It's chilled first in an ice bath for only about an hour... this mainly is used to get the temperature down fast to deter bacteria growth.
After the carcass cools, it is placed into a fridge or walk in cooler and "aged" for 2-3 days. This allows the muscles to relax and "settle down". The muscle is still "alive" after it is dead, I'm not sure the exact words to describe it but have you ever noticed after killing a bird the muscles will sometimes twitch like being electricuted.... even about 5 minutes after they die. Well this still happens hours after death inside the meat, it starts to taper at about 4 hours.
The reason for this is that when an animal is killed there is still a significant amount of chemical energy in muscle cells. If the meat is immediately cut, cooked, or frozen, the muscles are stimulated and contract similar to what happens with a nerve impulse.
So in reality you only need to age for about 8 hours to let the muscles relax but, up until that point the muscles are tight.... think of it like stretching out a bungie cord.... The muscles are like that... when they "age" this allows those muscles to relax and go limp (tender). It's a process called cell muscle energy depletion.
You don't want to cook or freeze a bird until it has had at least 8 hours of "relax" or "aging" time.... otherwise the meat will be tough. It's hard to understand, I don't know if I explained it good enough.... Sorry if I confused you more than I helped you.
After the carcass cools, it is placed into a fridge or walk in cooler and "aged" for 2-3 days. This allows the muscles to relax and "settle down". The muscle is still "alive" after it is dead, I'm not sure the exact words to describe it but have you ever noticed after killing a bird the muscles will sometimes twitch like being electricuted.... even about 5 minutes after they die. Well this still happens hours after death inside the meat, it starts to taper at about 4 hours.
The reason for this is that when an animal is killed there is still a significant amount of chemical energy in muscle cells. If the meat is immediately cut, cooked, or frozen, the muscles are stimulated and contract similar to what happens with a nerve impulse.
So in reality you only need to age for about 8 hours to let the muscles relax but, up until that point the muscles are tight.... think of it like stretching out a bungie cord.... The muscles are like that... when they "age" this allows those muscles to relax and go limp (tender). It's a process called cell muscle energy depletion.
You don't want to cook or freeze a bird until it has had at least 8 hours of "relax" or "aging" time.... otherwise the meat will be tough. It's hard to understand, I don't know if I explained it good enough.... Sorry if I confused you more than I helped you.
