughty, aggressive psycho rooster because I was attached to him. I finally did it yesterday with the help of my 100 yr old grandma who was an Indiana farm girl and to whom its no big deal to butcher a chicken. Then my mom and I and Gram plucked him after putting him in the hot water. We're going to eat him tomorrow.

He lost his name several weeks ago and I began to call him "Yummy Yummy Chicken Dinner", "Roast Chicken" "Fried Chicken". Especially after he'd attack me when I would feed him.

A couple nights I went out and held him on my lap and hugged him and petted him and cried because I had seen him hatch and loved him. Then the next day he'd attack me, or try to.

Anyway, once you get to the dipping part he's just food.

I'm determined to get better at this, because it's a good way to live.

By the way, my flock is much calmer with that roo gone.