I thought I start at the finished product….so not to gross you out too much this morning!
I must say…..this Freedom Ranger was delicious! The meat is so flavorful with just salt & pepper.
I whacked the remaining 4 birds on Tuesday. A friend loaned me her plucker. I waited for the extreme heat wave to pass, then it was D day!
It worked less than perfectly since I had no idea how to use it properly. After the first bird I declared it easier to hand pluck….but then I did the second bird and it was nearly perfect. But it ended there. I did find out that the temperature of the scalding water is extremely important. For me…and I’m just saying for ME….it’s 150*F.
Leave the bird in for 2 minutes…yes, count them. 2 minutes was what mine needed. Then the feathers came out or off effortlessly.
I did declare once more…..I AM DONE! I N-E-V-E-R want to do this again!!!! I was suppose to get another batch of chicks and I just couldn’t.
Doing this job alone takes a lot of time. I had to walk down and get each bird. Whack them. Bleed them out while checking the reheating of my water. Go back and hunt for the bird in the herb garden cause he flopped out. Carry the water out after I cooled it down to 150* with ice cubes…heat it back up if it cooled too much…..go get the bird, wash off it’s breast (for some reason they had really dirty breasts from laying around all day), scald it, cut off it’s head, pluck a bit off it’s breast, pull out it’s guts, pluck it, wash it off, cut off it’s feet, reheat the feet so they’d peel, peel them, carry the bird to cool down in ice water, finish peeling feet & toenails, and a job isn’t finished until ALL the paper work is done. I had to clean up all the feathers and guts, take them to the garden and bury them. Then I could get my shower and finally bag the birds for the fridge where they’ll cool for 3 days.
All in all with the plucker it took me 30 min’s per bird. The plucker cut my time in half. And for that I’m grateful.
BUT right now, I don’t want to see another meat bird…..well, I’ve got the turkeys but we have until November and by then I’ll have forgotten.
A friend said to me yesterday….“so, is it like childbirth? you declare during labor that you’ll never do this again….then shortly after you forget all about the pain and agony?”
YEP….I suppose I’d have to say, harvesting chickens is a bit like having a baby!!!!
But right now……I don’t want to do either!!!! Specially at my age!!!!
And just as I finished this post….a friend just stopped that I told while I was still in the cute baby daze….”yes, I’ll do your 2 ducks and rooster!”
AM I INSANE!? THAT REALLY WASN’T A QUESTION.
SO NOW I HAVE 3 BIRDS SITTING OUTSIDE THAT MUST BE DONE!
What was I thinking!?
I’m joining up again with Simple Thursdays over @A Little Bit Of Spain In Iowa!!!
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I just meant cleaning up. Yes, these are for our use. But in MD we can have on farm sales of finished birds…but I don’t. Are you kidding? It’s bad enough doing it for our own use. I’ll try the 180* on these two drakes I now have to whack. Right now we’re in another extreme heat wave and I just can’t get it done.
Love the finished product. Looks delicious.
Not sure I could do the “whacking”, but I I wouldn’t mind plucking.
Ann
Oh…and at 180F you only need to dunk 2 or three times….check the wing feathers…they should come out very easily so you know you’re ready for the rest.
You’re welcome!
May I ask what paperwork you’re talking about? Are not these your birds for personal consumption?
Haha Melissa!
Edith, thanks for that tip…I was afraid to get the water tooooo hot. 180*F I will give a try when I do my friends ducks.
The temperature of the water is extremely important for anyone who wants to pluck the feathers “without” tearing the skin…….LOL I had to say it….so to repeat “It is a must to have the water at 180F, and no higher for a perfect pluck!
I love being politically incorrect!
Edith
LOL! But, you’ll know absoulutely, without a doubt, that you’re eating CLEAN meat (or poultry, rather.) It’ll be worth it… says she whose never gutted or plucked a bird!
lol – I remember those days. I hope to treat the boys to them soon, too, courtesy of my chicken providing neighbors. If I was closer I would help you process – honest! I thought you were going to keep those heads and sucks their brains out? (Or maybe you did and I just missed it?)