when to clean birds

[Prisoner]

Generally speaking when I shoot a bird I clean it as soon as I can. With pheasant and grouse I usually do it on the spot, it only takes a minute, and put the meat in a ziplock bag, I usually carry several with me.

Lately I have been hearing of people who don't do anything with their bird for several days. They just hang it in the shed and get to it in a few days, guts and all. Here is an example from "Shooting Times" from the UK, with this video where a guy is skinning and gutting a bird after 4 days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbwSGPtLUxw&feature=fvw

Another guy I know just takes his game home after a few days of hunting and puts it into a freezer and cleans it out when he is going to eat it.

What about you... when do you clean your birds or other small game?

[yellowlab04]

I own a few cook books that were made before the invent of the fridge !!! all the books say to hang the birds by the neck and when they fall to the ground they are ready to eat !!some talk about scraping the magotts off before cleaning !!This was common pratice back in the day !also waterfowl must be transported with the wing attached so even if u clean in the bush/camp u still have some cleaning to do at home !!there are lots of people who game birds and some who clean them on the spot !! the most inportain part is how there cooked not how there cleaned !!!

[Ace's_Owner]

I remember walking into my grandfather's garage many times and seeing a few braces of pheasants hanging from the rafters (this was in West Sussex, UK). He was definitely of the school that they had to be hung until they dropped. One of the things to remember is that in the UK this time of year, the temperature is pretty much ideal for doing just that - hovering around 4-5 degrees, just like a fridge.

When coming to visit us in Canada one time in the early 80s, he wrote to the Canadian High Commission in London and asked what the rules on importing pheasant were and was told that it was fine as long as the feathers were on.

So he brought a brace in his shouler bag on his flight. They were cocks so the long tail feathers were sticking out of the bag for all the see. When he got to customs at Pearson, the customs guard just about fell off his chair and said no way - until my grandfather pulled out the letter from the Canadian High Commission. I remember him walking out of the arrivals area wearing his tweed hat (with a pheasant feather of course) and proudly pulling the birds out of the bag for us to see. Pretty funny reaction from the others waiting.

My uncle (in the UK) is a dairy farmer and the milk was procured from the milking parlour and left to sit in the pantry - rarely in the fridge.

Despite the memories, I clean my birds the same day and refigereate and I keep my milk in the fridge.

[Howard]

I always leave my birds 1-2 days, in cool weather, in the shed before cleaning. Have been doing this forever with no ill effects. This includes Pheasants, Ducks & Geese. I find that the blood coagulates nicely and makes for a cleaner task.

Howard

[mmillward]

Heh Howard,

I know Mark does the same thing. He leaves them in the garage until Lynda cleans them!:evil:

[Prisoner]

Very interesting responses. So are you guys leaving the bird fully intact, guts and all?

[jo mcrow]

I hang for 3-7 days depending on the temperature.
The taste is always better on birds that have been hung.
The best steaks come from beef hung for 28 days!!!!!!!!!!
Jo Mcrow

[Howard]

Very interesting responses. So are you guys leaving the bird fully intact, guts and all?

Yup........

[Howard]

Heh Howard,

I know Mark does the same thing. He leaves them in the garage until Lynda cleans them!:evil:

They would be there 'til the dogs ate them if I waited for Lise to clean them :)

[Yedi]

What does it do to the flavour? Does it make it stronger or weaker? I don't mind ducks but I always found shooting them more fun than eating because of the strong flavour. I cleaned them within hors of shooting them. Will hanging them for a few days improve that?

[Prisoner]

Hanging will tenderize the meat. Basically bacterium breaks down the meat and makes it more tender, so the longer you hang it the more bacteria. It all comes out in the pan. So maybe tender meat will absorb the flavours you are cooking with a little better.

[jaycee]

Hanging will tenderize the meat. Basically bacterium breaks down the meat and makes it more tender, so the longer you hang it the more bacteria. It all comes out in the pan. So maybe tender meat will absorb the flavours you are cooking with a little better.


i believe the word you want to use is "enzyme ", bacteria can be deadly .

[Prisoner]

You are correct. It is the enzymes that do the tenderizing.

[jobbershunting]

For a tender mild flavored bird;

remove the lower intestinal tract in the field (slit near the "vent" insert fingers and remove as much as possible, rinse cavity until water is clear), also cut out the crop if they have been eating crustaceans (divers) as the acidic juices in the crop will continue to dissolve the food and the juice will run into the cavity as it hangs

hang the bird 4-7 days in temp 1-4 degrees above freezing

For a tender strong flavored bird;

leave lower intestinal tract in, and
hang the bird 4-7 days in temp 1-4 degrees above freezing

If your just going to process it (pepperettes, sausage etc...) breast it out within a couple days.