We discovered these Cryovac bags that essentially shrink-wrap around our chickens and turkeys for better storage. We are selling these bags and you can order them from us with this order form.
The pictures below show you the steps we go through to get our chickens cleaned, bagged, and sealed tight. The same steps apply for turkeys.
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Obviously, the first step is to get each chicken thoroughly cleaned out. Here is Cody and Melanie attend to the details. |
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This is Craig spraying a chicken clean of all residue. |
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This is our chicken stand for allowing all the water to drain from the chickens once they are cleaned. |
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The chickens draining.
In 2006, we will use a new system that chills with ice-chilled air inestead of a chill tank, which will allow the birds to be even cleaner with less moisture in the bag. |
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When a chicken is drained and dry, slide one of the cryovac bags all the way down and over the legs, then pull the chicken off the rack. |
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Pull the legs tightly together and tighten the bag around the legs, squeezing out as much air as you can. |
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Spin the bag to create a tight pigtail. |
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Staple the bag's pigtail twice. These staplers are good for the 9 x 16 bags but we strongly suggest you use hog rings and hog pliers for anything larger. We can get these for you (as well as the bags), just contact us. |
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Put the chicken in the bucket for dumping into 200 degree water. |
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Dunk the chicken in 200 degree water just long enough to shrink the bag, which should be almost instantaneous. (The tongs help hold the bird in place.)
We are currently developing a wire basket that can be used with hust one hand and will hold the bird in place during the dunk. |
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A bagged chicken after dunking. Notice the bag is skin-tight around the chicken. |
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A bagged, tagged, and ready for the freezer bird. |
