Cooked my first rooster

[BatonRougeChick]

Av

I wonder has anyone used ceramic knives? they are supposed to better than steel

Actually my sharpest knife is ceramic, but I was surprised to find that I could barely saw through his skin with it! It is excellent for average kitchen use and very sharp for chopping veggies and stuff. It was just no match for my rooster.

 

[BatonRougeChick]

Good job on your first rooster. Everything looks so good. Rooster gumbo is soooooooooooo good.

I am right down the road from Denham Springs. I"m in Opelousas.

If you haven't already, please visit the Louisiana thread. A great bunch of peeps over there. Stop in and say hi.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/160883/louisiana-la-yers-peeps

I hope you win the cook off. Please keep us posted.

I did not win! But I had lots of fans. It was really really good, just had lots of good Cajun cooks as competitors!! Best of all I impressed everyone who didn't think I had it in me to cook my own chicken . Was a proud day.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Good job on your first rooster. Everything looks so good. Rooster gumbo is soooooooooooo good.

I am right down the road from Denham Springs. I"m in Opelousas.

If you haven't already, please visit the Louisiana thread. A great bunch of peeps over there. Stop in and say hi.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/160883/louisiana-la-yers-peeps

I hope you win the cook off. Please keep us posted.

I did not win! But I had lots of fans. It was really really good, just had lots of good Cajun cooks as competitors!! Best of all I impressed everyone who didn't think I had it in me to cook my own chicken . Was a proud day.

You are a winner in our eyes. Good job!!!!!! Just the preparation alone of you processing your own backyard rooster makes you THE winner.

We are proud of you. Keep up the good work. I know that gumbo was DELICIOUS !!!

 

[BatonRougeChick]

Nice job!

Just a note--if you're going to skin the meat, don't bother to pluck! Just bleed him out, then skin. That's how we do most of our birds--only pluck a few that will be whole roasters. Saves a ton of time and mess. 

My plan was to skin them, but I couldn't et the skin off! Next time I will have a sharper knife and will try again.

 

[BatonRougeChick]

You are a winner in our eyes. Good job!!!!!! Just the preparation alone of you processing your own backyard rooster makes you THE winner.

We are proud of you. Keep up the good work. I know that gumbo was DELICIOUS !!!

Aww thanks

https://www.facebook.com/ShannonsCoop

 

[Nashonii]

We skinned our bad boys. We let them set for 2 days in the refreg, then in the freezer. We are new to this too, and have only cooked one so far. We put him in a slow cooker for 12 hours, with potatoes, celery, and tomatoes. The meat was falling off the bone and very tender, BUT the taste was far too loud!
I thinking it's because they are free-range chickens, maybe. He was a Rock,Marans mix.
We have 2 more ready to cook, but need some advice on how to get the 'wild taste' out of them. I've heard of putting them in brine water, but we are trying to cut out salt from our diet.
Any Ideas? Please help, I have 5 more roos coming up. !!!!!

 

[BatonRougeChick]

Mine didn't taste too strong or gamey that I noticed. Mine free range partially but mostly eat chicken feed, so maybe that is the difference? I have 8-10 roosters coming up too!

https://www.facebook.com/ShannonsCoop

 

[Baymule]

First of all, congrats on butchering your first rooster. I did that last year with my 6 year old grand daughter. I used a rolled up piece of cardboard to make a redneck duct taped cone. I cut his throat. Then we held hands and said a prayer thanking the rooster for giving up his life so that we could eat. I fried her "Rooster Nuggets"

and she said mine were better than McDonalds! But I really like to make Rooster Salad, it's yummy!

~~ROOSTER SALAD

Boil (simmer) one dead rooster, preferably cleaned, all afternoon until meat falls from bone.

Debone the meat, toss bones to dogs that are drooling all over the kitchen floor, watching your every move with intent stare.

Cut the meat into bite size pieces, or for ya'll that barely chew and wolf it down like the dogs do, half bite size pieces.

Chop 2 stalks of celery.

1/2 cup chopped pecans or your favorite nuts.

1/2 pound seedless grapes, cut in half.

A glop or two of mayonaise, just enough to hold it all together.

Chill and serve.

Awesome with crackers!

 

[Baymule]

Nashonii, marinate your rooster overnight in buttermilk. Rinse it off. Then simmer it in cooking sherry, available at the grocery store, along with spices that you like.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Looks yummu, BRchick!
I don't use a knife except to cut the wing tips & legs off, I do most of it with a pair of sissors.
Degutting them is my least favorite part too. I don't like sticking my hand up a chicken's butt to pull his guts out.
What I do is snip through the meat to make a starter hole at the rear of the keel.
Then snip down each side going foward & down to the backbone.
Then snip from the rear of the keel again to his butt and cut his butt out. (don't cut the guts)
Then hold the legs in 1 hand and the breast in the other hand and break him in half. All his guts are just sitting there like an oyster on the half shell and can be easily removed.
Then snip his windpipe loose from his neck working your way up inside his breast.
Do 2 or 3 chickens and you'll get good enough that you can remove his complete intestines, from his windpipe to his crop to his gizzard to his butt in 1 long, complete unbroken gut string.
Try it, it's quick & easy and you'll save all kind of time.