to debone fowl...

to debone fowl...

in this case the common yardbird…

however… the same principle remains for all fowl

some are built a bit differently so you will have to struggle those

on your own abilities to wield a sharp knife

and yes... the first aspect is a sharp knife

preferably a thin blade

SIDE NOTE:       many asians simple take a cleaver and piece into chunks which w/the outrageous cost of chicken wings a far more economical approach as a substitution and frankly giving a much better product in the end…

so let us start

I prefer a bird about three pounds...

smaller the better

just my choice

start by removing the wing tips and place in the pot you plan to make

your stock in...

or

feed directly to the four legged family

that may hover around you constantly…

(raw bones are ok for critters... it is the cooking that cause them to splinter and unfriendly for their insides)

flip bird on breast

this is in preparation of removing the backbone

which is done by slicing from the Pope's Nose (or tail

as it was called when I was a child learning to cook from

my grandmother at the age of seven or eight)

along the spine to the neck…

(Disclaimer: sorry if this offends some of you... today it is hard to tell… lighten up... it only reflects the Boston area in the late fifties in which I was raised... far less offensive than the pedophilia that was rampant in the parishes at the time... besides it made us kids laugh... fart humor??? My Great Aunt Ester for who I was named after… use to love that cut during Thanksgiving... she also enjoyed her Gin it was at her request the term even existed... so in respect for my elders… Pope's Nose it is!!!)

you then make a slice along the breast bone...

then push down and apart which will allow you to pull out

the bone and cartilage breaking away from the ribs

on both sides

now to remove the ribs and hip joint

insert knife and follow

the contour by pulling back the bones separating the meat

Note: joints are mainly cartilage which cuts easily w/a bit of wiggle and posturing getting the knife to butter through thus leaving the bird w/only wings... leg/thigh having bones for certain applications this may work to stop and cook as is…

to remove the thigh and leg bones is a matter

of feel and just starting at the hip joint and carving around

the bone... maneuvering the knee joint slicing down the bone

at this point…

take the bone in one hand and the meat in the other

and literally pull the leg inside out

as if in a pair of pants

and cut away at the bottom

leaving the leg a hollow tube

to stuff later if desired

now...

simply reshape the results back

to look very similar to where you started

At the very least

salt and pepper both inside and out

fill w/anything from butter

sausage

onions/garlic

vegetables

herbs

traditional stuffing

best cooking in a pan of some sort

allowing you to mold the flesh around the ingredients

or simply cut side done on a grill

after sitting in the fridge for an hour or so

to help firm and keep it's shape

the beauty of this method is the stock you make before

to use for gravy if necessary

or just liquid for other items

get the work done before

instead of after… (and do the dishes as you go???)

ENJOY

and remember you can always eat your mistakes… provided you didn’t really screw up!!!

LOL