Home Processing - Raising Poultry - page 306

9 Rinse the carcass inside and out with cold water.
Butchering and Storing
Once you have killed, scaled, plucked, gutted, washed, and chilled the carcass, you're
ready to prepare the bird for cooking. You can cut it up there or freeze it whole for later
processing. Whole fowl take up more freezer space but stay fresh longer in the freezer
than do cut-up pieces.
Don't leave the birds chilling in the water long. Head to the area where you will either
butcher the birds or prepare them whole for the freezer.
Butchering
I am by no means a superb butcher but anyone can make the basic cuts to slice up the
chicken. Although the steps listed below do not necessarily result in commercial-grade
pieces, the process avoids the more challenging cuts and separates the parts efficiently
and with minimal equipment.
REMOVING THE GIBLETS
Some folks enjoy giblet gravy poured over their rice and potatoes, while others
simply fry up the heart, liver, and gizzard for a nutritious meal. Even if you've never
used them for pâté or pet food, keep in mind that they must be taken out when pro-
cessing your bird and needn't be wasted. Here's how to remove them:
The heart is easy to remove. Grab it from the top of the pile of organs you have
removed and turn it into a pail of clean, clear water.
When removing the liver — located in the middle of the pile you took out —
look carefully for the kidney bean-size greenish gallbladder , and be careful not to
poke it. If you accidentally poke the gallbladder, greenish black liquid called bile will
squirt out on the liver and destroy its flavor. This liquid tastes nasty; don't let it touch
the meat! It also stains your hands and anything else it touches. Carefully cut out the
gallbladder with the lobes of the liver; don't be surprised if you ruin the liver the first
time — experience is a great teacher.
After removing the gallbladder, rinse the liver. Even if you don't keep the liver,
it's an excellent indicator of the health of your birds: If it's pale yellowish or spotted,
discard it immediately because that indicates the bird has been ill. You want a bright,
reddish liver.
Cut the gizzard loose at the front of the internal organ mass (where it connects to
the crop) and at the back (where it connects to the intestines). Split it down the middle