The end result was better then i expected! The hens were noticeably larger then the males, which we also expected. this processed group was mostly extra males, but there were a couple females to bump up numbers so we could both get a good meal out of them.
My good friend Julianna invited me over yesterday and we took on the poultry world. We sexed some chickens, processed some chickens, and also processed our first batch of quail! We had both done other types of birds, but this was our first time doing quail so we kinda applied other techniques and went on our way. I think we made out just fine! We ended up dry plucking, it worked out better then the hot dunk, but maybe the water wasn't the right temperature? Something to note about quail, very thin skin! the 2 "ribs" of feathers across the breast were particularly prone to little tears when plucking. Perhaps next time I'll try a hot dunk again, but i think I'd jut go with a wee pot over a small fire, might be easier. We did skin 1 to see what the difference was, and there wasn't much to be honest! Oh another note, laying hens have dark (maybe bruised) vent areas, i don't think there's anything wrong with it, just a bit alarming to see at first lol. The end result was better then i expected! The hens were noticeably larger then the males, which we also expected. this processed group was mostly extra males, but there were a couple females to bump up numbers so we could both get a good meal out of them. By the time we had finished chatting and cleaning, it was late in the evening so we decided to have them another day. I always seam to loose track of time there! So we split up the birds, said our goodnights and i headed home with a pretty set of naked quail lol. I got home and set them in some marinade and put them in the fridge till the next day when I'd cook em on the BBQ. I like to use Dianas Herb and Garlic Marinade, very tasty and seams to go with everything! Only down side to it is that it darkens rather quickly on the BBQ. I'm used to it so it doesn't bother me much. So I tossed them on the BBQ turned them on both sides then stood them up on their breast and voila! BBQ Coturnix Quail! They were quite tasty, a cross between turkey dark meat and something else, but i can't quite decide what! Give it a try, its mellow enough even my mom likes it but different enough from standard poultry that my dad enjoys it also.
2 Comments
Carmen Bowker
9/6/2011 02:53:19 pm
Those look really good. I will keep referring to that pic every time I get discouraged with this quail breeding project and need a little motivation. Hopefully I will have a butcher day soon.
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Sib
9/7/2011 09:18:17 am
Draw from it lol, I think i will too, the first time is always the hardest, it tends to get easier, but try not to put it off too long, you'll end up building it up to be more then it is. My next batch will be in late november i think, so i'll be sure to check back lol
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