WHY DO YOU NEED TO BURN THE FEATHERS OFF?
One very good reason: It is the fastest way of dressing (Or should I say again.. undressing? :-) ) the chicken. Actually this way of dressing the chicken contributes to the overall taste of the final product. You see, the fat at the tip of the quills remain inside the skin, and help cook the chicken. The feathers burn off, leaving the fat behind. While the feathers are being burned, you will notice that the color of the skin will actually look errrr... "browner?"(for current lack of a better term.). You will notice that very little meat is thus wasted. Some enterprising people started using blowtorches to remove the feathers. It sure shortens the cleaning time, but I advise everyone against it. Why? Because the meat will taste like "gasoline". If this taste is not noticeable... There is another thing that is - It just does not taste like Pinikpikan. The quills of the feathers that are embedded in the Chicken skin are not removed. The fat inside the quills are not melted well. The skin looks pale in comparison to what has been cleaned over an open fire.