Game bird cleaning

[badcast]

I hope this is a good place to put this. Does anyone know of any good websites with a how-to on cleaning game birds? I'm tired of butchering.

Thanks

[Salmonsmoker]

Badcast,

This is the right place - the right web site.

The first consideration with a game-bird is to get it field-dressed as soon as possible after taking it. Fowl have a normal body temperature that is several degrees higher than ours - thus they are more prone to bacterial growth if not cleaned and cooled quickly.

As soon as you get the bird home, continue the cleaning process. I prefer to skin a bird rather than pluck it: primarily because it is much faster.

It is true that the skin on a bird that has been plucked will help to seal in the juices and keep the meat from drying out during the cooking process. However, a light coating of olive oil on a skinned bird will accomplish the same thing and the mixutre of spices that I dust onto the meat, goes directly on the meat rather than on the skin (which most people remove at the table.) But that is a matter of personal preference.

Next, I prefer to cold-smoke the whole bird for 4 to 6 hours (just because I like the somke flavor.) If you do this, oil it first so that it will not dry out.

From my experience, the next step in cleaning a game bird depends on the size of the bird.

If I am dealing with a smaller bird, I cut it in half with a meat cleaver (being very careful not to amputate my fingers in the process). Place the cleaver in the center of the breast and strike the back edge sharply with your other hand. If you are using a sharp cleaver, it will quickly cut through the breast plate and the back bone. Then you have two serving-size pieces and it is very easy to finish cleaning out what was the body cavity.

If I am cleaning a larger bird, then it may need to be quartered. Take each leg/thigh section and pull it away from the body - then cut through the skin between. There is a natural muscle division to follow clear to the hip joint. Separate that joint and you have a leg/thigh section. Repeat for the other side. If you want to separate the thigh from the lower leg (drumstick) find the joint between and cut through at that point.

Next, with the carcass laying on its back, cut along the lower edge of the breast at a downward angle toward a point just below the wings (just follow along the edge of the breast bone.)

Pick up the carcass with the breast in one hand and the back in the other, and fold the two parts away from each other. You will quickly see where to make the final cut on each side.

The back goes into a pot for soup stock (makes excellent smoked stock).

The breast can then be split (as above) or fillet the meat from the bone.

Probably other members will post other methods. With the number of birds that you have, you will be able to try several of them and hopefully report back to us as to what works best for you.

ss

[badcast]

Thank you. That demystifies a lot for me. Now if I could just find some drawings or info on field cleaning......

[Salmonsmoker]

Badcast,

You will probably get a lot of different openions on this, but here's how I do it.

First, I want to reemphasize the importance of field dressing sooner rather than later. In most hunts, birds are routinely stuffed into a carry pouch on a jacket and often left for hours. Birds do have a higher body temperature than we do, thus, bacterial growth will be accelerated - especially true in warmer weather.

Whenever field dressing a bird - I like to start by pulling our a few feathers in a track from the anal vent to the breast bone so that I can see what I am doing. Then, with the point of your knife - make a cut from the anal vent to the end of the breast bone.

Next, about half way along that cut, make a cut 90 degrees to it (running outward 3 to 4 inches) on both sides (basically so that you have formed an X.) This will create an opening large enough for your hand to reach in.

The next part is where the term "drawing" came from - you have to reach in and "draw" out the innards - using your fingers to reach as far up into the body cavity as possible. This will result in most of the innards being separated from the bird - including the heart, liver, and gizzard which can be saved if you like.

Next, you need to remove the "Craw" , a pouch in the neck that serves as a food-collection point (thus will tend to be loaded with bacteria). You will need to feel for a lump on the neck, then cut around it and remove it. At this point, (and depending on the conditions) I like to cut the jugular in the neck and let the bird hang to cool and bleed out. It will help this cooling process to remove some of the skin flaps at the original opening.

The next step that I use is a matter of personal preference: I like to wash out the body cavity - using my fingers to pull loose any tissue that is still attached to the inside of the body cavity - then using a towel, dry it.

Also, keep in mind the feathers are an excellent insulator - and will hold in body heat. I like to remove them (my preferred method is to skin the carcass) as soon as possible after the bird has been dispatched.

If it is a very warm day - like some early goose hunts have been lately - or the late season Turkey hunt - it is good to pack the bird on ice as soon as the body cavity is washed and dried to insure the freshest meat. A large cooler with a bag of ice works well here (be sure to put ice inside the body cavity, over and under the bird.)

I hope this helps.

ss

[Salmonsmoker]

Turkey hunt info update

[flyer]

to open a bird of pheasant size I skin the bird and then on the back of the bird i find the shoulder blades run the knife under the shoulder blades up to the neck and pull the bird apart. you will have the breast and wings in one half and the back and legs in the other. this cut under the shoulder blades is more of a sliding of the blade along the bottom of the shoulder blades then any thing else. the insides of the bird will be completely expossed.

[Spikehorn Outlaw]

Hi,

I am new to bird hunting and I would like to thank you guys for informing me as well.

...But, What if the bird is nice enought to mount? How do you skin it to save the feathers for mounting?

Thanks,
Spikehorn Outlaw

[huntfish]

Spike,

An effective method for pheasant is to step on both wings and pull by the legs. This separates the meat from the carcass pretty good.