• Game birds may be dressed by dry or wet picking or skinning.
• Dry pick-ing is very tedious and for most people it is impractical.
• Wet picking is quick and when done properly, both fine appearance and excellent flavor may be retained.
• Since birds differ in the tenderness of the skin and coarseness of feathers, it is necessary to use water of different temperatures to obtain satisfactory results.
• Pheasants, grouse and quail have fairly tender skins and should be dipped in water heated to just 130 F.
• Mallard ducks require water heated from 150 to 160 F for the feathers to be removed most efficiently.
• The large Brazilian ducks require still hotter water, from 160 to 170 F.
• A thermometer is essential in order that the exact temp of the water will be known.
• The birds are dipped up and down in the hot water until the coarse wing and tail feathers can be pulled out with ease.
• Then the bird is wrapped immediately in several folds of sacking or muslin and allowed to steam a few minutes.
• The feathers can then be removed quickly and cleanly by beginning at the tail end and grasping a handful of feathers, then pushing the feathers out and away from you.
• This motion is in the opposite direction from the lay of the feathers and is less likely to tear the skin than if the pulling is done in the same direction the feathers lay.
• Birds that are badly shot up are often skinned to obtain a cleaner and more attractive looking surface.
• But this skinning removes the fat and the cooked bird does not retain its juice nor have as fine a flavor and appearance as birds with the skin intact.
• After ducks or geese are wet picked, the skin will reveal a thick covering of down that must be removed.
• It helps to first singe the bird (pass it quickly through a blue flame to remove both hairs and down), but the only effective way of completing the job is to sit down with tweezers and a sharp knife and pick and scrape until a clean "downless" and "pin-featherless" skin is obtained.
• This takes patience and perseverance but it is absolutely necessary if the cooked duck is to be thoroughly enojyed.
• Pheasants, quail and grouse are not covered with down, but occasionally they have pin-feathers that must be patiently removed with tweezers and paring knife in the same way.