ate a cuckoo maran I processed.....very stringy

[honeydoll]

Well, I had heard from a member that they really like cuckoo maran meat. I happened upon a good deal of three CM roosters and thought I'd give them a try. They were older, 7 1/2 mo., but thought I'd just brine for a couple of days. I will say the meat did have a little bit more flavor, especially the dark meat. Since it was an older bird I made chicken and dumplings out of it. It was tender because it was boiled but stringy. Was it stringy because it was older or is this just a breed thing. I would like to know so I know in the future what to expect from an older bird. OR should I have brined it another day? If anyone can tell me if this is caused by age, breed or needed brined longer please let me know. I cooked the chicken in stock for a long time so it was not undercooked, I know that for sure. Would appreciate any input here.

 

[kassy68]

I have read over and over that you are sposed to refrig for 24 hrs before eating a fresh processed bird. Then the brine is to retain moisture in the bird. I just had my first meat bird and in all honesty I did both these things and the breast was dry and just a little stringy.. It was tender though..

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Did you just boil it or brown it first and then boil it? Marans are our favorite meat bird and we haven't had any problems with them being stringy

Steve in NC

 

[chickabator]

we ate one of our BC roos and boy he was wonderful. It was one of the best tasting ones besides white rock that we had ever had. and he was not stringy at all.

 

[honeydoll]

Steve... I just boiled it. I've never browned them first, but then I have never had anything but store chickens till now. Should I try that? The flavor was great, tasted real gourmet, if you will, and it was tender but just stringy. Thought maybe I did something wrong. Someone said to refrid. for 24 hrs. before eating, should I do that if I brined it? I let it drain but not for 24 hours, just for a few. Could that be the problem? Thanks for the help, want to make the best meals I can.

 

[dancingbear]

When I cook a bird that old, I brine for 24-48 hrs., then cook in the crock pot. I don't let them sit after brining. Sometimes these are fresh, sometimes birds that have been frozen, thawed, and then brined. I always let them rest in the fridge about 2 days before freezing.

I prefer the crock pot for older birds, they just seem to turn out better with the slower, lower heat cooking.

I know it seems weird that a bird could dry out while cooking in liquid, but that's the reason for the brine. If you can get some sodium into the flesh, it retains moisture. Just like people sometimes do if they are sensitive to sodium, or eat too much salt. Salt attracts water. So if you have a bird with no sodium in the meat, cooking in salted water, the salt in the water draws the moisture out of the meat. So you get the effect of meat drying out while cooking in liquid. Which contributes to the stringy factor. An old bird will tend toward being stringy anyway, but a strong brine helps make it less noticeable. You could inject brine into the meat, and then soak it in brine, as well.

If you take the meat off the bones and chop it up in small chunks, (bite size or less) it's much less noticeable, too. I do that with any meat that turns out stringy, (and with plenty that isn't stringy) and use in a variety of dishes, mostly Mexican food, but other things, too.

People who want or need to restrict sodium intake, can cook in the crock pot without the brining, then de-bone and chop the meat. It's still excellent, and chopped, especially if you add some sort of sauce or gravy, the stringiness isn't very noticeable.

 

[becky3086]

You can also save yourself a lot of time and pressure cook the bird for about 20 minutes and then cut the meat up. You've got me wanting to go take care of those 4 marans roos I've got, lol.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I would try browning it next time. I think ageing the meat is a key factor. We eat alot of older birds from 6 months to a year old and always age at least 4 days for thinner pieces up to 7 days for bigger ones. To save space in the freezer we cut them up as well. You can grill the breasts and they come out great as long as you don't over cook them. The leg 1/4s we slow cook in a dutch oven or bake.

We use a pressure cooker for turkey legs, that works very well and fast. 10 minutes at 15 pounds and it's fall off the bone tender. We use that meat for tacos or turkey casserole etc.

Steve in NC

 

[honeydoll]

Thanks for all the advice. I have learned so much on this website. I will try cooling in salt water and aging in the fridge next time. That sound better to me anyway, I like thr true chicken flavor to come out.