Been Offered Some Game Birds - Need "Processing"!

[Tony Angelino]

Morning all, been offered a selection of game birds from a friend for nothing – only trouble is they are full birds and need plucking/gutting/hanging or whatever they need doing to turn them into a nice oven/freezer ready bit of meat. Due to a forthcoming holiday and lack of space at home, preparing them myself is not an option – anybody recommend anywhere what to do with these so we can take advantage of the offer and not waste them?

We are in West Yorkshire.

Game available for collection tomorrow so need to move quickly if anybody can help?

thanks

[Mobile Chicane]

They can hang for a bit in this weather.

[The_Doc]

check this out

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

report back if it doesn't answer your questions

[SwanJack]

Don't bother plucking them, skin them instead

[Lotobear]

I usually hang them in the garage for 3 weeks, then simply pull out the breasts by splitting the chest with the thumbs and chucking the rest of the bird away. No messy plucking.

It comes out very easily if they've been well hung (so to speak).

Split breast and stuff with almond flakes and apricots, wrap in streaky bacon and roast in the oven. Make a port sauce with some rosemary and serve with some root veg and a glass of Amarone - lovely!

I'm talking pheasant but I expect grouse, partridge etc will be the same

[Jambo85]

Lotobear said:

simply pull out the breasts by splitting the chest with the thumbs and chucking the rest of the bird away. No messy plucking.
...
I'm talking pheasant but I expect grouse, partridge etc will be the same

Agree for pheasant. But partridge and grouse are a lot smaller, also more scarce and valuable and delicious, so worth spending the time to prep the whole thing, IMO.

[Lotobear]

That's a fair point. I don't eat much grouse or partridge even though they are very plentiful where I live so I've never cooked one.

[Batleyred]

Where in west yorkshire are you ? I can maybe help you.

[Tony Angelino]

Thanks to all the contributors, loads of helpful stuff to think about.

Batletyred - I'm about 3 miles from you assuming you are where your username suggests. The lads we're getting them from have since put us in touch with a game dealer who can make them pot ready for £2 a bird, this is an option as well for us,

[Jambo85]

As an aside, I've heard the game market has all but collapsed especially away from the cities - shoots can hardly get rid of game. If anyone reading this wants some (and you should!), speak to anyone you know who's into shooting and you'll likely get as much as you can deal with free or as good as...

[pitboard]

As regards hanging, fur by the feet, feather by the neck. Hang a bird the wrong way up and the digestive juices will drain into the breast meat and contaminate it

[Tony Angelino]

Well, looks like we've been slightly let down and rather than a nice selection of a few different birds we've been given 2 brace of pheasant..... Update to follow.

[anonymous-user]

This thread has got me wanting to make a pheasant curry

[soad]

Some say, the best method for plucking is to wear a rubber washing up glove and grab the feathers in small tufts, then short sharp yanks against the direction of growth? Start at the bum and work your way forwards...

[Tony Angelino]

soad said:

Start at the bum and work your way forwards...

I usually try

[Batleyred]

Tony Angelino said:

Batletyred - I'm about 3 miles from you assuming you are where your username suggests. The lads we're getting them from have since put us in touch with a game dealer who can make them pot ready for £2 a bird, this is an option as well for us,

I am in Birstall, if you get let down i would happily help. We use to keep 15 thousand birds on the farm years ago so would be able to help out.

[Tony Angelino]

Well, it wasn't the bumper crop of birds we thought it might be - just a coupe of brace but we really appreciated it none the less.

Went from 2 magnificent looking birds like this:



To these 2 slightly less impressive specimens after we had plucked and skinned them!



Mine went in the freezer and my mates got roasted for last nights tea. Really enjoyed it though and despite them not being the neatest efforts I was proud of myself and keen to see if I can find anybody else with a supply of birds as the tales we're hearing from the lads who go shooting about the amount of waste is criminal.

[Jambo85]

Good work! Agree about waste being criminal - shooting becomes difficult to defend when the quarry is not being eaten!