Buff Orpington for Dinner - Our first farm fresh chicken...

[DawnSuiter]

Well... we got these guys in June, and ate one last night. I didn't weigh him but he was probably about 3lbs after all was said & done. This was a 3.5 month old chicken and he tasted really good. Yes it was a tiny bit weird of course, but after I tasted my first piece of meat, I was really suprised. None of us really noticed any major difference from store bought chicken, other than size.

This guy was skin on, aged for 24 hours then brined for 24 hours then frozen for 5 days. He was very yummy and today we're making chicken soup out of what was left. Yes, there were LEFTOVERS! 3.5 mo old orp can feed my family of 3 easily.

And because most of you are photo junkies.. here he is:

 

[AtRendeAcres]

what is brined?

is that just salt water?

 

[DawnSuiter]

Brined - soaked in a salt water solution

I followed a Kentucky gal's version on here which included like a tbs of salt and a tbs of sugar...

 

[MamaDragon]

Could you please post the measurements for the brine?

And did I read right that you rested the bird after butchering for 24 hours, THEN brined it an additional 24 hours THEN froze it? Want to make sure I get the sequence right.

Thanks,

Kathy

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Ohh yes, Please post the brine solution recipe! I have my two birds resting in the fridge as we speak. Tommorow afternoon will be 24 hours in which I will start to soak...

Thanks

 

[redhen]

why do you have to rest them and soak them?...just curious..in case i ever get brave enough to do it someday...thanks, Wendy

 

[PAJerry]

He looks like a good feast! I butchered our Cochin roo yesterday and was kind of disappointed with the size. He was 19 weeks old and looked HUGE but most of him was feathers. Still, he is enough for a nice dinner and looked very healthy.

This was the first time I had butchered a chicken since I left my parents farm 31 years ago. I am amazed at how easy it was and how fast. Now, I'd like to talk my wife into raising 25 Buff Orp roosters for the freezer.

 

[DawnSuiter]

I'm no expert, like I said this is my first time. I followed some recipes and directions from here on BYC.
I started with 4 chickens, 2 skinned and 2 not.
I rested 2 (one skinned, one not) for 24 hours in the fridge and froze them the next day
The other 2 (one skinned, one not) I also rested for the 24 hours and then decided to brine them.
This was to try out two different methods our first time.

I will post results about the two that didn't brine as well in a few days.

I put the chickens in 1 gallon ziplock bags, tight fit, filled with water to cover the bird, added about 1tbs of course salt & 1tbs of granulated sugar (white) and shook the bag & soaked for 24 hours. Then I opened the bag, drained 99% of the liquid out and then sealed it up to freeze.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
The meat has to have time to relax and naturally tenderize. Brining or soaking in buttermilk also helps to tenderize.

The chickens in the store are at least a week or more old if they are fresh, never frozen. They have also been injected with sodium and other solutions to plump the meat and make them 'juicey and tender'.

Home raised meat doesn't have the same mushy texture as commercial chickens.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Good to know and congrats!!! Your birds look yummy! I got my BO's in June too but they sure don't feel like they would weigh that much.