The Hunter's Guide to Butchering, Smoking, and Curing Wild Game and Fish by Philip Hasheider

Author:Philip Hasheider [Hasheider, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9780760343753
Amazon: 0760343756
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Published: 2013-07-22T04:00:00+00:00

Use a gas burner to singe any downy feathers or “hair.” Finish by rubbing off any leftover feathers.

Wet picking or scalding can be used when feathers are too difficult to pull by dry picking. However, you should dry pick as many feathers as you can before using the wet picking method.

If you plan on wet picking, you’ll need to have everything set up before you begin. You’ll need a tub of water heated to between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This is about 10 degrees hotter than you would use for domestic birds such as chickens. Waterfowl and game birds have natural water-repellent oils in their feathers, and this higher temperature helps the water penetrate the feathers.

Once the water has reached this temperature, you can begin. Start by holding the bird tightly by its legs and immersing it neck first into the scalding water. It is important to get enough water into the feathers.

Move the bird up and down and from side to side to get an even and thorough scalding, which will make the feathers easier to remove. Repeated dips may be necessary, but be careful not to burn the bird.

One simple rule to follow when scalding is that less immersion time is needed when the water temperature is higher. Avoid overscalding by following the temperature and time factors for the birds you’re using. Overscalding causes the skin to tear and discolor and gives the bird a cooked appearance; the carcass will lack bloom and turn brown rapidly, or bright red when frozen.

Hot scalding, with water temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit, is an easy, quick method to remove feathers. Water temperature and length of time immersed largely determine the speed at which the feathers are loosened from the body. The hotter the water, the quicker the feathers are loosened, although another method that involves immersing the carcass for longer periods at lower temperatures can be successful too.

Water this hot will cause the outer cuticle layer of the skin to slough off as the feathers are plucked from the carcass. The use of high temperature for a shorter period of time increases the ease of plucking but risks the loss of this outer layer of the skin, which may result in the skin tearing more easily. If you choose not to keep the skin, this may not be a concern.

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