CX are pretty tough, what am I doing wrong???

[jaj121159]

Quote:
If you freeze right after slaughter, get it out of the freezer about a week ahead of cooking. Let it thaw and then sit to cooking day. It can be cut up or left whole, but still brined after thawing. The toughness you are experiencing is probably rigor. The brining helps remove excess blood, but also relaxes the meat. An interesting way to brine is using buttermilk instead of water. some folks use Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew or even Pepsi for brining.

 

[colebarnhart]

What are all the main things you need in a brine, and how long do you leave the chicken in the brine? I saw the reviews for the above posted recipe, but some people said it was too salty, and if you can use pepsi or mtn dew, do you still have to add salt and etc?

 

[Erica]

Just a bit of extra info, hope it helps.

Rigor mortis usually begins about 20 minutes after death. If processing is slow then the muscles will be quite firm. Supermarket chickens on the other hand are chilled within 10 or so minutes of death. This means that the muscles never have time to harden (hence they don't need resting before cooking).

The other biggies for tough meat (apart from cooking method) are age of bird, and stress/method of dispatch. Your birds shouldn't have been tough given their ages. However if you have to chase a bird around to catch it for dispatching then it will be much tougher than a relaxed bird. For this reason it can be a good idea (for other reasons too) to get the birds used to being handled before the final day.

Best wishes,
Erica

 

[Dave Bean]

Great advice. Will make a note of it before getting my meaties.

 

[MobyQuail]

and taking notes.