Dispatched our Roo Yesterday- Coq au Vin Tomorrow?

[wishingbee]

So yesterday I was out in the field with our flock and I was attacked by our rooster. Three times. Knowing that there are kinder, sweeter roos in the world, I decided to remove him from the gene pool. He's now sitting in our fridge, cleaned and looking delicious.

He was just over a year old. I have never cooked freshly-killed-anything before, and I'm curious to know if I'm jumping the gun by wanting to serve him as coq au vin tomorrow night. As sappy as it sounds, he was a good roo to his ladies and I want to make something special with him.

So, experienced butchers and rooster-eaters, is 48 hours too short of a waiting period to go from coop to table?

Also, I'm in the market for a few good recipes. If you have a link to your favorite coq au vin, please consider sharing.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

48 hours is probably long enough. The first 24 hours is critical but the longer they rest, the better.
The main thing is to cook it on low heat for a long time. I cook a rooster of that age till the meat starts to fall off the bone on the legs and thighs. If you judge doneness by the breast meat, the legs and thighs will be too tough.
I usually set the oven at 200 and it sometimes takes up to 5 hours or so depending on the size of the bird.

 

[wishingbee]

Excellent, thanks for the info!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I trust Julie's recipes:

http://leitesculinaria.com/5399/recipes-julia-child-coq-au-vin.html


Depending how cold your fridge is it can take longer than two days to rest the meat. I rest for three days and those with fridge temp just over freezing might take four days to release the rigormortis.

 

[wishingbee]

Julia's recipe seems to be geared towards a fryer and not so much a chewy rooster. The one hour cook time has me questioning it. Have you made this recipe before with a roo?

If anyone else is searching for a chewy rooster processing recipe, here's another one I'm considering:
https://www.manyfoldfarm.com/blog/2...dible-meat-possible-into-something-delicious/

 

[sideWing]

I butchered and cooked a rooster after he made my little girl bleed. In the end he was tougher than a tractor tire. I thought I cooked it slow enough, but I think he needed another 8 hours.

 

[lazy gardener]

Did you let him sit in the fridge for 3 days before you cooked him? You need to age the meat until the rigor passes before cooking it.

 

[wishingbee]

Ouch, sorry to hear that he hurt your little girl!

I'm in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy and when he went for me and didn't back down, I just knew that it was time for stew. He's the first animal we've ever processed, and while I didn't take his death lightly, the decision was an easy one to make. I just had to think about him attacking my future son in our garden and his head came off.

LOL at chewing on a tractor tire! I'm really curious to know how this will turn out. I'll be posting the results of my experience, regardless of how well (or awful) this goes!

 

[sideWing]

I may not have waited the three days. I can't remember now it was years ago. I would find a good Coq au Vin recipe for sure next time. I didn't cook it properly. I'm sure yours will turn out better since you have good advice.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They're great in a smoker too. If you have a 2 level smoker, you can do the rooster on one level with a rack of ribs above.