I have read that you should let the meat rest after it has been proccessed, but it is conflicting as too how long it should rest. Some are saying 24 hours and others as long as 3/4 days, i know rigor sets in and it should rest till the rigor starts to go, so how long does it take for the rigor to pass and how long do others wait before cooking their birds? I proccessed mine this morning and was going to cook it tomorrow, all day long and slow. Is this too soon? do not want to end up with a tough, stringy bird. He was nearly 20 weeks old if that makes a difference.
For 20 weeks, I like to do about 3-4 days. My favorite way to cook them is in a covered dutch oven with some veggies, and cook at about 250-300 for a couple of hours. The meat should shrink back off the leg bone (like properly cooked ribs )
Thank you booker81, i will give him another day or two then. He will be going in a enamel pot roaster with vedge and being cooked low and slow.
Some say you can tell if rigor has passed by grabbing one of the legs and trying to bend the joint. If the leg moves easily, rigor has passed. I don't know if that is true, since I have not butchered a chicken yet.
I helped SunnySideUp process some of her older (5-8 months) old roos and she gave me a couple as a nice thank you. I rested them in the fridge for about 3 days and noticed they were still stiff legged. I cut them up and threw them in a pot. I was worried that any longer might start the decay process. They were very tasty, but, I think maybe 3 days wasn't enough
I thought i would update to nlet you all know, i cooked him the following day with vedge in a roaster with a lid, long and low. He was so tender, the meat was falling off the bones so i probably over cooked it. He was in the over for about 6 hours. Hope this helps others.
How long do you rest your 6 week old CXR's? Last year I cut mine up the evening after slaughter and froze them and was not happy with them.
