Breaking Down A Chicken

[Keltin]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

>I tried to hide that little goof, but you caught me!! <

You can run but you can't hide.

You Da Man!!!!

[tcinsa]

Hey, no fair you guys. What the heck are grebenes?

[KYHeirloomer]

We can tell you, but then we'd have to kill you.

Grebenes is the rendered skin of the chicken, sort of like cracklings.

You cut the skin in smallish pieces, put them in a pot, and, over low heat, render out the fat. The skin will crisp up. Drain it on paper towels, and do not share---it's your reward for doing all that work with the chickens!

BTW, the rendered fat is useful too, for cooking, or just spreading on bread like butter. When make cracklins the rendered fat of a hog is called lard. When you make grebenes, the rendered fat is called schmaltz.

[tcinsa]

Okay, I feel better now. I was imagining weird chicken genitals or something, hidden away waiting to spring out at me! (I need to stop watching so much Sci-Fi channel.)

[Keltin]

Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s! Cracklin’s!

Oh…..sorry! Very yummy. Good for topping salads, soups, stews, or just EAT THEM plain. Cracklin’s! LOL! We Suthern boys love it!

[KYHeirloomer]

>Good for topping salads, soups, stews....<

I reckon they would be, if they hung around that long.

As noted below, I consider grebenes a reward for doing all the work. Selfish of me, I suppose.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

One quick hint when fabricating whole hens: some newbies don't realize this but when seperating the leg from the thigh, for super-easy results, turn the piece over to peer on the inside of the thigh. Slide the skin back a wee bit to peek at the flesh & get clear sight of the actual joint. There is always a line of yellow fat that stands out prominently against the pink color of the flesh, marking exactly where the thigh/leg joint is located. This yellow line of fat is exactly where, and in the direction that one's blade should cut to dismember leg from thigh. Use this line of fat as a guide and you'll divide perfectly through the joint without cutting into the ball joint or bone at all. Until you become well-practiced, knowing exactly where to cut can be tricky. This little hint is nearly fool-proof!

[KYHeirloomer]

Great tip, Chubby. Thanks for posting it.

[jglass]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

We can tell you, but then we'd have to kill you.

Grebenes is the rendered skin of the chicken, sort of like cracklings.

You cut the skin in smallish pieces, put them in a pot, and, over low heat, render out the fat. The skin will crisp up. Drain it on paper towels, and do not share---it's your reward for doing all that work with the chickens!

BTW, the rendered fat is useful too, for cooking, or just spreading on bread like butter. When make cracklins the rendered fat of a hog is called lard. When you make grebenes, the rendered fat is called schmaltz.

Oh my..my husband would love those. Have to make him some.
They use schmalt to make chicken liver spread right?

[KYHeirloomer]

That's correct, Janie.

Just think of lard made from a chicken, and you'll have a fair idea of what it's like. A lower melting point than lard, though, a pale yellow color, rather than white, and can be used as a spread by itself, like butter or marjorin.

My mama would saute chopped onions in the schmaltz as part of her method of making chopped liver. The chicken livers, too, would be cooked in it. Then the livers, onions, a hard-boiled egg, would all be finely chopped in a wooden bowl (this by hand, mind you, with a chopper that in many ways resembled an ulu or a single-bladed messaluna). Salt, pepper, maybe a little parsley if some was laying around, and enough more schmaltz to bind it all together.

Oh, goodness. Just thinking about my mom's chopped liver, with a slice of tomato on rye. Ummmm, ummmm, ummmm.