How to handle/prepare ground chicken? (Or maybe canned chicken)

[ladybrasa]

So I still have more roos to take care of - assuming I can mentally do the deed - that are about 7 months of smallish various non-meat breeds, as well as the old 8+ year old rooster that hadn’t taken to being usurped very well. I’m concerned that based on breed and age, the 7 mo olds are going to be starting to get a little tough. Certainly the old roo. So I have a small cheap meat grinder. So I was wondering, do I just cut all the meat I can off the carcass and frying it up right then? Does the meat need to set for a few days like parted or whole carcasses? Can it sit for a few days if I can’t get to it right away? Or do I going first, then let rest before freezing? I am assuming I’d still have to immediately put the meat cut off the carcass into ice water? I am assuming the meat would need to be as dry as possible before grinding or no? I doubt I’ll have time (or planning, really) to try canning meat, but if so, does that need to age or just go straight from the carcass to the canner?

 

[Molpet]

Old birds I pressure cook. Took over 2 hrs

Different ages are cooked differently

 

[NatJ]

I am assuming I’d still have to immediately put the meat cut off the carcass into ice water?

When I butcher chickens, I do not use ice water at all.

I butcher a few at a time, and put the meat in a bowl. No water.
Then I carry it inside the house and rinse each piece under cold running water until it looks clean. At that point, it's ready for me to freeze, cook, or put it in the fridge to cook another day.

I have no direct experience grinding or canning, but I do not think you need to age meat that will be ground up. The grinding should chop it small enough that tenderness no longer matters.

 

[Molpet]

I rest old birds about 5 days in refrigerator or cooler with ice. Young birds until rigor mortis has passed, a day or so.... I do Before but some people do after freezing and thawing.

Meat grinds better when almost frozen. Chunk it and put in freezer until stiff but not frozen solid.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So I still have more roos to take care of - assuming I can mentally do the deed - that are about 7 months of smallish various non-meat breeds, as well as the old 8+ year old rooster that hadn’t taken to being usurped very well. I’m concerned that based on breed and age, the 7 mo olds are going to be starting to get a little tough. Certainly the old roo. So I have a small cheap meat grinder. So I was wondering, do I just cut all the meat I can off the carcass and frying it up right then? Does the meat need to set for a few days like parted or whole carcasses? Can it sit for a few days if I can’t get to it right away? Or do I going first, then let rest before freezing? I am assuming I’d still have to immediately put the meat cut off the carcass into ice water? I am assuming the meat would need to be as dry as possible before grinding or no? I doubt I’ll have time (or planning, really) to try canning meat, but if so, does that need to age or just go straight from the carcass to the canner?

Remove all the meat you can from the carcasses - either at time of cull, or after a 24-48 hour "wet age"/rest period in the back of the chill chest. All the bones and bits you miss go into your biggest stock pot with a couple carrots, an equal amount of celery, several large onions, fresh cracked black pepper, a palm of salt, and garlic till your heart sings. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, lid, and let go overnight to 36 hours. Strain and reserve. Best chicken stock you will ever taste (can concentrate by simmering, lid removed, but will also concentrate the salt, so...

Take all the meat you saved, which will be mostly breast and thighs, wings arent' worth it, legs may or may not be. Cube up into roughly 3/4" size, transfer to a sheet pan and place in the freezer. Find a sausage recipe you love - I believe recipes designed for pork work best when using chicken - and duplicate the spices. Grind, package, let them set in the fridge at least a day before use for the flavors to marry.

(You aren't freezing the meat to freeze it thru, just to firm up the outside some - better texture, and it will help keep the grinder cool if you are processing many pounds at a time)

Note that poultry fat doesn't get hard like animal fats, so if you have to add a bunch of fat (common in sausage recipes), don't use chunks of the yellow subcutaneous chicken fat, or the bit that tends to concentrate near the end of the intestinal cavity - you don't have to trim that away, but you shouldn't be adding more of it - your sausage will be mealy and the fat will mostly drain away during cooking. Use animal fat instead.

Same process for duck, but use beef sausage recipes.

You can use it as loose sausage (think fennel, red pepper flake, red wine vinegar, paprika) in pasta sauce, pack it as patties (breakfast sausage patties), or put it in casings and smoke, then finish on the grill or a pot of water, like a hot dog.

Legg's "Snack Stick" Seasoning is a good off the shelf blend for making seasoned patties like hamburger, or even a decent hot dog-like product (add a bit more ground mustard, and definitely smoke). My preference is ground duck for the burgers (darker meat, more "beefy"), and chicken for the dogs. Do **NOT** recommend "sweet" "chicken and fruit" or "chicken and veggie" recipes like you might see for sale at the grocer counter at the local market. Not only is there much higher chance of insufficient sanitation, but those fresh sausages don't keep well, and the increased gaminess of old bird can overwhelm the other flavors. Stick with savory.

 

[ladybrasa]

Hmmm, I think I will let it “age”, secondary to time constraints, since I never seem to get things done exactly on schedule …. As far as using/cooking it, you are saying I should/can treat it like ground pork (aka sausage)? So chicken sausage patties rather than chicken burgers?

And yes, I’ve been saving all the carcass bone remains from the previous cockerels this year for broth!!

 

[ladybrasa]

So do y’all think grinding wouldn’t work for the old roo?

As far as ice water - I’ve been parting, spraying off with a hose, then putting in ice water until later when I aged in the fridge for 2-4 days. It’s been too hot, plus flies and yellow jackets for my comfort. That said, last year we butchered some in December and it was in the low 40s - refrigerator temp, so we ended up cutting up a bunch and setting it aside til we hosed off the meat and put it in ice. Probably didn’t really need it then, though!

 

[NatJ]

As far as ice water - I’ve been parting, spraying off with a hose, then putting in ice water until later when I aged in the fridge for 2-4 days. It’s been too hot, plus flies and yellow jackets for my comfort.

If it works for you, that's fine. I know that many different methods can work.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hmmm, I think I will let it “age”, secondary to time constraints, since I never seem to get things done exactly on schedule …. As far as using/cooking it, you are saying I should/can treat it like ground pork (aka sausage)? So chicken sausage patties rather than chicken burgers?

And yes, I’ve been saving all the carcass bone remains from the previous cockerels this year for broth!!

I'm saying that grinding it (whether for sausage, burgers, whatever) is mechanical maceration, which will help provide some impression of tenderness. and that if you use it for making sausage (like you might use another ground meat for sausage), that chicken (meat) is a good substitute for pork (meat) in a sausage recipe, while duck (meat) is a better substitute for cow (meat) in a sausage recipe, but chicken (fat) isn't a good substitute for anything in sausage, and you shouldn't attempt to substitute it in where the recipe calls for a different fat.

And I've used 14, 15 month old free range birds for sausage, its excellent. Will use older birds still, as soon as I start culling out aging hens.

 

[ladybrasa]

Okie dokie, I think I got it I was just going to grind it and freeze it, then make recipes later.

BTW, all y’all are awesome! Thank you!