The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-11-08
CLEANING AND TRUSTING TUR.
KEY.

II you are near a good market where
your Thanksgiving turkey can be
dressed and sent to you almost ready for
the oven you may never have stopped to
ask how the dressing is accomplished
Let us suppose that some kind friend
sends you in as a gift turkey that has
been picked but not dressed (thc con-
dition most poultry now reaches the
markeD and then you need knowledge
and need it badly indeed.
l hold it to be the duty of everyone to
be prepared for just such emergencies
and so will try and tell you how to
clean and truss your holiday bird.
To begin. first pull out carefully all the
pin feathers and SINCE the bird over
piece of lighted paper turning it on ev-
cry side so as to remove all the hairs.
With a cleaver or large knife cut off
the head and with a smaller instrument
carefully remove the oil sack. If the
drumsticks are to be roasted the sinews
and tendons should be removed and this
can be done by drawing them out by
means of a hook after the skin has been
cut around just below the Joint
The leg may be unjointed but it is
better to break the bone just below the
joint and thus sever the foot from the
leg. When the bird is roasted it is easy
to remove this piece of bone and leave
on the turkey a clean white joint.
Cut slit in the loose skin of the neck,
loosen the windpipe and crop and re-
move with a steady pull, being care
full not to break the crop. Next cut a
two-inch slit just above the vent, insert
the fingers, loosen the membrane as
much as possible from the walls of the
cavity, grasp firmly the largest object
you can feel, which will be the gizzard,
and draw steadily out. With a little
practice you will find that you will thus
remove the intestinal mass intact Draw
all clear Of the body and with a knife
cut around the vent and remove it with
the large intestine.
When you have made sure that the
cavity is c,eal wipe the entire interior
with two soft cloths the first wet in cold
water, the last dry. This is much better
than washing as you do not in this way
injure the flavor.
The bird is now ready for stufIing
which should be used to ill the cavity
and so made as to keep the meat moist.
Do not crowd it in as a good stuffing
always sweils in cooking. Remember al
so that a turkey should be well larded.
With a trussing needle and Irvine, first
sew up the Sits, sewing carpet fashion,
then give the legs and wings your at
tention. These can be kept in place in
several ways, but l prefer to still use
the trusting needle which now must be
q long one. Turn the tips Of the wings
under the upper joints; run the needle
through wings and body to the oppo-
site side then back again half or three
quarters of an inch from the first stitch,
draw up the two ends of the twine and
tie firmly.
The thighs should be pressed well up
on the side of the body and then treated
in the same way as the wings and the
end of the drumsticks then stitched to-
gether. The advantage Of this style Of
trussing is the ease with which the
strings may be removed by simply cut
ting them on the opposite side from
which they are tied and pulling them
through by the knots.
Brush over the bird with melted but
ter and dust with salt and pepper be-
fore putting in the oven. The oven
should be very hot when the turkey is
first put in and should be kept in that
condition for at least the first fifteen
II inutes then the oven may be slower.
Careful basting is essential to success
in cooking turkey
IL