how do you guys cook your birds that aren't cornish

[periodicchicken]

hi
so my mom was wondering after several attempts of cooking my old birds about how do you cook them without making something between leather and jerky that not even a cat would eat... no seriously... she could have sworn that her mother's cooking of a bird that was a bout the same age actually tasted good.

please if you guys have an idea of how to cook these birds that where about 5-6 months old other than to send them to camp earlier that would be awesome

periodicchicken

 

[Judy]

Low heat, long cookiing, as in a crock pot. Maybe this will help. It's in the sticky on the meat birds forum.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rom-historic-chicken-breeds/0_20#post_3473262

 

[BettyR]

An old bird makes the best gumbo. Soup is good too.

But the way I like to cook my older birds is I line an oblong cake pan with foil and add a couple of inches of chicken broth. Season the bird well and cover the pan with foil. The put it in a very slow oven, I usually cook mine at about 275 degrees for about 5 to 6 hours or until the bird is very tender. Then let the pan cool down enough to stick it in the frig. Refrigerate overnight to let the bird firm up. Then the next day put it on the smoker at a very low temperature. You are just wanting to get a good smoke on it and heat it through but not really cook it.

Serve with potato salad and beans, you will think you have died and gone to heaven.

The broth that is left in the pan after you remove the bird will make the best soup you have ever eaten.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Low, slow, and with plenty of moisture.

An exception to this is the use of a pressure cooker. Never been a bird so tough a pressure cooker could not tenderize it. Again with plenty of moisture.

 

[donrae]

They don't make good roasters or fryers, and you really can't grill them. As everyone has said, low and slow is the way to go.

 

[sandspoultry]

Actually you can grill the breasts, fillet the breast off the bone and cook hot and fast on the grill. It only takes a few min. per side, you want to cook them thru but not over cook. You can also slice the breast and stir fry them.

 

[periodicchicken]

okay! thank you guys so much! honestly i think she may try omew of these tomight... either it will go well or we will be ordering food.:/

 

[periodicchicken]

it went pretty welll..... thankfully! it was edible and would have been a nice dinner if a kid hadnt vandalized our company signs

 

[cukooformarans]

I know this is an old post, but I pressure cook 6-12 month old birds- 20 minutes after jiggling begins. Then I pull them out, dry, dredge in flour, then buttermilk and egg, then flour again. Fry until crust is golden. You have to be gentle with the meat or it will fall right off of the bone. This is a family favorite and what I cook to entice dear hubby into processing the next batch. Just season as you normally would.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Good ideas here. Posting so I can find it again.