Saturday we went to a friend's home to help with butchering and to learn.
This rooster is awaiting judgement.
Matthew is teaching Thomas how to cut the jugular. This method is more humane for the chicken than decapitation and results in a more tender meat as the bird is more relaxed.
Next the bird is scalded in 150 degrees for 30 seconds to loosen the feathers.
The next step is to pluck the feathers. Zoe and I liked this part. The feathers were soft and came out easily.
Then the feet are cut off and the insides are removed. Lauren did a lot of this work. After this, it is cleaned and processed as desired.
Ducks are processed similarly, except that the feathers are plucked without scalding, then it is dunked in hot water with wax and the wax/feathers are peeled. In just a few hours we butchered 9 chickens, 4 ducks, and a rabbit.
Matthew is demonstrating how to butcher a rabbit (Thomas killed this one). Butchering this guy only took a few minutes.
Saturday evening meal: Rabbit with a Tomato-Wine Sauce.
We learned so much that day and feel confident about butchering poultry. This rabbit dish looks good, but turned out to be overcooked and rubbery. We were warned that it cooks very quickly and overcooked it anyway. Oops. (That's OK, Thomas and Pierce ended up eating the whole thing anyway.)
Wow, Wow, and more Wow! What a fabulous day for all. I am so impressed. It is excellent to gain all this know-how. Matthew looks like he's got a good handle on giving instruction, too. The assembly line for picking, plucking, gagging, and chuckling :) looks like fun! Wish I were there. Oh how I want some chickens!!! I hope husband changes his mind and says yes.
ReplyDeleteMiss you guys so much! Love to all.
Aunt Margaret
Wow! That is so neat! What an...interesting thing to learn. You guys are learning some pretty cool stuff. I'm happy for you. It must be a really neat experience to raise animals. I wish we could. Way Cool experience! I love hearing your adventures!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you guys had such a great learning experience. Thomas, Lauren and Zoe look like they're really enjoying it. Pierce looks like he's not sure!
ReplyDeleteThis brings back memories from my farm life as a child! Butchering the chickens was a big family affair! Even though we all dreaded the day as it approached, we always had a fun time laughing together through all the work. Blessings to you all as you learn, grow, and taste the fruit of your labor (even when it's over cooked!) : )
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