Eating Roosters? Not Capons.

[BushHog936]

We've had rooster as old as 14 months, still tasted great even on the grill. We're not picky.

 

[wildgeesego]

I grow a lot of dual purpose breeds and cull most of my cockerels when they are 16 to 20 weeks. I get 2.5 to 5 pound fryers depending on the age and breed. The meat is very good and not tough like an older rooster. There are several ways to get the most out of these birds. One is to kill and pluck one day and then let them season in the refrigerator for at least two days but I usually go 5 to 7 days. Then I draw (gut) the birds just before cooking. Take away food from them four 24 hours before butchering so the intestines are empty. Aging the meat for this time gives you a nice tender bird. I also brine mine after cleaning them and just before cooking. soak them in salty water in the refrigerator for a few hours. I then rinse off the excess salt. Cook them slower and cook the breast for a shorter time than the drums and thighs. I personally don't care for the huge white breast meat of the cornish. I much prefer the juicy, flavorful dark meat on these dual purpose slow growing boys. If you have the foresight to do it, two weeks in a fattening pen eating grain will make them even juicier and more tender.

This year I have added caponizing to my meat bird projects. I caponized 20 cockerels and after a sort of difficult learning curve with dead birds I finally got the hang of it. It isn't too easy to teach yourself, but so far I am happy with the results. Capons are much nicer to be around than cockerels and can report on the meat around Christmas time.

 

[terri9630]

Quote:
Fat and Salt are also required by the body to function. If people are concerned about their fat and salt intake processed foods and junk food would be the place to cut it. I don't have any scientific data, but I would bet there is more salt and fat in a bag of chips than in a serving of an older, brined chicken.