Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!
How old and what sex were the chickens and ducks? That has an effect on how you may need to cook them. I don't do ducks so I can only talk about chickens.
When you butcher them they go into rigor mortis. That needs to pass before they are cooked so they are not tremendously tough. That's why we "rest" them. You can rest them before you freeze them or after they are thawed. Most people rest them before they are frozen but I don't. I typically take them out of the freezer on a Sunday, thaw them in the fridge, and cook them on a Thursday so they have time to age.
I rinse my chicken really well as I butcher but do not brine or marinade.
Brining means soaking them in a salty solution. We argue about whether that tenderizes them or not. I don't think it does but some people do. You can add a salty flavor at anytime so you do not need to brine to get that. Brining gets them to absorb water. If you cook them with a wet method that is not important. If you cook them with a dry method like frying, grilling, or roasting it can help keep the meat from drying out. That's why a lot of the chicken meat you buy has been injected with brine. It enhances the product if cooked dry.
Marinade means soaking it in some type of acid; beer, vinegar, or tomato or fruit juice are typical bases for marinades. This breaks down connective tissues and tenderizes the meat. This is not very important for a young chicken like you buy in the store but for an older chicken it can help a lot. The stronger the marinade and the longer you soak it the more the tissue breaks down. Some people complain about the chicken becoming "mushy" if you overdo it, especially with a younger bird. There might be a bit of a learning curve with this.
Of course you can add different flavors as you brine, marinade, or cook. That's why you often see herbs or certain veggies in marinades especially.
As cockerels go through puberty their hormones add flavor and texture to the meat. That happens to pullets also but at a much slower rate. Some of us like that flavor, some consider it "gamey" and do not. Different cockerels go through puberty at different ages and rates so it is hard to be really specific about when those changes occur but there are charts available that try to show that. They are usually close. Another problem is that we each have our own tastes and preferences. What is good to me may not be to you.
The reason the age is so important is the texture. Younger cockerel can be fried or grilled without being tough. As they get older you may need to bake them, keeping moisture in. After they get even older you may need to use them for soup or stew, use a crock pot, or use a pressure cooker to tenderize them. You can eat any chicken of any age and sex but if they are older you need to know how to cook them.
How old and what sex were the chickens and ducks? That has an effect on how you may need to cook them. I don't do ducks so I can only talk about chickens.
When you butcher them they go into rigor mortis. That needs to pass before they are cooked so they are not tremendously tough. That's why we "rest" them. You can rest them before you freeze them or after they are thawed. Most people rest them before they are frozen but I don't. I typically take them out of the freezer on a Sunday, thaw them in the fridge, and cook them on a Thursday so they have time to age.
I rinse my chicken really well as I butcher but do not brine or marinade.
Brining means soaking them in a salty solution. We argue about whether that tenderizes them or not. I don't think it does but some people do. You can add a salty flavor at anytime so you do not need to brine to get that. Brining gets them to absorb water. If you cook them with a wet method that is not important. If you cook them with a dry method like frying, grilling, or roasting it can help keep the meat from drying out. That's why a lot of the chicken meat you buy has been injected with brine. It enhances the product if cooked dry.
Marinade means soaking it in some type of acid; beer, vinegar, or tomato or fruit juice are typical bases for marinades. This breaks down connective tissues and tenderizes the meat. This is not very important for a young chicken like you buy in the store but for an older chicken it can help a lot. The stronger the marinade and the longer you soak it the more the tissue breaks down. Some people complain about the chicken becoming "mushy" if you overdo it, especially with a younger bird. There might be a bit of a learning curve with this.
Of course you can add different flavors as you brine, marinade, or cook. That's why you often see herbs or certain veggies in marinades especially.
As cockerels go through puberty their hormones add flavor and texture to the meat. That happens to pullets also but at a much slower rate. Some of us like that flavor, some consider it "gamey" and do not. Different cockerels go through puberty at different ages and rates so it is hard to be really specific about when those changes occur but there are charts available that try to show that. They are usually close. Another problem is that we each have our own tastes and preferences. What is good to me may not be to you.
The reason the age is so important is the texture. Younger cockerel can be fried or grilled without being tough. As they get older you may need to bake them, keeping moisture in. After they get even older you may need to use them for soup or stew, use a crock pot, or use a pressure cooker to tenderize them. You can eat any chicken of any age and sex but if they are older you need to know how to cook them.
