Fezant pluckers -dry or soaked in boiling water?

[malkiserow]

Do you pluck yours dry or do you dunk your pheasants in boiling water for 5 minutes before plucking?

 

Other than the water stopping the feathers blowing all over does the water method give any advantage?

 

 

Edit.....

 

Got a few today on a rough shoot and might just pluck and roast these one.

Edited December 20, 2013 by malkiserow

[malkiserow]

Any thoughts folks?

[kent]

Well,

I am not a pheasant plucker, I am a pheasant pluckers son and I am only plucking pheasants till the pheasant plucker comes. But I just pull em off dry, it don't take long once you get used- do the same with anything even big geese. by the time you have prepped the boiling water I should have a brace finished!

[pegasus bridge]

I've never found it worth rh effort to pluck, always skin them!

[mpk]

I pluck them cold and dry, infact did a couple this morning

[hambone]

Always done pheasant dry but the boiling water method makes plucking cockerels easier. Can't see why it won't work on pheasants but as Kent posted above if it's only a few birds it would probably take longer to boil the water. If you try the water method it does not need to be boiling (not far off) and I find a few dunks and a swirl about is enough time in the water.

Edited December 21, 2013 by hambone

[malkiserow]

I shot 7 yesterday on my little rough shoot. I usually do just skin them but as we want to roast these plucking is needed.

 

I am curious on the boiled water method as some cultures don't dry pluck.

[hambone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uuLoZqVKt4
Here you go. Not the vid I was looking for but it shows how

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_S3P0eU0lE

This is a bit long winded but more start to finish.

Edited December 21, 2013 by hambone

[activeviii]

Dont use boiling, 60 degree else you'll start the cooking.

 

easier to cold pluck and then burning news paper to flame the fine feathers, same as you do on duck.

 

i just pull the legs to get the sinew out and then take the lefts and breasts. duck i pluck as i like the crispy skin. Goose the same as pheasant.

[scolopax]

Pluck them dry.

[Guest rimotu66]

I always pluck dry, never heard of doing otherwise, wouldn't soaking in hot water make the skin softer making it easier to tear?

[Clamps]

I've never found it worth rh effort to pluck, always skin them!

+1

[shoot and be safe]

When I used to pluck chickens, the water would be just over body temp or the bird would scald and look horrible. Soak long enough to soften the bird and rub your hand over the feathers and they fall off. With chickens, you would dispatch one (let it "kick"), put it in the water. Dispatch an other, hang the one in the water up. Put the one you have just dispatched in the water. Dispatch another. Pluck the one hanging as one "soaks" and the other one "kicks". You would get into a system and be plucking one in less than 45 seconds.

1. dispatch, let it "kick"

2. soaking, (if you can't hold your hand in the water, it's to hot)

3. pluck, (pull the flight feathers first)