first time killer here

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
I just let them set in the fridge for a few days before cooking or freezing and it seems to work fine--kind of like letting deer or a side of beef hang for a week or ten days before doing the cut and wrap.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

I never seem to have room in the fridge for several birds so we leave them in the cooler in ice water for 24 hours then freeze them and defrost for two or three days in the fridge. They get another bit of time then and are yummy, yummy, yummy!

 

[Kittymomma]

Mrs. Feathers :

I never seem to have room in the fridge for several birds so we leave them in the cooler in ice water for 24 hours then freeze them and defrost for two or three days in the fridge. They get another bit of time then and are yummy, yummy, yummy!

I hear you!! We do a lot of fishing too and like to smoke the darker king salmon and chums. It takes up a ton of fridge space since it has to brine for a few days before smoking so a few years ago we broke down and bought a 3/4 size apartment style fridge that lives in the garage. It was money well spent! I use it for chicken when we butcher (just can't butcher during the heart of fishing season) for the fish, and the rest of the year I can buy milk four gallons at a time and not have to worry about where to put it--great for Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers too.​

 

[terri9630]

Quote:
You can let them rest before or after freezing. I don't have room in my frig to keep a bunch of birds so I freeze them and take them out to thaw a few days before I plan to use them.

 

[averytds]

My DH has one of those cooler/warmer fridges. The big one, like a regular cooler/apartment fridge size. Since it's cooler temps out, I wonder about using it. I may just do smaller batches though and use the regular fridge. I remove the crispers out of the bottom for 5 gallon buckets and such for canning purposes.