A How come you don't question

[tallgrass]

As i read threads on processing i don't see anyone putting salt in the cooling water while processing. Wouldn't this chill a chicken quicker? And the brine tenderising as well. I am sure i am missing it some where as to why you don't. thanks

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Chill quicker? Maybe. Taste salty? Yup.

Other things too. The salty bird will absorb more water...weighing more. My customers appreciate that we don't bleach or salt our chickens. They may or may not brine them. By not salting, they are free to choose.

A fair portion of forum members do salt the chill water though. I think there are some who put herbs in the chill water as well...but I would have to really dig to find the thread.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't salt water or brine because we are a low sodium household.

I find that a good amount of ice in the water chills the birds quickly. As soon as mine are chilled, they are dried and go into a refrigerator for further chilling and to await processing.

However, please do try the salt water chilling and let us know how it works for you.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Something to think about, though, before you do it. Where will you dump your chilling water? Salt will kill your plants. I have 50 gallons of ice water and it is not getting carried to the kitchen sink to be dumped.

 

[bigredfeather]

After dipping my arm elbow deep in my chilling barrel with ice and water to retrieve dressed birds, I'm not sure I could tolerate it any colder, LOL. As others have said, just plain ice water does a fine job. I also pride myself in not selling my customers salt water loaded birds like the factory system does.

 

[PotterWatch]

We do the same as the others who sell their birds, we don't add salt because we are selling. Most people don't want their chickens brined before they buy them.

 

[booker81]

I don't because in my reading about rigor and slaughter of various meat animals, I'm trying to avoid "cold shortening".

From Britannica (not wikipedia, but it says the same):
“Cold shortening is the result of the rapid chilling of carcasses immediately after slaughter, before the glycogen in the muscle has been converted to lactic acid. With glycogen still present as an energy source, the cold temperature induces an irreversible contraction of the muscle (i.e., the actin and myosin filaments shorten). Cold shortening causes meat to be as much as five times tougher than normal.”

Now, most CX birds are pretty hard to screw up in tenderness, but we noticed a difference in the last batch of birds that I cooled slowly, mainly in the way they were extremely juicy and tender regardless of cooling method.

Of course, one method of meat tenderizing I won't use is electricity, though it's well studied. I don't mesh well with electricity.

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

I dont cool my birds quickly either, I always found my quick chill birds tough. They go thru rigor naturally but quick chilled birds never seem to get out of it. Once I butchered, plucked and gutted ALL my birds then they all go collectively in the fridge, and by then most are cold already.