Plucking is an operation that must be done with delicacy so as not to damage the poultry. Chickens, ducks, or geese require different “plumage” modes.
Plucking hens and chickens:
Hens and chickens should be plucked while still hot, immediately after sacrifice.
Two methods:
- The first method is dry plucking. As soon as the chicken is killed, it is plucked alive. It takes a little experience, but it is with this method that we obtain poultry with beautiful skin.
- When all the feathers are torn off, there are still snags (emerging feathers) and down.
- If you want to have a nice presentation (for sale for example), remove them meticulously by hand.
- You can use tweezers to remove the snags by gripping them well at the base.
- This method of preparing poultry was formerly done with meticulousness for poultry from La Flèche or Bresse. This way of doing things is still going on in Bresse to pluck and adorn hens and capons.
Plucking after soaking:
- This method allows you to sacrifice several chickens at a time and pluck them even if they have cooled down.
- Warning! you should never put your poultry in boiling water, even for a short time.
- The water temperature will vary depending on whether it is a cull hen or a young chicken.
- The temperature will range from 58 ° to 65 °.
- Dip your chicken in the basin of hot water, holding it by the legs and giving it rotating movements so that all the feathers are moistened.
- Do not let your hen or chicken bathe for more than 1 to 1.5 minutes depending on size and age.
- Once all the feathers have been removed, finish the job by passing the chicken with a blowtorch to remove the remains of down and small snags. The flame must be passed briskly without insisting otherwise you will burst the skin.
- All that remains is to wipe your poultry with a clean cloth.
- Plucking can also be done with a plucking machine – plucker.
How to pluck a duck or a goose:
- The plumage. Soak the fatty geese or ducks in a tub of water at a temperature of 70 °. If the water is too hot, the flesh tends to tear during plumage. The soaking time will range from 2 min for a goose to 2 and a half minutes for a duck (see 3 min for an aged Muscovy duck). Lower the temperature a few degrees if you have to pluck it with a machine.
- Duck takes longer to finish than a chicken. Depending on the season after the plucking operation, many snags (young feathers) remain.
- Remove as much as possible before passing them through a torch flame.
