A few processing questions

[dakunst]

Raising our first meat birds and tomorrow is the day. We did kill/process one earlier, due to an illness, so that was our practice bird. Went well, but we didn't eat it cause we didn't know what was wrong with it. Anyway, my questions are more final processing/cleaning questions.

1. What do you do with the meat after you are done? I've heard put in the the fridge for 3 days then freeze or can I just freeze. Also can we eat one that night? Some said it won't be that good, let it sit. I want to hear more opinions.


2. Also, do you ever rinse your birds when or after processing? I work at a school and the Ag teacher there told me never, ever rinse cause it adds bacteria. Although every video I watched, they rinse.


Thanks in advance!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I think you will be disapointed if you eat a chicken the same day you butcher it. The resting period allows the chicken to go through rigor mortis and then "relax" afterwards and the meat is more tender. There are lots of posts here by folks who were surprised by the rubbery texture of their home grown chickens and in almost every case, they failed to let the chickens rest. The good news is that after processing a bunch of chickens, you might not actually be in the mood for cooking one anyway. I tend to process on Friday and then have our first chicken dinner on Sunday night.

I hate to argue with your ag teacher since I'm not a expert, but I can't imagine processing a chicken without rinsing it. I rinse after I've finished plucking to wash away any loose feathers that are still stuck to the bird. I rinse after removing the internal organs to remove any bloody bits in the chest cavity so that I can see if I missed anything (lungs are easy to miss on the initial try). Sometimes I rinse the birds before I pluck, since they can be dirty and poopy and I don't want all that in the scalding water. Heck, almost every chicken recipie says "rinse the chicken and pat it dry".

As for bacteria, I've never heard of anyone eating their chicken raw, or even rare. A thorough cooking should take care of any bacteria that have been spread during the butchering process.

 

[Judy]

1. For us it goes in a sort of medium sized ice chest full of ice with water only to cover, and a cup of salt, for a few hours or overnight, then can be cooked or frozen. That's not a lot of salt, but it does do a bit of tenderizing, and more makes the meat too salty for our low salt palates. When I was a kid, we raised RIR and BR, and ate them the day they were killed. It's too long ago for me to remember what the taste or chew were like, but I sure thought fried chicken was the best meat in the world.... They were young, probably 12-14 weeks, I do recall that.

2. Unless you process in an area as clean as a hospital operating suite, your hands, the table, the chicken itself (especially the outside,) everything is full of germs. We rinse, lots. In the end your real defense is proper cooking, anyway, but it only makes sense to me that lots of rinsing reduces the bacterial count..

 

[dakunst]

Thank you so much for you input. . . it helps greatly!

 

[Elke Beck]

2. Also, do you ever rinse your birds when or after processing? I work at a school and the Ag teacher there told me never, ever rinse cause it adds bacteria. Although every video I watched, they rinse.


Thanks in advance!

I know that the current wisdom is not to rinse poultry that is purchased from a store because it can spread bacteria (Salmonella, campylobacter) to the surfaces in your kitchen. I have never heard anything about rinsing the bird after slaughter. Can you talk t the Ag teacher a little more to find out what the concerns are? Because I think we would all like to know if there is a better way.

 

[Reurra]

All processed chicken from a super market is rinsed and dipped in a salt water solution. The salt water enters the skin and causes the skin to retain water. This makes your bird heavier and can be sold for more money. Thats why you find so much liquid when taking a bird out of a package. They are left to soak in the water solution for a couple of days. I think there is also tenderizer in the solution as well. It also plumps it up, making it look juicier.

You can rinse your bird in salt/vinager bath to help slow down bacteria, then rinse again in clear water. I dont recommend it personally due to taste concerns, but I have heard it works well for sanitation.

I used to be taxidermist and using high acid or salt content will halt bacterial growth, which in taxidermy is hugely detrimental to fresh hides. Its causes the hair to fall out of a hide when bacteria enters the epidermis. Bacteria loves moisture and can grow rapidly. In taxidermy we dry the hide with non-iodized salt till it is stiff as a board. This causes the juices in the hide to drain out, juices that bacteria loves to grow in. We then set it in a high acid solution to toughen the fibers for 3 days, this kills any remaining bacteria. Technically, jerky can be made the same way, its a brine. Pickling uses the same concept. But I strongly doubt you would like to pickle your bird!

Perhaps wash the bird after plucking and before opening the body cavity. This can keep your meat from being tainted, but still guard against possible bacterial growth from the skin.

Like Flockwatcher said, good cooking practices and good sanitation should make youre experience a great one!

 

[MackChick]

Rinsing is definitely okay! Especially if you are in a sanitary environment and they are your own birdies. Also I've had no problems with freezing right away. Good luck!!