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Drawing Game or Poultry

57. In drawing Game or Poultry, there are two methods of proceeding, depending upon the time during which the birds are to be kept. Thus, when partridges, pheasants, or poultry are to be kept as long a time as possible, it is desirable to remove the crop and intestines without admitting air into the interior: this is done by the method described below; but the objection to it is, that sometimes, though not often, the gall-bladder is broken, and causes thereby a degree of bitterness which is very unpleasant: - Take a wooden skewer, and pass it into the vent so as to hook the intestine on its point, then withdraw it with the point on the thumb, and it will bring a part with it inverted, like the finger of a glove in drawing it off; keep repeating this until a loop of intestine is brought out, when, by means of the finger using gentle traction, the whole may be drawn, leaving the gizzard, heart, and liver behind. The crop should be removed through a small slit made in the side of the neck, which will admit the finger to grasp it and draw it out as whole as possible. Some people prefer leaving this in until the final trussing, and for poultry which have had twelve hours' fasting it is quite unnecessary to remove it; but in game, and especially in pheasants, the crop is often very full, and, if allowed to remain, will ferment, and cause the adjacent parts to turn sour. 58. THE USUAL METHOD is to make a transverse opening with a knife between the vent and the rump. Through this the intestines are carefully drawn, and after they are all out, they should be severed at the vent; then pass in the fingers and detach the gizzard, liver, and heart from their attachments, together with the crop, if it has not been already removed through the neck; but it is better to bring away all together. After all are withdrawn, stretch the vent with the finger, and pass it over the rump, which will completely close the opening The gizzard is now to be detached, and slit open on one side, which will expose its contents; these are to be removed, together with the lining membrane, which easily peels off, beginning at the cut edge. Then take away the gall-bladder from the liver, after which it may be separated from its attachments, but leaving the heart with it: the two forming the appendages of the one wing, as the gizzard does of 115 Fig 114 117 118 11.9 116 120 121 122