Coq au vin anyone?

[chefchick]

I just recently invested in a very nice enameled cast iron dutch oven and was hoping to make something extra special in it for the first use. So, I decided on coq au vin as the maiden voyage so to speak. The traditional recipe calls for mature roosters- of which I have two in my freezer, but they are REALLY mature- like a year or more old at butcher time. Am I fooling myself to believe that this will be wonderful or should I not waste the money on ingredients that will just make a stringy mess? I consider myself a decent cook, and have used roos before but haven't been happy with the overall results. (dry and chewy no matter wha tI do to them) Has anyone else ever made coq au vin with their roos?

 

[kimslack]

The dutch ovens are awesome. Just cut the birds into 2's or even 4ths to decrease cooking time and make for an even roast and a tenderer bird. Those roosters can be tough.

I sear my old chickens on top of the stove in a bit of oil. Then put them together in dutch oven and some water, salt and pepper and whatever spices you want and onion and garlic and carrots...whatever you want and put on low heat 325.. Keep checking for moisture level. Keep a pool of water at the bottom of the dutch oven. Let it cook however long it takes...until its done'.. test with a fork. Sometimes it takes along time. The secret to cooking a yard bird is to cook it long and slow and be patient...it takes a long time to penetrate that old bird. Don't try and hurry it up b/c it'll all dry up. That's it on the basics of a dutch oven.. They are great for cooking yard birds.

I've never made coq au vin but this is basically how you cook up a yardbird in a dutch oven. I've made variations like chicken caccitore in a dutch oven and it comes out great.

The renderings from basic roast yard bird makes great soup stock too.

If the coq au vin doesn't turn out well.. you can always use it for soups.

Good luck.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yup - I made it and it turned out very tender and tasty. My DH was a little creeped out that the wine turned the meat purple. Slow cooking is key with older roosters.

 

[chefchick]

I made it...and I confess... I used store bought meat. I wish I HAD used my roos... it got TOO tender and the meat all fell off the bones. I wasn't too crazy about my recipe either. It ended up being just ok. Not enough wine for my taste so I will ise more next time. Chooks- mine wasn't purple at all... very rich brown almost like beef stew. I used pinot noir wine, and I was careful to brown the chicken very well, and carmelize the onions and other veggies then deglaze with cognac before adding everything back to the pot. I will try again- the method was fun, and with a few tweaks I bet it will be awesome. (with homegrown roos of course ) Thanks everyone

 

[Happy Chooks]

I used a recipe off of Food Network - I don't remember which one, but there was a lot of red wine in it. I used Merlot, so that could have been why too. I notice there are some recipes for coq au vin blanc. That might be interesting to try.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

We did coq au vin this fall with a young rooster. I used the Julia childs recipe that called for 3 cups of wine. I thought it had too much wine...got that yeasty after taste...One thing I did love about it and had never had were those pearl onions...oh my gosh those are so worth the extra couple bucks. A friend has a recipe that uses a little less wine I might try.

When ever there is something tough to cook or wild game --an "acid" such as wine, balsamic vinegar or even tomatoes can help break down the toughness of meat.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Bogtown - I love your coop in your avatar! That is soooo cool!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thank you, Happy Chooks! Built by a girl (me!). Just about everything on it is reclaimed or scrapped construction site mistakes/left overs. Had to buy a few 2x4's, hinges, window locks, etc... but otherwise all the siding, windows/door/ roof reclaimed... The tin on the roof has been moved from a family farm barn which burned down to a garage, which was then torn down and then reclaimed again through the years. Lots of Mistakes on this coop and it's about 1/2 inch off level...but pretty proud of it.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I built my 2nd coop as well, so I can relate. Though mine wasn't reclaimed.