PREPARING POULTRY PRODUCTS 479 



The classification of dressed ducks may be gotten at by 

 squeezinp; the windpipe between the thumb and forefinger. 

 If it can be compressed and flattened witli sliglit resistance, 

 the duck is young. If it is solid like a whip cord, it is an old 

 bird. 



Trussing. — For fancy family trade the producer frequently 

 finds it profitable to go beyond the ordinary operations of 

 dressing in the preparation of poultry for the consumer, and 

 to truss the bird. Trussing refers specifically to fastening 

 the legs or wings to the body, but is used here in the broader 

 sense, including all of the common operations of prej)aring a 

 roasting fowl for the oven. It includes singeing, ]ndling 

 the tendons, removing the shanks, head and neck, wish-bone, 

 and internal organs, and pinioning the wings and legs, iic- 

 moving the internal organs is referred to as "drawing." 

 Trussing should be resorted to only when the birds are 

 intended for immediate consumption. A dressed bird with 

 head wrai)ped ready for trussing is shown in I'igure 2l.'(i. 



Singeing. — Singeing refers to the remo^'ing Ijy means of a 

 flame the hair-like feathers (filoplumes) which cannot be 

 removed in picking, whether the bird is dry j)icked or scalded. 

 For this purpose, wood alcohol furnishes an excellent flame 

 because it is smokeless and does not give the meat any taint 

 or odor. The bird should be flamed only as much as is 

 necessary to get rid of the filoplumes. Too nuich flaming 

 will sear the skin and injure the appearance of the carcass. 



Removing the Neck. — To remove the neck, make an incision 

 in the skin at the point on the back of the neck \\herc it 

 joins the body, as shown in Figure 227. ( ut the skin alonu 

 the dotted line, as shown in Figure 227, and then loosen the 

 skin from the neck, as well as the gullet, croji, and wind- 

 pipe, pulling the latter out from the body as far as possible 

 before pulling them free. Then cut oft' the head, leaving the 

 gullet and wind-pipe attached to the head, and loose neck 

 skin attached to the carcass. 



Now slip the knife down close to the base of the neck, as 

 shown in Figure 228. Cut it on both sides and then across 

 the top. If the ligaments surroimding the neck are carefully 

 cut it can be pulled oft' easily. 



