How to pluck a duck correctly
How to pluck a duck correctly and quickly is a question that worries not only the owners of poultry farms, but also residents of cities. Today the market provides an opportunity to purchase a mallard still in feathers. Duck breast is a delicious treat, but it takes a little work to get it.
How to pluck a duck at home
Receptions
Opinions differ as to whether to pluck the carcass immediately after killing or wait until it cools completely. In any case, you can pluck the duck in two ways: dry and with preliminary scalding.
Most poultry farmers advise plucking as soon as the blood is drained. Others believe that it is better to wait a couple of hours until the subcutaneous fat hardens: then the vegetation will be easier to pluck out, and the skin will not tear. In general, there are as many opinions as there are people.
Dry version of feather cleaning
How to dry pluck a duck at home? First, you need to lay the carcass on a large flat board. Plucking ducks, like any other bird, begins with large feathers on the wings. The longest feathers should be removed along the growth line, down, on the contrary, against the line. Movements should be sharp and precise so that the feather can be pulled out at a time, but at the same time not injuring the skin.
After removing all large feathers, a large number of small feathers and fluff will remain. This vegetation can be easily removed with a knife, pressing the blunt side against the skin against the growth line. Then you need to tar the carcass, because you definitely won't be able to pluck all the hairs.
After plucking by hand, the duck should be wiped with flour to remove excess liquid and fat. You can scorch it with straw, then it will acquire a unique aroma. If it is not possible to do this at home, then you can hold the carcass over the gas burner. The plucked and tarred carcass must be thoroughly washed and wiped dry with a towel. In order for the bird to be stored for a long time, it is the dry method of plucking that should be used.
Ducklings are harder to pinch. Their skin is still thin, and therefore only a dry method is suitable for plucking them, other methods injure the skin too much, and then the process of removing vegetation will become a painful torture. It is better to leave a young individual for a couple of hours so that the body cools down, and then all the feathers will be easy to remove.
Pre-scalding option
You can pinch the duck at home by pre-scalding, that is, the slaughtered duck is dipped in boiling water. First, you need to heat the water to about 80 ° C, then you need to lower the carcass in the pan for a couple of minutes. After scalding, you must immediately start the plucking procedure, while the body is still warm.
Hot plucking of duck is otherwise no different from dry plucking. Feathers are plucked in the same sequence: first large, then small and down. The last thing you need to do is pluck the feathers from your feet. Also, as in the previous method, after removing almost all feathers, the carcass should be singed.
Unlike the dry method, the feathers cannot be used after scalding, they will have to be thrown away. To complete the procedure, you can watch a video on how to pluck a duck properly at home. Moreover, today the Internet is simply full of all kinds of videos describing various methods.
Other methods
Plucking a duck by hand is not as easy as it seems at first glance. Fortunately, we live in an age of advanced technology, when a plucking machine was invented for a long time. You can also watch the video how to quickly pluck a duck with a typewriter.
When the question arises of how to pluck an Indoor, many think that there is nothing difficult in this, it is no different from the usual one. On the one hand, it is so, but scalding methods are not suitable in this case. Hot working is a suitable option. For its implementation you will need:
- linen bag;
- hot water;
- iron.
To pluck the Indoor at home correctly, you should soak the bag in hot water and unscrew it. Put the bird inside. Having tightened the bag tightly, you need to leave the feathery in it for 15 minutes, then iron the feathers through the sacking with an iron. After that, you can begin to pluck. Further, the procedure is completely identical to all previous ones.
If you are thinking of how to quickly pluck one or more duck, you can use another express method. It will need special attachments and any rotating device (hammer drill or screwdriver). To get rid of feathers in this way, it is better not only to place the drill on a flat, level surface, but also to secure it securely, then attach the nozzle - and the homemade plucker is ready.
Such attachments can be used both at home and when hunting. The nozzle is relatively inexpensive and saves a lot of time. However, it is better to deprive ducks of feathers by this method in the fresh air, since the procedure is accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
How not to lose valuable fluff
For the successful development of the economy, all processes must be fine-tuned so that practically nothing is thrown away, but used to the maximum. Duck is not only a delicacy, but also feathers that can also be used to make pillows, jackets and other products, so it is important to know not only how to pluck a duck, but also how to save valuable feathers.
When the duck's fluff is plucked out for later use, they must first be washed well in water with washing powder. It is best to soak them for a couple of hours. This will remove the unpleasant odor, dirt and fat residues, then you need to rinse the feathers several more times in clean water, squeezing thoroughly each time.
At the end, the fluff must be folded into a colander and squeezed well. After that, transfer it to a bag of gauze and hang to dry in a dry ventilated room. The bag must be shaken periodically.
Butchering
Once the desired method has been selected and the bird has been properly prepared, you can proceed to butchering. To butcher a duck, you need to follow the steps in a clear sequence:
- the neck is cut off first;
- the legs need to be cut off just above the heel joint;
- the first phalanx of the wing should also be removed;
- carefully make an incision at the bottom of the belly and remove the internal organs (here it is worth showing special scrupulousness so that, when taking out the giblets, you do not crush the bile, otherwise there is a great risk of spoiling the whole carcass);
After all the manipulations, the carcass must be well rinsed under running water, but you do not need to get carried away, because the more the duck is in the water, the less nutrients remain in the meat. If something is not clear to you, you can always find the corresponding video on the Internet and dispel your doubts.
If the duck is not going to cook right away, then it needs to be frozen. When the cooking process does not involve the use of the whole carcass, you should continue cutting.First of all, the duck is cut in half, the fillet is disconnected from the upper part, the wings are cut off along the joint, and the hams are disconnected in the lower part along the hip joint. All parts are laid out in sachets and stored until use.
Generalization
If you are faced with the question of how to pluck ducks, experts offer various methods:
- dry;
- get rid of feathers by first filling with hot water;
- get rid of feathers with a typewriter or nozzle;
- remove vegetation with a hot method, with a bag and an iron.
Duck is a very tasty delicacy, and if you need to quickly get rid of vegetation and cook it, then the most suitable option is an electric pincher. In order to protect yourself and prevent mistakes in the process of processing the carcass, it is best to watch how such a machine works on video. After quickly removing the feathers, you can start cutting the poultry.