Resting Meat Birds, To Cut or Not Cut, & Vacuum Sealing?

[AmyVoigt]

We have been raising chickens for nearly a year. We were very successful raising 14 laying hens and a rooster and decided to do meat birds this spring/summer. Processing day is in one week and we will be butchering 24 cornish crosses and the rooster. We have a plan for the processing, purchased a plucker, and are planning on having friends and family come help.

I have three questions:

1. I keep reading about resting the birds before freezing. Our original plan is to try and complete all of the processing in one day. We also have a dairy farm so we aren't going to start the process until about 11 am. I have been watching YouTube videos on the process and one farmer appears to cool the birds in ice water to get the temps down to 35 degrees and then bags them. He doesn't say if he "rests" the birds or not. Other videos have people resting the birds overnight. We are hoping to get the process done before we start afternoon chores (4:00 pm). Is this possible? Or am I going to have to finish the bagging process the next day?

2. My husband wants us to cut up the birds before bagging. He believes the meat will cool faster and make things easier when we decide to cook the meat to eat. Has anyone else done this? If so, should the cutting process be done before cooling/resting the meat? Will this speed up the resting process?

3. Finally, when watching the videos, everyone seems to be using shrink bags put in boiling water. We want to use a vacuum sealer instead. Does anyone else use this? If we cut up the birds, I don't think it will be a big deal. What about those friends that want to have whole birds?

Thanks in advance for any help. I have been trying to do all my homework before we start.

 

[Molpet]

I part out as I go.
I throw the parts or birds in cold water, sometimes I add salt to the water to pull out the blood.
Resting can be done before freezing or after thawing. I usually keep on ice for a couple days.
I vacuum seal. Quarts or gallon for parts. Most whole won't fit in a gallon. I cut rolls for whole. I use expanding roll for heritage turkeys up to 17 lbs dressed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. I keep reading about resting the birds before freezing. Our original plan is to try and complete all of the processing in one day. We also have a dairy farm so we aren't going to start the process until about 11 am. I have been watching YouTube videos on the process and one farmer appears to cool the birds in ice water to get the temps down to 35 degrees and then bags them. He doesn't say if he "rests" the birds or not. Other videos have people resting the birds overnight. We are hoping to get the process done before we start afternoon chores (4:00 pm). Is this possible? Or am I going to have to finish the bagging process the next day?

You can rest the birds before or after bagging. The timing of the bagging doesn't matter.

You rest a bird to let rigor mortis pass. If you cook it before rigor sets in you'll be OK, but otherwise the meat can be really tough, practically inedible. There is no set time for rigor to pass but you want the bird cool enough that bacteria are not growing while it is aging. Some people rest for several days before freezing. The way you tell that rigor has passed is that you wiggle the meat. If the joints are stiff or the meat isn't really loose it's not ready.

You can rest the meat before or after freezing, but it's probably more convenient for most people to rest before freezing. It's out of the way. I rest after freezing but I have a system down for that. Resting first just gives you more freedom in your menu planning.

2. My husband wants us to cut up the birds before bagging. He believes the meat will cool faster and make things easier when we decide to cook the meat to eat. Has anyone else done this? If so, should the cutting process be done before cooling/resting the meat? Will this speed up the resting process?

I also cut it up before freezing. That suits the way I cook it, it takes up less space in the freezer, and I save the other parts I don't eat to make broth. It is slower than keeping the carcass whole but it just suits me better. It can be cut up either before or after aging.

If you cut up the meat it may pack together more as you cool, actually slowing the cooling process. One problem some people have with processing large amounts of meat is that the meat in the middle of the stack can take a long time to cool, maybe longer than it should. You might warm up the rest of the freezer enough to thaw other things if you add a lot of warm meat.

3. Finally, when watching the videos, everyone seems to be using shrink bags put in boiling water. We want to use a vacuum sealer instead. Does anyone else use this? If we cut up the birds, I don't think it will be a big deal. What about those friends that want to have whole birds?

One problem I have with vacuum sealers is that moisture can be pulled into the sealing area which can keep it from sealing. The way I get around this is to freeze the meat (or veggies) in the bag before I seal it. Be careful when you put the bag in the freezer so the sealing edge is fairly straight, not badly wrinkled or twisted. I wipe the frozen moisture off of the inside of the bag where it will seal and only do a couple at a time so they don't start to thaw and release moisture to mess up the sealing process. I don't know how others get around this moisture problem with vacuum sealing, maybe if they don't age in water the meat isn't that moist? You do not have to age in water, it just needs to be cool enough to stop bacteria from growing.

Getting that much meat in the freezer may be more than a one day process, though you want to get as much done as you can while you have that work force. Some people manage it in one day. You will have a learning curve your first time. Things you don't expect will surprise you. Things like how much meat that actually is. Will you have enough room to cool it and enough ice, if you are using ice. Some of us have been caught like that.

Good luck with it. It is a challenge but hang in there, you will get it done. It just doesn't all have to be done in one day.

 

[Molpet]

. I don't know how others get around this moisture problem with vacuum sealing, maybe if they don't age in water the meat isn't that moist?

My sealer has a moist setting. It still pulls into the removable tray though.... I double seal both ends.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use the moist setting, liquid still runs up and messes up the seal. I had not tried the double seal, thanks for that.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I rest birds whole, overnight on ice in the coolers. This lets me take some time the next day to make sure they are cleaned up properly.
I freeze a couple birds whole, a couple cut in half and the rest pieced out. I think I will be removing the wings off all birds from now on and sectioning them out and freezing for air frying in my oven. DH loves hot wings. The wing tips, backs and neck bones will go in bags for making stock.
One of the issues I found with the vacuum bags is that cut/broken bones can poke holes in the bags while in the freezer. When I freeze bone-in breasts, I put them into the bag with the cut bones near the seal - then I put a piece of folded paper towel over the bones. This protects the bag from puncture AND soaks up any liquid while vacuum sealing.

 

[Molpet]

One of the issues I found with the vacuum bags is that cut/broken bones can poke holes in the bags while in the freezer.

I put folded butcher paper over those

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I used to use shrink bags and then tried vacuum sealing - and tossed the shrink bags. I get zero blown bags with vacuum sealing, so no surprises when thawing the birds in the fridge later!

 

[Ridgerunner]

One of the issues I found with the vacuum bags is that cut/broken bones can poke holes in the bags while in the freezer.

The time I poke holes in the bags from the bones is well after they are frozen. It's when I'm tossing the stuff in there around looking for something else like a vacuum sealed bag of corn or broccoli.

When I freeze bone-in breasts, I put them into the bag with the cut bones near the seal - then I put a piece of folded paper towel over the bones. This protects the bag from puncture AND soaks up any liquid while vacuum sealing.

A solution I missed. Thanks.

 

[CNJ]

3. Finally, when watching the videos, everyone seems to be using shrink bags put in boiling water. We want to use a vacuum sealer instead. Does anyone else use this? If we cut up the birds, I don't think it will be a big deal. What about those friends that want to have whole birds?

Since you have a vacuum sealer, its better to cut the chicken into pieces and vacuum seal meal portions. However, shrink wrap bags were made for whole birds, its good to have them on hand. I use the bags for whole birds, but I don't always heat shrink them in hot water. I eat a bird a week, so I use them pretty quick.