Have you ever boned a bird

In the movie "Julie and Julia" one of the most difficult recipes is one which involves boning a duck. I know that in my case it was Julia Child who gave me the encouragement and description that allowed me to bone my first chicken. I have done it many times since, particularly for a Tuscan recipe in which the bird is stuffed with prosciutto etc. for extra flavor, salami-tied into a cylinder, and either grilled or put on a rotisserie and beautifully browned. Ideally the result is beautifully juicy flavorful meat which is extremely simple to "carve." I talk about boning Poussin and Quail in the "Babette's Feast" topic.

SO is this something you have done? I am curious about the group we have here, there is a lot of rather fancy cooking going on in this group. I just wonder if people have gone past this hurdle. And guys, what I mean is removing all the bones from a fowl, don't even go there with other senses of the word "boning", thank you.

I voted for once but might have said twice - the first time and the last time. Simply stated, that's what god made poultry butchers for.

Best
Rogov

And guys, what I mean is removing all the bones from a fowl, don't even go there with other senses of the word "boning", thank you.

Or indeed 'bird'. I have to say the combination of these two double-entendres is somewhat unfortunate.

regards

Ian

I voted for once but might have said twice - the first time and the last time. Simply stated, that's what god made poultry butchers for.

Best
Rogov

And chefs. Many years ago when I was working as a sous chef one of my jobs was boning birds. I had finished a shift one day and was changing when the chef said, "You did bone those two dozen squab in the walk-in, didn't you?" They weren't there when I looked ten minutes before. He either had them stashed somewhere and did it to me on purpose or a truck had just delivered them. There was no truck.

No, other than taking out the backbone to butterfly the bird, I don't have any reason to debone.

And while we're at it - what's the difference between boning and deboning?

I have never used the term "debone" myself. And, I may be mistaken in my senility, but I don't ever recall hearing a chef acquaintance use it.

I voted for once but might have said twice - the first time and the last time. Simply stated, that's what god made poultry butchers for.

Best
Rogov

Daniel, if only there were poultry butchers here. In fact if there were butchers at all in a local supermarket I would never shop anywhere else. Now, having said that, I do know that there are stores that will cut one a roast to order, and will even remove the chine bone on a (for example) beef rib roast. But AFAIK there is no store in Lexington Kentucky, where I can go to the butcher and get a fresh chicken, (or any other fowl) Available here where chicken is concerned there is pre-packed chicken and they all proudly boast "contains up to 15% real chicken broth" Now what in the hell is "real chicken broth" when found in raw chicken? (this is a redux of a previous thread here on FLDG) but this is also true of most pork products purchased in the supermarket whether it be chops, roasts, or hams.

[Jenise]

I'm in the several times a year group.

Like you, I got my inspiration from Julia Child--I saw her make a "chicken ball" in a segment on David Letterman about 20 years ago. (Of course, the jokes just wrote themselves.) The result looked so beautiful I had to do this myself, and I've been doing it ever since. Last Christmas, I boned and stuffed 7 capons for our wine group's annual Christmas dinner.

I don't know how many folks here have dealt with d'Artagnan -- they are a fine company here in New Jersey and they ship all over the place. I have no connection except as a customer. You can get nearly any bird you can imagine -- for the Scottish Black Grouse they suggest you take care with the bird-shot. Of course it's at a price.

They sell pre-boned quails, I am not sure about the other birds, but the quails are probably a good idea if you want to do anything at all with quails. I think they leave in the "drumsticks" but otherwise they are limp and ready for stuffing. Or grilling or whatever.

BTW they make very taste Pâtés.

And while we're at it - what's the difference between boning and deboning?

I have never used the term "debone" myself. And, I may be mistaken in my senility, but I don't ever recall hearing a chef acquaintance use it.

I believe that only God can "bone" a chicken. It's up to you to "debone" a chicken.
The words are in the dictionary and are used interchangeably. Besides, what difference does it make? Bone and debone are both used in cookbooks, and my chef acquaintances tell me that both are correct. Tsk, tsk, you are so quick to criticize.

And guys, what I mean is removing all the bones from a fowl, don't even go there with other senses of the word "boning", thank you.

Or indeed 'bird'. I have to say the combination of these two double-entendres is somewhat unfortunate.

regards

Ian

I love that we can have a post titled "Have you ever boned a bird?" and everyone here plays it soooo straight. Ian, this is your fault, I've been watching The Wrong Door again.

And no, I've never boned a bird, but I've always thought the people who could stuff a boned quail inside a boned chicken inside a boned turkey were very clever...

And while we're at it - what's the difference between boning and deboning?

I have never used the term "debone" myself. And, I may be mistaken in my senility, but I don't ever recall hearing a chef acquaintance use it.

I believe that only God can "bone" a chicken. It's up to you to "debone" a chicken.
The words are in the dictionary and are used interchangeably. Besides, what difference does it make? Bone and debone are both used in cookbooks, and my chef acquaintances tell me that both are correct. Tsk, tsk, you are so quick to criticize.

I knew a farmer in Indiana who was arrested for boning a chicken. Sounds like God has some competition.

And you're mighty quick to infer criticism. What difference does it make? I am interested in words. I was an English major and I am a writer. Most chefs I have known were not English majors.

Long, long ago, a friend of mine made a recipe she called "Chicken Baked in a Loaf of Bread": FIrst, she got a bread dough going. While it proofed (or raised, or whatever it was doing in the bowl in the warm corner this time), she deboned a chicken, including the legs. This was a magnificent combat and I stood in awe as she wielded her knife around impossible corners of that poult's anatomy while keeping the bird whole. She then sauteed some sweet red peppers and onions, and stuffed them in and around the bird, which was itself embedded into the dough. She baked it a long time.

Of course, the ooh-aah moment is when you slice the loaf.

It tasted good but it was way too much work to ever do again. She never did, in my presence, and I tell the story as a cautionary tale.

Jeff, it's not THAT hard. Doing anything for the first time can be difficult.

Julia Child's main rule is that as long as the blade of your knife is touching bone, you can not be making a mistake.

For the wings and legs, you have to think in terms of taking off a sweater. You go up from the wrists and ankles and then down from the inside until you can free up the bone and twist it out.

I did a Cornish Game Hen this afternoon, stuffed it with its own liver (quite large) and the rest of the foie gras pate. Tied, poached, and put it in with the poaching liquid which has turned into a tasty aspic in a small loaf pan. It would have done just as well inside a loaf of bread or tossed onto a grill, griddle, or rotisserie.

Jenise, I am glad to see you are with me on this, I have to say it doesn't surprise me.

F

I haven't boned a bird, and I haven't really considered doing it myself because there are a couple of chicken shops nearby that do it for you. I'd be buying the chook there anyway, why not get it already prepared? They would do a better and quicker job than I would. However, I voted "none of the above" because if I didn't have access to a place that would bone the chicken for me, I'd have a go.

I voted a few times a year. Usually quail which I marinade and then stuff with whatever takes my fancy. The Greeks just grill it with their seasonings.

Julia Child's main rule is that as long as the blade of your knife is touching bone, you can not be making a mistake.

That wasn't just Julia's rule. It's "our" rule. If you get lost, probe with the tip of the boning knife until you hit bone again.

The only reason I brought that up relates to a chat I was having with a winemaker today. This person is not fond of Emeril. Nor am I. Oh, I think he's a good cook, but he's stuck on this one pronoun. The first person. "This is the way I like to do it" comes out of his mouth as often as any other expression he utters.

Well, there's a reason "he" likes to do it that way. It's the way trained, accomplished chefs have been doing it for a hundred years or so. Grates on me. Bigtime.

Well, I didn't go to chef school, I learned from Julia, and that's all I was saying. You know she would not have claimed the technique as her own idea or invention. BTW I have heard that Jacques Pepin has a way of peeling the flesh off the bones with his fingertips, hardly using the knife at all. Is that also part of the standard repertoire?

Certainly Emeril is annoying in many ways...

When I took boot camp at the CIA, an oriental chef deboned a chicken as a demo using a cleaver -- she did the job in less than 60 seconds. Amazing dexterity.

Incidentally, Pepin's demo is at the following link; you also get to see Julia marvel at his ability to do so in 32 seconds:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video ... cken-4271/

I've read that it is possible to debone a chicken without breaking the skin. Is that true?

[BTW, the OED doesn't recognize the word "debone".]

I make a dish once year where I bone a quail and a cornish hen, stuff the quail with some veggies and place the quail inside the cornish hen along with wild rice.

When I took boot camp at the CIA, an oriental chef deboned a chicken as a demo using a cleaver -- she did the job in less than 60 seconds. Amazing dexterity.

Incidentally, Pepin's demo is at the following link; you also get to see Julia marvel at his ability to do so in 32 seconds:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video ... cken-4271/

I've read that it is possible to debone a chicken without breaking the skin. Is that true?

[BTW, the OED doesn't recognize the word "debone".]

Great clip! Thanks, Bob! You have to love Julia..how many people could announce, without evoking an outburst of laughter, "Jacques is said to be a great boner.." ?? She was priceless.

What I loved was the way that she waits for him to finish the little bird then dumps this huge thing on his little plate.

For some reason I couldn't get the movie to work until just now. It was probably because I was trying at work and there are lots of restrictions there. Very impressive, and I can imagine doing it that way, he says something about "taking off pajamas" and that is certainly what it feels like. I'm imagining a boned, stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving now.

Also -- the skin is stretchy and I think that if you really know what you are doing you can just not cut the skin and work from the top down, like "taking off a sock." I've heard of that too. It's probably easier to stuff a bird that is laid out wide open.

FWIW here is what I have in the fridge now -- Cornish game hen in rich aspic, stuffed with paté and liver.