Never Boned a Bird?

Never boned a bird? Though the task may seem daunting, it's not, and once you get the hang of it it's quite quick. Unless you want to deal with the entrails as well, you will want a bird that has been dressed; select one in which the opening produced by the process is relatively small. Try also to pick a bird whose skin is intact, and during the boning process be careful not to prick it accidentally, or the bird's juices will dribble out during the cooking, resulting in drier meat. To do this, keep the point of the knife pointed towards the skeleton at all times.

Since your bird may not be dressed, however (if you have been hunting, for example), we'll begin with a freshly plucked bird.

1. Singe the bird over a gas flame to eliminate pinfeathers, and then cut off the feet and the head, leaving as much of the neck as possible.
2. Bind the tubes that come from the craw lest the contents of the craw leak.
3. At this point we'll pick up with Artusi's instructions: Snip off the wing tips. Don't clean the bird, but rather make a cut along the back from the height of the wings to the tail, and then, using a sharp, fine bladed knife, dislocate the wings and pull them inside out, trimming the meat from the bones as you go (remove the bones from the wings, leaving hollow spaces, and leave the cartilage at the end of the drum sticks to act as plugs, keeping the drippings from escaping). Repeat the procedure with the thighs and drumsticks, then scrape the meat from the bones of the carcass, which will come away in one piece, with the guts inside it (carefully trim the anus, leaving a small hole in the skin). Leave the tiny bones of the coccyx, or, if you prefer, remove them and the wishbone.
4. Once you're done, remove the tendons nestled in the meat of the thighs and wings, and turn the bird right side out.

Artusi's technique, which also appears in the Joy of Cooking, leaves a slice up the back of the bird. My father-in-law, who sold poultry for a living, leaves the bird whole when he debones it:

1. Chop off the head and tie the tubes.
2. Put the bird on its back, and slip your fingers under the skin, of the neck, between the carcass and the breast, gently working the meat free from the ribs (think of turning a sock inside out).
3. When you reach the wings dislocate them, scrape the flesh from the bones with a knife, and turn the wings inside out to remove the wingtip bones.
4. Continue working the flesh down the carcass (remove the wishbone when you reach it), and when you reach the legs disjoint them and scrape the meat from them, leaving the cartilage at the ends of the drumsticks to act as plugs.
5. Continue working the flesh off the carcass, making certain to get the tasty bits of muscle in the hollows of the bone, and cut through the spine where it enters the tail.
6. If the bird was undressed, trim the opening around the anus, and when you remove the carcass the entrails will come with it.

An illustrated version of these steps.

Regardless of the technique you adopt, when you are done boning the bird, use needle and thread to repair any tears you have made in the skin, and proceed to the recipe.

Some Background | And Some Recipes