Butcher turtles? How to?

[10 ga]

I've caught and sold many a C# of turtles. I've even eaten some other people cooked. Have never butchered or cooked any.

Well, how do you clean/butcher them? I'll put some up this year if I can find out how to get from snapper to meat W/O any shell or bones.

Thanks, 10 ga

[Hickory]

First you need to kill it.
The way I used to do it was to electrocute them.
Take a electric cord solder an alligator clip to end of
a cut off cord and solder a large nut to the other.

Clip the alligator clip to the tail of the turtle and
dangle the nut in front of the turtle.

After the turtle takes the nut in it's mouth, you can
now plug in the electrical cord. This kills them very fast.

Don't forget to unplug the electric cord!

To remove the meat from the turtle just remove the top shell
and the meat will come out with a few extra cuts.

[leftiye]

On tv, I saw a guy cut the snapping turtle's head off, stuff a compressed air hose into the throat and blow the turtle up. They said it almost brings the meat loose from the shell and bones. This was before cooking BTW.

Otherwise, I'd get a sawzall and a knife .......

[lcclower]

Clean any turtle outside within reach of your water hose, as cleaning turtles is a bloody enterprise.

[flounderman]

the old timers cleaned them with a sharp hatchet. pull the head out, cut it off, turn the turtle on its back and there is a line that just has cartlige between the shell halves. cut it where the bottom joins the top and cut all the way around the bottom shell, slide the knife or hatchet under the bottom shell and separate it. I cut the feet off because they keep clawing at the knife. cut the skin all the way around the shell and remove it from each leg and the neck. next cut the legs loose and the neck. necks the best part. I sold to an outfit in virginia. they scalded the turtles and the outer layer of skin came off. they cut the legs and neck with the skin on, cleaned the shell and packed the meat in the shell and saran wrapped it and shipped it.

[DIRT Farmer]

I just cleaned a big one Friday, Remove head with a hatchet, scald the outer skin off, a boning knife slips between the joint in the two shell halves, cut the meat free peal the remaining skin off legs, neck and tail, trim feet with pruning shears. Done in ten minuites with two sharp knives from the start. One knife to cut between the shell halves, the other to cut the skin off. Soak the meat in salted water over night.
+1 on having a hose near by.

[Mooseman]

Give me a Bowl of turtle soup...and make it snappy !!! [smilie=l:

[cattleskinner]

The way I do it is to step on their back which will cause their nose to protrude out of their shell slightly. Then take a 2x4 or a chunk of wood and smack them square on the nose, doing so will stun it or kill it depending on how hard you swung. You can then safely pull the head out without getting bit and cutting it off saving as much meat as you can. There is a soft bit of cartilage between the top and bottom shell you can cut through with a knife, along with a spot on the feet you can cut behind the claws to remove both. I have never found a good way other than skinning to skin the legs although I have heard of many other such as boiling like a chicken or the air compressor method. However you decide to do it let us know how it worked, you might find a trick that makes it easier for the rest of us.

[duke76]

First you need to kill it.

Clip the alligator clip to the tail of the turtle and
dangle the nut in front of the turtle.




Don't forget to unplug the electric cord!

To remove the meat from the turtle just remove the top shell
and the meat will come out with a few extra cuts.

shouldnt you use a turtle clip instead of an alligator one lol

[mnkyracer]

+1 on having a hose close by. The last 2 that I did went as follows:

1. Place noose around neck to stretch - how you get it there is up to you.
2. The head then feet are cut with a hatchet
3. Shell halves are separated at the joint of the upper and lower shells
4. All leg/neck/tail openings are cut free from the shell
5. Shell halves are pulled apart freeing any stubborn areas with a knife. You will likely end up with a front half and rear half.
6. Dip each section in boiling water until the skin slips off when grabbed and slid. (Think - peeling a tomato after dipping in hot water)
7. Rinse and soak what's left

I've also taken both halves and thrown them right on a charcoal grill. a little BBQ sauce and life was good.

[Iowa Fox]

Yum Turtle.

With the turtle on the ground I reach at his nose with a long set of pliers and when he bites I clamp down and stretch his neck with a foot on its back. A sharp knife cuts its head off. Be careful where you put the head ( kids and dogs) as it will bite for 6 hours after being cut off. I then drive a spike through its tail and nail it to a tree or poll about shoulder heigth, turtle belly out. From there I start at the rear feet and skin like any other critter, working my way down to the front feet and neck. The top and bottom shell are just held together with a membrane so a sharp knife cuts with ease. The top shell has two tenderloins in it that is worth cutting out on the bigger ones. A pair of side cutters will cut the shell ribs and then just peel them out.

Sometimes I'll keep them in a stock tank with fresh water to help freshen them up before I butcher them.

A good shrp knife makes quick work of them.

[Pb2au]

can opener

[MBTcustom]

Interesting! I never thought about munching down on a turtle before. Let me ask you this: Is a snapper the only species that is any good to eat?
I catch turtles all the time on my trot-lines and there are a lot of soft-shell turtles. We have gators, sliders and soft-shells here as well as box turtles a plenty. Which of these make good vittles?

[Mooseman]

Snapping and softshell turtles are the best for eating.
I believe Box turtles are rare or protected , so turn them loose.

[MBTcustom]

If they're rare, it's because they all moved to Arkansas!
That is encouraging about the soft shells though. There are one or two of those on my trot lines every time I go out. So far, I have tried to get the hook out of their mouths and turned them loose, but next time its going to be dinner! I can't believe I never thought of eating them. Last year, I had two turtles and no fish and I went home empty handed.
Everybody talks about turtle soup, but soup doesn't do much for me. Is it possible to fry the meat or BBQ it?

[Bullet Caster]

Nuthin' better than fried snapper. I've eaten it on occasions and reallly like it. I don't believe it's any better than deep fried rattle snake. I've eaten monkey on a stick when I was in the Philippines, eaten fried rattle snake when I was re-enacting, and eaten fried snapper when I was a kid.

I've also eaten gator tail. Of all of these the rattle snake was the best. But then I like rabbit also and deer too. I've eaten just about all kinda critters that walk or crawled but NO insects. BC

[MBTcustom]

Rabbit is a personal favorite. You can substitute rabbit meat for chicken in most casserole recipes, my wife does it all the time.
If you get the chance to eat an armadillo, they are quite toothsome also (tastes like pork IMHO).
Another one that is quite good is frogs legs. It's just so expensive to buy them and they are a PITA to catch but the flavor makes it worth it.

[The Dove]

Is it BS or truth that there are 5 different types of meat in turtle?

The Dove

[MBTcustom]

I'll let you know soon. :)

[Bullet Caster]

I, too, have heard the old wives tale about there being 5 different kinds of meat on a turtle. Don't know if it's true or not, but have heard it all my life.

Yeah, Goodsteel, I love them frog legs too. They are a PITA to catch, but with a good gig and flashllight you can round up quite a few before morning. BC

[waksupi]

Although we shot a lot of them with .22's, most were taken with a fly rod and reel, and a piece of red thread on the hook. They can't resist, and will jump two feet to take the bait.

[The Dove]

but with a good gig and flashllight you can round up quite a few before morning. BC

Be sure and wear some hiigh top boots when you're gigging from the shore. That light will bring in the snakes like crazy. Don't ask me how I know.

The Dove

[cattleskinner]

When it comes to five different kinds of meat, that is somewhat true. It is somewhat like you see with dark and white meat on chicken. Turtle also has different textures, where as some has the texture of beef, some a bit finer looking and the meat tucked in along the spine looks like fish. The only problem with the backbone meat is you have to cut the bones off the entire length of the shell to get it out. Legs are also attached to the top shell and need disjointed from there to remove.

[flounderman]

white meat in the neck and tenderloin, darker in the legs. snapper is better than softshell. they run darker meat than the snapper. You can eat the hard shells, but darker meat. maryland terrapin is a delicacy I hear.

[WILCO]

Well, how do you clean/butcher them?

Cleaning your Snapper. Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTgMn0s8090&list=UU-ik-crJ4XA6cazzG0h8e6A&index=27&feature=plcp

[Junior1942]

Cleaning your Snapper. Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTgMn0s8090&list=UU-ik-crJ4XA6cazzG0h8e6A&index=27&feature=plcpThat was 3 outstanding how-to videos but with one BIG exception--the headbanger intro music!

[WILCO]

That was 3 outstanding how-to videos but with one BIG exception--the headbanger intro music!

You're right about that Junior!

[trapper9260]

I use to go down the rivers in the summer and when the water is low the snappers are in the mud along the shore line to cool and I taken my trapping hook and find the tail end and put them in the canoe and i cut the heads off and skin them like was writtien and made soup.I had rattler but there is still not enough me in them but still love it .Also love frog leggs shot them with a 22 or like is said fishing line with a red rag or you can use and fishing lure that is red with a triple hook on it that will work .I use the gig for getting the frogs after I shot them .Also watch where you put your hands when at any of these because if there is weeds in the water you have snakes and think you are what you are after also . I found that out years ago .Was sick for 2 day .I also eat crawfish also orther things .If you like liver ther turtle have good eating liver ,you can not eat much of it , it is rich some say you should not eat it but I have just do not eat much .But I eat just about anything .