[Sca-cooks] Cooking peacocks

[John Kemker]

James/Alasdair mac Iain wrote:
> What would be the proper process for serving a peacock (or other bird) in 
> its feathers?  Just skin the bird carefully, roast it, and then pull the 
> skin back over the carcass?  Would anything special be done to the skin 
> while the bird itself was cooking?
>
>
> Alasdair mac iain 
>
>
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>   
What I, personally, would do is to cure and smoke the skin, to preserve
it against decay.

This is done in trapping on a regular basis to protect a fur from going
nasty before it's taken to market.

First, deflesh the skin, making sure there are no bits of meat or fat
left on the skin.  Then rub the inside of the skin with plenty of salt. 
This will pull moisture out of the skin, which helps prevent bacterial
growth.  Next, start a smoky fire using hardwood or hardwood charcoal. 
(You don't want the added resiny, turpentine flavor from pine or other
softwoods.)  Hold the skin over the fire, keeping it away from heat, but
allowing the smoke to colorize the skin.  You shouldn't have to smoke it
very long, as you will be cooking the roasted peacock while smoking the
skin, so it shouldn't need extreme long-term preservation.  Probably
about 1 to 5 minutes, making sure to evenly cover the skin with the
smoke.  If you plan on using the same peacock cape another time, then
smoke the skin well, taking up to 10-30 minutes and make sure the color
is even.

Times given are rough estimates.  They will vary with the size of the
skin to be smoked, how smoky your fire is and other factors.  Generally,
I go by color.  When the skin has gained a nice, even tan color, that's
good enough for a short-term preservation.  If I'm looking to preserve
it longer, I'm more likely to go for an almost peanut-butter or darker
color.

--Cian