Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
left for more than an hour at temperatures over 40 degrees. Do not eat birds that were found
dead.
Now that you inspected your plucked bird, take the carcass to the worktable, and get your
knife out. Remove the chicken's head if you have not done so already. If you want to save the
neck, carefully remove the esophagus and trachea tubes. If you do not want to save the neck,
slice it off near the body, and discard it.
Cut the feet off, slicing through the cartilage above the foot at the first joint. This is easier to
cut through than the bone. Lift and then slam down a meat cleaver or sharp knife to make a
clean cut. Discard the feet unless you like to cook with them. If you do want to keep them, put
them in a storage container, and refrigerate. They can be deep-fried or made into a soup.
At the bottom of the spine, you will see a yellow spot or yellow bump near the tail. It is the oil
gland. Lay the bird breast-side down. Lop off the tail at the spine and throw it away. Or, if you
prefer to leave the tail on, take your knife and slice under the oil gland, down and past the tail,
to cut out the gland and bypass the tail. Some people leave the oil gland in, but it gives the
chicken a bitter taste if you do.
Flip the bird over onto its back, and cut into it above the vent. Your objective is to make a
small hole in the carcass to remove the organs. Do not cut too wide or too deep, but the hole
should be wide enough to fit your hand into. Stick your fingers in and pull apart the skin. If
you find bird feces, wash them out. Take the carcass to the sink or to a running hose and,
while holding your bird, flush out the feces. The water should run down the vent side, not
across the whole body, so it is not contaminated. You may even want to use a mild dish deter-
gent to wash off any affected areas. Rinse completely.
Once the bird is clean, wash any contaminated areas on your table. If you plan to cut the bird
into pieces, use kitchen shears to slice through its back and remove all of the organs. Other-
wise, you will need to insert your hand inside the bird. Place your hand inside the carcass and
move your arm up until you reach the bird's neck. Spread out your fingers, as much as you
can, and rake your hands down the inside of the carcass to pull the organs out. Do this gently.
Do not grab, as you may break open some of the organs inside the bird. Once you pull the or-
gans down to the vent, scoop them out, and toss them into the trash.
At this point, check the chicken's liver, which should be reddish-brown. If it is pale or dis-
colored, it is probably diseased, and you should discard the chicken. If you want to save the
