How to Butcher and Remove the Pin Feathers of a Turkey
Kill the bird., Scald the bird., Remove the hair feathers., Put the bird on its back on a table., Cut the flaps of skin between the legs and beside the anus, opening up the body cavity., Insert a hand into the body cavity of the bird., Cut through...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Kill the bird.
If you are defeathering the bird, you are probably doing this yourself as well.
Wearing work gloves and safety goggles is strongly advised.
The best way to do this is to stun the bird with electricity, however, this is impractical for home processing.
Hang the bird by its feet and, with a sharp knife, grip the head holding the beak shut with one hand while you cut through the side of the throat to the other side and pull the knife forward and out.
This severs the carotid arteries and the jugular veins, as well as the trachea.
Get back.
The bird will flap and get blood everywhere, and you can lose an eye to a well placed flap of the wings (thus the goggles).
It is a good idea to use this method to kill rather than simply breaking its neck because the heart continues to beat and helps empty the body of unneeded blood.
If you believe this method causes too much pain and suffering for the bird, simply remove the entire head.
The bird will be dead within seconds, however it will not bleed as well. -
Step 2: Scald the bird.
It should be completely immersed in water heated to roughly 145 °F (63 °C).
Leave it for 45 seconds.
Remove it and immediately (or as soon as you can touch it) remove the feathers by hand.
They should be fairly easy to pull out.
Remove all feathers by hand but ignore the filoplumes, which are the small hairs which are actually types of feathers. , This is done with a source of flame.
A blow torch or propane torch will work well for this, but don't get it too hot.
Simply run the flame over the entire bird to "singe" the filoplumes off.
Do not cook the bird! You are simply burning feathers, not skin and meat.
Your bird is now ready for butchering. , Begin by removing the feet by cutting between the knee joints with a sharp knife. , Do not cut any organs! It will make a mess.
Cut all the way around the anus and make a V-cut to remove the gland just beneath the anus. , Scoop out all organs, including heart, liver, gizzard, kidneys, and air sacs (avian lungs, birds don't have lungs like we do).
Throw everything away except the heart, liver, and gizzard if you plan to use them for something else such as giblet gravy.
You should also scoop out the trachea and esophagus that is still embedded in the neck.
This may take some force, but it will come.
You are now ready to butcher. , Then separate the legs from thighs using the same technique.
Next, separate the wings where they connect to the body, again using the same technique. , When you get to ribs, use poultry shears to break them and continue the cut.
When these are separated you have completed butchering.
You now have wings, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and back.
Of course if you want to keep the bird whole, say for Thanksgiving, skip this entire step. , There is however, good dark meat on it.
It is best to just pull it off by hand. , Watch out for ligaments and either pull them off or cut them off.
These can be very tough (they are said to be the strongest natural fiber). , Wash all parts well and remove any leftover blood or feathers. , Enjoy! -
Step 3: Remove the hair feathers.
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Step 4: Put the bird on its back on a table.
-
Step 5: Cut the flaps of skin between the legs and beside the anus
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Step 6: opening up the body cavity.
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Step 7: Insert a hand into the body cavity of the bird.
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Step 8: Cut through the skin and joint where the thigh connects to the body.
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Step 9: Cut just beneath the breast through the skin where the organs used to be.
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Step 10: When preparing the bird
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Step 11: most people discard the back.
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Step 12: If you desire boneless meat
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Step 13: is best to just stick your fingers through the meat and twist it off of the bone.
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Step 14: Finally
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Step 15: you are ready for cooking.
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Step 16: If you are storing the meat
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Step 17: it should be immediately packaged and cooled by refrigerating or freezing.
Detailed Guide
If you are defeathering the bird, you are probably doing this yourself as well.
Wearing work gloves and safety goggles is strongly advised.
The best way to do this is to stun the bird with electricity, however, this is impractical for home processing.
Hang the bird by its feet and, with a sharp knife, grip the head holding the beak shut with one hand while you cut through the side of the throat to the other side and pull the knife forward and out.
This severs the carotid arteries and the jugular veins, as well as the trachea.
Get back.
The bird will flap and get blood everywhere, and you can lose an eye to a well placed flap of the wings (thus the goggles).
It is a good idea to use this method to kill rather than simply breaking its neck because the heart continues to beat and helps empty the body of unneeded blood.
If you believe this method causes too much pain and suffering for the bird, simply remove the entire head.
The bird will be dead within seconds, however it will not bleed as well.
It should be completely immersed in water heated to roughly 145 °F (63 °C).
Leave it for 45 seconds.
Remove it and immediately (or as soon as you can touch it) remove the feathers by hand.
They should be fairly easy to pull out.
Remove all feathers by hand but ignore the filoplumes, which are the small hairs which are actually types of feathers. , This is done with a source of flame.
A blow torch or propane torch will work well for this, but don't get it too hot.
Simply run the flame over the entire bird to "singe" the filoplumes off.
Do not cook the bird! You are simply burning feathers, not skin and meat.
Your bird is now ready for butchering. , Begin by removing the feet by cutting between the knee joints with a sharp knife. , Do not cut any organs! It will make a mess.
Cut all the way around the anus and make a V-cut to remove the gland just beneath the anus. , Scoop out all organs, including heart, liver, gizzard, kidneys, and air sacs (avian lungs, birds don't have lungs like we do).
Throw everything away except the heart, liver, and gizzard if you plan to use them for something else such as giblet gravy.
You should also scoop out the trachea and esophagus that is still embedded in the neck.
This may take some force, but it will come.
You are now ready to butcher. , Then separate the legs from thighs using the same technique.
Next, separate the wings where they connect to the body, again using the same technique. , When you get to ribs, use poultry shears to break them and continue the cut.
When these are separated you have completed butchering.
You now have wings, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, and back.
Of course if you want to keep the bird whole, say for Thanksgiving, skip this entire step. , There is however, good dark meat on it.
It is best to just pull it off by hand. , Watch out for ligaments and either pull them off or cut them off.
These can be very tough (they are said to be the strongest natural fiber). , Wash all parts well and remove any leftover blood or feathers. , Enjoy!
About the Author
Ann Myers
Ann Myers has dedicated 3 years to mastering education and learning. As a content creator, Ann focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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