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cleaning quail
roysha
Member Posts: 749 ✭✭✭✭
What is your prefered method of cleaning quail. I have been told dry pick, scald and pick, skin, breast out and toss the rest, and regarding entrail removal, to split down the backbone or cut from vent along ribs to nearly the backbone, bend in half and clean the bird. I live in a part of the country where quail don't, can't, or wont. Game and Fish has attempted for as long as I can remember to establish a few coveys but no go. I raise a batch each year and have enough to put in the freezer now. Really would like to here from people in Quail country as to how they handle a quantity of birds versus just a few that one would likely have from hunting.
Comments
It's a lot of work but I prefer to pluck all small game birds I am going to eat. Once you have removed all the feathers and eviscerated it, and the bird is free of any feathers wash the bird inside and out with cool water. For cleaning I make a Y shaped cut from the vent to tip of breastbone, the cut out making two *. If all the feathers don't come out and you are having a hard time plucking it clean you can finish the outside of the bird with paraffin wax. When you go to do this find an old pot that a bird will fit into easily. Don't ever use your wife's good everyday cookware as it is very hard to clean out pot when done. To prepare the wax put in a couple blocks of wax in you pot and melt them down. Keep melting wax until there is 3 to 4 inches of liquid in the pan. Once the wax is melted set the first bird in the wax and roll it around until it is completely covered. Remove the bird with a set of tongs and set it on some newspaper to dry. If you missed a spot pour a little wax on it. Depending on the number of birds you may have to keep adding wax as needed. Let the wax dry until it is firm. Now you can peel it off along with all those feathers you couldn't pluck. Rinse birds with cold water and it is ready to cook. When freezing them dry off the carcass before putting it in a freezer bag. Using the whole bird with the skin on will keep the meat nice and juicy as well as tender. You can also fill the body cavity with fruits, vegetables, and spices. I like to use apples, oranges, carrots, turnips, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion salt. Cut it all up it to small pieces mix it all together in a bowl then stuff some into each bird you are going to cook.
It sounds like a lot of work but most of my friends that pull the breasts and fry them, switch to the pluck the whole bird method after they come over and have a feed done as they say, "The hard way" with wild rice and vegetables.
I hope this is helpful and not too confusing.
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