Home Processing of Poultry

Evisceration

Figure 10

Remove head and neck. Cut off the head between the head and the first neck vertebra using a twisting motion to cut through the joint (fig. 10). Do not try to cut through the bone.

If the bird is going to be cut up for frying or split for barbecuing, the neck with skin intact can be removed with shears or a knife, cutting close to the carcass. For birds to be roasted, split the neck skin, inserting the knife through the skin at the point of the shoulders, cutting forward guiding the knife up the back of the neck (fig. 11). Pull the skin loose from the neck. Pull the crop, trachea (windpipe), gullet (esophagus) loose from the neck skin (fig. 12) and cut off where they enter the body cavity. Next cut off the neck, or you may prefer to do this after chilling the carcass. Cut the neck muscle into the bone around the neck at the shoulder (fig. 13) and then twist off (fig. 14). Wash the neck and then place it in the giblet chilling container.

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Remove shanks. With the bird breast up on a table, hold shank with one hand, applying upward pressure on the hock joint. With a sharp knife, cut through the hock joint starting on the inside joint surface (fig 15). Pull the joint into the knife with a slight movement of the bird's feet to aid in cutting through the joint.

Figure 15

Remove oil gland. With the bird breast down on the table start the cut 1 inch forward from the oil gland nipple (fig 16). Cut deep to the tail vertebra, then follow the vertebra to the end of the tail in a scooping motion to remove the oil gland (fig 17).

Figure 16

Figure 17

Abdominal openings. Two types of cuts can be used to make an opening into the body cavity. The midline, vertical, or "J" cut is often used for broilers and other small poultry not to be trussed when cooked. For turkeys, capons, or other large fowl where trussing for roasting is desired, the transverse or bar cut can be used.

To make the vertical cut, pull the abdominal skin forward and up away from the tail of the bird, then cut through the skin and body wall starting the knife point just to the right of the point of the keel and extending the cut to the tail alongside the vent (figs. 18 and 19). Make the cut slowly and do not cut into the intestine. Use a shallow cut with just the point of the knife penetrating the skin and body wall. Then complete the cut around the vent, keeping the knife next to the back and tail as far as possible from the vent (fig. 20). Cut entirely around the vent and pull the vent and end of the large intestine out away from the opening of the body cavity to prevent contamination of the interior of the carcass (fig 21).

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

To make the bar cut, make a half circle cut around the vent next to the tail (fig 22). Use short, slow strokes and avoid cutting the intestine. Insert the index finger into the opening that has been cut, up over the intestine. Using your finger as a guide, extend the cut with the knife or shears to a complete circle on around to free the vent (fig. 23). Pull the vent and short section of the intestine out to prevent contamination of the body cavity. Now make a cut from side to side of the bird about 3 inches long, 1-½ to 2 inches below the point of the keel (fig. 24). This will leave a bar of skin about 1-½ to 2 inches wide between this cut and the opening where the vent was cut free (fig. 25). Now thread the end of the intestine up over the skin bar and leave extended from the body cavity.

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Removal of internal organs (viscera or entrails). Stretch the abdominal opening, insert the hand as far forward as possible in the body cavity, breaking the attachment of organs to the wall as you go (fig 26). Pick up the heart between index and second finger, cup hand and gently pull all viscera out, using a slight twisting motion as the viscera is brought out of the body cavity (fig 27).

Figure 26

Figure 27

Harvesting giblets. The gizzard, liver and heart should be removed from the viscera. Cut the gizzard from the stomach and intestine and peel excess fat from the outside (fig. 28). Remove the heart, trim off the heart sac and the heavy vessels around the top part (fig 29). Avoid cutting the gallbladder when trimming off the liver (fig. 30). The gall bladder may either be cut or pinched off the liver. Split the gizzard and open under a stream of water to remove the gizzard contents (fig. 31). Peel the lining from the gizzard by inserting the thumbnail under the lining at the edge of the cut surface and pulling away from the muscle (fig. 32). The lining is easier to remove after the gizzard has cooled slightly. You may want to split the gizzard lengthwise just to its lining and try to remove the unbroken lining and its contents to avoid contaminating the muscle with the gizzard contents. Rinse the giblets well and place in a pan of cool water.

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

To remove the lungs, insert the hand in the body cavity to reach the lungs, starting next to the ribs roll the index finger towards the backbone on each side of the bird to pick out the lungs from their position along the backbone of the bird. Pull the gonads (ovaries or testes), if present, from their attachment to the backbone. Check the body cavity to be sure that all desired parts have been removed, and thoroughly wash inside of carcass with a hose or under a faucet. Wash the outside of the bird and rub off all adhering dirt, pinfeathers, loose cuticle, and blood. Then place the carcass in the chill water container (fig. 33).

Figure 33

Chilling and Packing

Carcasses can be pre-chilled by placing them in a container of cold tap water that is overflowing continuously at a slow rate or periodically changed. This will cool the carcass to water temperature and further clean the carcass. Poultry carcasses should be chilled in ice and water to lower the temperature of the carcasses to 40° F. before packing. Smaller birds can be chilled in a couple of hours. Turkeys and large capons or roasters will require several hours before they reach this temperature. Remove the chilled carcasses from the ice water mixture and hang by a wing to let drain for about 10 minutes before placing in bags for transport or storage. Make certain that all water is drained from the bird before packaging. After the giblets have been chilled, wrap the heart, liver, and gizzard in a small square of plastic food wrap or place in a small plastic bag. The giblet pack and the neck can be placed in the body cavity of the properly cooled carcass before packaging.

On carcasses processed with a bar cut, cut the tail from the top of the bird down through the vertebrae, being careful not to cut the tail completely off (fig. 34). Turn the tail down and tuck under the bar strap. Next, flex the legs tightly against the body of the carcass and work the legs under the skin bar to truss the bird (fig. 35).

Figure 34

Figure 35

If birds are to be bagged, place the carcasses on a table, smooth the neck skin down over the back of the bird, and insert the bird, head first, into a plastic bag of proper size. To get a better package, put the end of a flexible plastic or rubber hose in the bag. Keep the bag snug around the hose, then suck air from the bag. Remove the hose, twist the bag several times and secure with a wire tie. Birds can also be frozen in locker wrap paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate birds or freeze promptly. Do not freeze birds until they have been chilled to 40° F. or below. Only small numbers of unfrozen birds should be placed in home-type freezers at any one time. Placing large volumes of unfrozen material in the freezer places too much load on it and causes slow freezing of the unfrozen birds and partial thawing of the previously frozen products.

Birds to be transported should be chilled thoroughly or frozen. The packaged birds should be wrapped in several layers of newspaper or other material with insulating value to keep them cold during transport until they can be properly refrigerated or frozen at destination.

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