Age of Rooster to Eat - Updated - Help on Ages?

[sweetshoplady]

How old is too old to eat a rooster? I have a 5 month old and I think a 3 month old and another one who are on the to eat list.

Is it best to put it in the fridge for a couple days for the meat to age or is that only for game birds?

 

[ashyannehand]

My grandma says that a rooster is never to old to eat. Just make chicken and dumplings!

Actually - I am kinda new at this so I hope some one with more experience can answer your question.

Good luck!

 

[skeeter]

Quote:
no your grandma is right you just might have too stew them awhile if they are getting up there.
we did a couple roos that were around 5 mos old and I just cut them up and seasoned them and rolled the in flour and corn meal and baked them,they were tender and delish,I made chicken noodle soup with another one and he just fell apart,my kid ate almost the whole pot,saying it was the best hes ever had,
onions garlic celery carrots salt and pepper,maybe some corriander, noodles,yum yum,oh and of course the chicken

 

[pdpatch]

12 to 15 weeks or so is a good time to butcher the roo's. usually anything over that start to get a little tough. But up to 25 weeks can still be cooked as a fryer depending on how they were raised. Anything over 25 weeks should be used as a soup or stew type meal.

Let the bird age 24 to 48 hours in the frig or ice water. the frig is better because the rigor will leave the bird sooner at 40 to 38 degrees then below that. But using ice water and then freezing will help tenderize the meat slightly.

Tom

 

[MissPrissy]

You will want to use those birds for stewing. They won't be good for roasting or grilling, etc.

I bag mine and put them in salt water and put them in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours. It helps tenderize the meat and pulls out some of the blood from the carcass. Then I wash and let them soak in plain cold water before I cook them.

Use a pressure cooker and the meat should tender up enough you might be able to roll in seasoned flour and butter milk and fry them off golden brown. I have done this with an older roo - 19 weeks.

 

[sweetshoplady]

These are the three roos who are Stew, Fried and Roast. I don't know the age of the second 2 because I don't know how old they were when I got them. I think the roo in the second pic is 4 months tops. The other I just got about 3 weeks ago. I think he's 5-6 weeks old, just feathered out.

He feels like he weighs about 1-2 pounds. He's really starting to grow and get weight.

Thanks for all the advice and help. I really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to next weeks dinners. Yummy!