Butchering your roosters!

[Rebecky54]

I have only skinned layer breeds or dual purpose roosters, and it works great and they taste great canned.

 

[montana74]

Forgive me....I have a question and I read about half the thread but was trying to look for the info I wanted and couldn't find it.

When butchering the roosters, I see that some of you pluck and some skin, but most seem to let it refrigerate for 2 days first. I assume that's after gutting?

I'm used to butchering in a cone, then gutting, plucking, and going right to the pot. Sadly, I've never had good luck with frying them (unless I'm down with it having the feel of chewing tire rubber. LOL).

I'm definitely down with a faster/easier/tastier way to do this, because I'll be butchering a bunch of roosters come Christmas time. My biggest concern is obviously a humane and quick butchering, but let's be real. If there's a quick way to do the nasty part, I'm down with that too.

 

[Maeschak]

Forgive me....I have a question and I read about half the thread but was trying to look for the info I wanted and couldn't find it.

When butchering the roosters, I see that some of you pluck and some skin, but most seem to let it refrigerate for 2 days first. I assume that's after gutting?

I'm used to butchering in a cone, then gutting, plucking, and going right to the pot. Sadly, I've never had good luck with frying them (unless I'm down with it having the feel of chewing tire rubber. LOL).

I'm definitely down with a faster/easier/tastier way to do this, because I'll be butchering a bunch of roosters come Christmas time. My biggest concern is obviously a humane and quick butchering, but let's be real. If there's a quick way to do the nasty part, I'm down with that too.

Let the carcass rest in the fridge for 24-72 hours after all butchering is complete... Then cook the bird. (Kill, pluck/skin, gut, throw in fridge for a few days). Good luck!

 

[Parront]

Forgive me....I have a question and I read about half the thread but was trying to look for the info I wanted and couldn't find it.

When butchering the roosters, I see that some of you pluck and some skin, but most seem to let it refrigerate for 2 days first. I assume that's after gutting?

I'm used to butchering in a cone, then gutting, plucking, and going right to the pot. Sadly, I've never had good luck with frying them (unless I'm down with it having the feel of chewing tire rubber. LOL).

I'm definitely down with a faster/easier/tastier way to do this, because I'll be butchering a bunch of roosters come Christmas time. My biggest concern is obviously a humane and quick butchering, but let's be real. If there's a quick way to do the nasty part, I'm down with that too.

I butcher, scald, pluck, then gut them. On an older bird, just skip the scalding and plucking by skinning them, that speeds up the process a lot! I really try to time this with the garbage pick-up day, hefty sack with skin and guts gets picked up the next before some bad stink happens! I had an old frig in the garage that I used to age the chickens. Sure helps on having room for the food in the kitchen frig!
You really need to age them 2-3 days, but I have kept them in the frig for a week easy before using them. If you cook too soon, they are tough. For old birds, over 6 months, I like the crock pot or the pressure cooker. You can put your fried chicken in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes, KFC at it's finest! You just put a tablespoon or 2 of oil in the pressure cooker, bread the chicken for frying, seal it in and bring it up to 15 lbs pressure, cook 20 min, turn off the heat and cool 1/2 hr -- YUM! I'm going to have to go get a free Craig's list rooster and kill it if I keep thinking about pressure fried rooster any longer! (Chicken Free at the moment).

 

[Maeschak]

I butcher, scald, pluck, then gut them. On an older bird, just skip the scalding and plucking by skinning them, that speeds up the process a lot! I really try to time this with the garbage pick-up day, hefty sack with skin and guts gets picked up the next before some bad stink happens! I had an old frig in the garage that I used to age the chickens. Sure helps on having room for the food in the kitchen frig!
You really need to age them 2-3 days, but I have kept them in the frig for a week easy before using them. If you cook too soon, they are tough. For old birds, over 6 months, I like the crock pot or the pressure cooker. You can put your fried chicken in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes, KFC at it's finest! You just put a tablespoon or 2 of oil in the pressure cooker, bread the chicken for frying, seal it in and bring it up to 15 lbs pressure, cook 20 min, turn off the heat and cool 1/2 hr -- YUM! I'm going to have to go get a free Craig's list rooster and kill it if I keep thinking about pressure fried rooster any longer! (Chicken Free at the moment).

Well... You have just piqued my curiosity.... Fried chicken in a pressure cooker!?!? From older birds? You may have just turned my world upside down! I have quite a few older burds to cull and will try your pressure cooker method- thanks so much for the tip!

 

[montana74]

THANK YOU! These are exactly the answers I needed. You guys rock.

 

[Parront]

Well... You have just piqued my curiosity.... Fried chicken in a pressure cooker!?!? From older birds? You may have just turned my world upside down! I have quite a few older burds to cull and will try your pressure cooker method- thanks so much for the tip!

KFC pressure fries the chicken you get from them. Check your pressure cooker for the cookbook that it came with. That is where I got my recipe. It was from 1972, so you might not have such info in a new cooker. I will look for mine and post it if you want.

 

[reede]

i could never kill a rooster or a chicken i just feel sorry for them !

 

[Lynn Meyer-Barlass]

I used to think it was very cruel... It wasn't until I got an email from someone asking if I was okay with them buying some of my roosters for butcher that I started to think differently.

I said no to him and he replied with why not?

Really I didn't have a good reason, at all. I told him they needed to live a good life!

He then wrote me saying, if you give them a good life (which I had) till they are butchered then there is nothing wrong with eating them... After that email I everything made sense for me.

I have butchered 40 some odd roosters and all have been loved and cared for the same as the other.

I have know issue butchering as long as they live good and die good.

And I would much rather butcher them mystery of then sell/give them away to someone who might not take care of them properly or butcher humanly.

Just my two cents.

 

[Maeschak]

KFC pressure fries the chicken you get from them. Check your pressure cooker for the cookbook that it came with. That is where I got my recipe. It was from 1972, so you might not have such info in a new cooker. I will look for mine and post it if you want.

I would love the recipe! My cookbook that came w the pressure cooker definitely does not have that recipe.