Author Topic: Hanging time for a turkey (Read 8334 times)

wayfarer · « **on:** December 13, 2014, 12:04:08 pm »

Can you please tell me how long you hang your turkeys for? I have a 7 month Norfolk Black which will be Christmas dinner but not sure when to dispatch. It will have to hang in an outhouse and as we are in the south temperatures at the moment are about 8 degrees C during the day.

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 13, 2014, 12:13:33 pm »

hi

at least a week....longer if you can so I would be killing anyway day now

you can't beat the taste of your own home reared turkey, enjoy

HesterF · « **Reply #2 on:** December 13, 2014, 12:45:20 pm »

Not done it before but we've got six this year which will be killed on Monday coming. Some need to be picked up the following weekend so they'll be hung for five days and gutted on Saturday. The others will probably hang for seven days and then be prepped a couple of days before Christmas. I'm a bit worried about the temperatures towards the end of this week too - so I'm going to keep an eye on it and if they get too far over 5, I've got a back up plan involving a fridge since I'd hate to poison anybody! From what I've read, it's important their guts are as empty as possible before hanging so 24 hours with only water - although I think ours will be a bit less as I'll let them have a run around tomorrow for their last day of freedom before just putting them in early afternoon for a mid-morning dispatch on Monday.

H

cloddopper · « **Reply #3 on:** December 13, 2014, 12:51:58 pm »

Make sure that the outhouse is cat & rat free ..

20 years or so ago, I opened out feed store on the morning of 21 Dec ( my birthday ) where there were two cock pheasants hanging five feet from the floor in the middle of the seven foot wide room and saw two bloody great rats feasting on my boxing day meat .

Luckliy I was going out shooting for the day as picker up , so I was able to replace them but five day hung birds just don't taste as tender or nice as 14 day hangers ... it was like eating rubber .

Hevxxx99 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 13, 2014, 05:39:55 pm »

I hang mine, ungutted and fully feathered for 10 days in a cool place like a garage (even in mild years)

I don't starve them before slaughter and I've never had a problem with contamination: you just have to be a little more careful when you do the gutting. It won't contaminate the meat whilst the bird is still intact.