Tackle It Tuesday

Hello, this weeks tackle was food preparation on whole chickens.
Purchased on a lead in add for $ .57 per pound

Prepping the counter tops.
cut bags for absorbency and ease of clean up.
Chicken butchering must be done with great care of sanitation.
We use the little bag bottoms for small parts during auto/appliance repair or art projects.

It is imperative to have everything set up and ready.
soup pot 1/3 full of r.o. water and fine herbs.
Sheets covered in plastic
Toweling set under cutting boards to absorb all moisture.
Bowls at the ready.
knives sharp.
Chicken must be kept very cold.
These birds are semi frozen.
Buy the largest birds, more meat per bone.

This is the job.
Carving, Boning and par-freezing the parts.

knives at the ready must be sharp
This is very important for your own safety and ease of work.

This is the knife used so far.
I de-skin and de-fat my chicken.
It I were to set it on the grill it is marinaded with a sauce containing olive or canola oils.

switch knives

use butcher knife for the weight and heft to easily cut off the back.

All breast are still ice icy cold.

use gravity ...hold the breast up by the skin as you stroke the center and the skin will remove quickly.

The cookie sheets were readied with a layer of plastic wrap.
All of this to be set before a package is ever opened
After these are frozen they will then be put in larger freezer baggies or containers.

cover trays and freeze.

Boning the split breast.
stroke the knife blade down and then inward along bone and cartilage.

It will look like this

In the pot, all backs , ribs, wing tips and wish bones.

Switch knives
Now chicken tenders
The wish bone in the pot.

chicken tenders are in a double layer with wrap in between.
Gizzards and livers to boil.
stock pot to boil for 3-4 hours then cool.

Remove all knives set in sink with hot running water.
Set anything that is contaminated with the chicken juices to hot soapy bath.

Slide towels and bags together and roll up to toss out.

Bleach all surfaces even it the look perfectly dry.
NO CHANCES!!!!!!!!

knives cleaned under VERY hot water, making sure to do the joints and handles.

2 pounds of skin and fat.

liver and gizzards
Ya I know gross
not so fast.
This is your flavor for gravey!

smash and chop
Then add two or three ladles of stock and mash against side of pan to make a patae'

This is so strong a flavor.
This is the gold for some dishes will shine with this added.
just don't tell them until after they rave about it.
A little goes a long way.
So freeze in ice cube size tray if you will use it slowly.

Add to stock pot
(strained later)
Butts of a celery stock or cabbage heal
garlic bulb a whole one just cut the end off and too it in after you break it up a bit.
onions skinned and cut in half.
These things are just for flavor.

Later when we separate the solids,
bone the meat and clarify the broth the garlic and onion skin will not matter.
Boil for 4 hours or so.
Let cool overnight.
next day is broth making time.
The perfect day to make a chicken noodle soup

This broth will be concentrated.
use for rice
boil pasta in water with some added.

freeze or can for future use.

A DAY!

apx 23 pounds

scrap....
2 pounds skin/fat
1 pound bone

20 pounds eating meat.
1-2 gallons broth.

all at 57 cents a pound.
2-3 hours labor