How Tough?/Cooking Methods for 4-5 month old mixed breed roosters?

[Rainier]

We used a crock pot on some year old P RIR roosters dressed out about 6-7 lbs. We felt they were pretty much perfectly cooked, considering their age. I tried baking, grilling, etc. Wasn't a fan.

4-5 hours in a large crock pot on high, water to cover.
Broth, 3 Tablespoons chicken broth- 1 T beef broth, a few T of red wine, garden chopped garlic/ onions/ celery/ carrots/ potatoes, added in early. Spinach/ greens, mushrooms/ squash/ 1 T barley added last half hour. I don't usually add additional salt, but if you prefer a bit more salty, try Liquid Aminos soy sauce alternative to salt. It's brown and can darken broth nicely, with good body (not thin/runny), and also imparts a very pleasant subtle flavor- not a soy sauce flavor.

That sounds good! We will have to tweak with it because DH has ESRD and cannot have salt or potatoes or most greens (anything high in phosphate).

 

[One Chick Two]

That sounds good! We will have to tweak with it because DH has ESRD and cannot have salt or potatoes or most greens (anything high in phosphate).

Okay, maybe try this:
4-5 hours in a large crock pot on high, water to cover.

Maybe use chicken broth, and beef or veg broth, without salt. Use the Liquid Aminos (Bragg brand) soy sauce alternative it is made from veg. protein and has no table salt- it has a small amount of naturally occurring sodium, gluten free and no preservatives. You may have to remove this too if that still doesn't work.

Salt less broth, chicken broth (3 parts)- (1 part) beef broth to taste, Liquid Aminos to taste, a few T of red wine, steep a few teabags of camomile tea in a dangling teabag holder inside (this is a culinary school trick.) for broth "body," remove the holder or strainer when serving.

Garden chopped garlic/ onions/ carrots (root veggies) added in early. Mushrooms/ squash/ zucchini, 1 T barley added last half hour so they all retain some firmness. Liquid Aminos soy sauce alternative to salt, or none.

 

[Rainier]

Okay, maybe try this:
4-5 hours in a large crock pot on high, water to cover.

Maybe use chicken broth, and beef or veg broth, without salt. Use the Liquid Aminos (Bragg brand) soy sauce alternative it is made from veg. protein and has no table salt- it has a small amount of naturally occurring sodium, gluten free and no preservatives. You may have to remove this too if that still doesn't work.

Salt less broth, chicken broth (3 parts)- (1 part) beef broth to taste, Liquid Aminos to taste, a few T of red wine, steep a few teabags of camomile tea in a dangling teabag holder inside (this is a culinary school trick.) for broth "body," remove the holder or strainer when serving.

Garden chopped garlic/ onions/ carrots (root veggies) added in early. Mushrooms/ squash/ zucchini, 1 T barley added last half hour so they all retain some firmness. Liquid Aminos soy sauce alternative to salt, or none.

I had to swat DH away while I was reading this .. he was drooling on my shoulder

Next time we have cockerels to send off to camp we'll try this.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am amazed, I think you have all (well almost all) bought into the CX/Tyson/goldenPlump myth. I know I am older than many of you here. I grew up in the 50s on a farm, my parents and grandparents were farmers.

We did not have any chickens that could be butchered in8 weeks. All chickens/roosters were raised to 18-26 weeks. They tasted just fine. They were not tough, they were delicious. I am trying to get those chickens again which is why I am holding my CX's back. I do not plan to process any until 12 weeks old and many around 16. I want a bigger bird, I have no concerns of them being tough.

I would not be afraid to fry or oven bake a chicken that is 8 months old.

I know a turkey is not a chicken but heritage breeds are routinely kept for 24-26 weeks. Why would a rooster be tough just because it is 16 weeks old?


IMHO I would just fry them up and eat them, JUST make sure they rest before freezing or eating.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you are going to use a crock pot, don’t add broth. You will make broth that can be used other ways.

Put in a Bay leaf and maybe 12 peppercorns, no salt. Rough chop and onion, a carrot, and a celery stalk. Add your choice of herbs. I always use Basil and Oregano but sometimes add Parsley or Thyme. If you can’t use some of this for dietary reasons, then omit it. No big deal. Put in the chicken pieces and cover it with water. Fill it to the top with water. Then cook it on low for 8 to 12 hours, the older the bird the longer the time.

When this is done, carefully use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken. It will fall off the bone if you are not careful enough. Then strain out the big pieces, I use a sieve. Then take the fat out. You can let it cool and spoon it off the top but I use one of those special cups for defatting. When I can it I strain it through several layers of cheesecloth but if you are using it fresh you really don’t need to. There will be some small bits that get through the sieve but it’s all edible.

I cook the regular chicken pieces other ways but I use the back, neck, wings, feet, gizzard, and heart for broth. I know where the feet have been but if you scald the feet without overcooking them the toenails and sour cover twist out easily and the skin can be peeled. That gets them clean enough for me. It doesn’t take much to overcook them and when you do that skin just tears into tiny pieces. It becomes a paint o get it all off. I normally get about 5 pints of really good broth out of a carcass.

I pick the meat off the wings, neck, and back and use that fro chicken tacos, casseroles, salads, or just to make a sandwich for lunch. You have to be careful or you will get some small bones, but you’d be surprised how much meat you can get off of those pieces if you try.

You can always make broth with the regular chicken pieces but you get a lot more flavor using the bones, cartilage, and general carcass.

I also grew up in a small farm in the 50's. When Mom wanted a chicken for supper she told me and I got one, killed it, plucked it, and gutted it but left the other parts inside the carcass. She took the carcass inside, cut it up, an cooked it immediately without letting it rest. As you said, they were older than the modern babies people are used to eating. Mom did cook them somewhat appropriate for age, like a really old chicken would be chicken and dumplings. She did fry a lot of them and I really liked them. The gizzard, back, and neck were normal pieces of fried chicken. When she fried them she floated them in lard we processed from our hogs we butchered. I mean lots of lard. And she kept the top on the pan to kind of steam them as they cooked. To this day I have no problems with that texture and yes, the older chickens had a lot more flavor than the ones you get from the store today. But using my wife as a guide, many people that grew up on the texture of the broilers between 6 and 8 weeks of age will probably have problems with the texture of older birds fried. They might not like the flavor either.

 

[duluthralphie]

Or we are simply remembering things the way we wanted them to be...lol

 

[aoxa]

I am amazed, I think you have all (well almost all) bought into the CX/Tyson/goldenPlump myth. I know I am older than many of you here. I grew up in the 50s on a farm, my parents and grandparents were farmers.

We did not have any chickens that could be butchered in8 weeks. All chickens/roosters were raised to 18-26 weeks. They tasted just fine. They were not tough, they were delicious. I am trying to get those chickens again which is why I am holding my CX's back. I do not plan to process any until 12 weeks old and many around 16. I want a bigger bird, I have no concerns of them being tough.

I would not be afraid to fry or oven bake a chicken that is 8 months old.

I know a turkey is not a chicken but heritage breeds are routinely kept for 24-26 weeks. Why would a rooster be tough just because it is 16 weeks old?


IMHO I would just fry them up and eat them, JUST make sure they rest before freezing or eating.

Honestly, I can't even come close to swallowing the meat when they are that old if they are fried.. I have never eaten a heritage chicken until I started this, 5 years ago. It has to be slow cooked, or I can't handle the texture. I am only 27, so yeah..

I wish my parents raised me on heritage breeds, but no luck for me! I'm sure they aren't all that bad. I know my father in law has no issue eating them, but he does say they are tough. He likes it that way.

 

[duluthralphie]

Honestly, I can't even come close to swallowing the meat when they are that old if they are fried.. I have never eaten a heritage chicken until I started this, 5 years ago. It has to be slow cooked, or I can't handle the texture. I am only 27, so yeah..

I wish my parents raised me on heritage breeds, but no luck for me! I'm sure they aren't all that bad. I know my father in law has no issue eating them, but he does say they are tough. He likes it that way.

I do not like my chicken tough, but I do not want it mushy either. I want some texture to it. I suppose one could always grind the older chickens and make chicken burgers if they wanted too. I have thought of doing that. I also saved the fat, we do not use lard anymore, from the last pig we butchered. I plan to make some chicken sausage and wieners with that in my smoker.


Actually if you want to eat older chicken and think it is tough, I would think marinating them in vinegar or tenderizing base would help. Also there are so many dishes you can make with chopped chunked chicken. Chow mien, hot dishes, casseroles for those of you not in Minnesota, soup of course, chicken salad, and so forth.

I think slow baked roasted chicken would be okay, Use salts or accent meat tenderizer on it.

I am just against slow cookers, I think we over use them and the meat in a slow cooker tastes "blaw" to me. IMHO



Another addition if you have to use the slow cooker, I suggest cream of mushroom soup, wild rice* a few onions and mushrooms.


* Minnesota style wild rice LOTS of rice, like a pound or so, not a little packet, like they passed off as a "wild rice casserole" in Florida when we lived there.

 

[One Chick Two]

I do not like my chicken tough, but I do not want it mushy either. I want some texture to it. I suppose one could always grind the older chickens and make chicken burgers if they wanted too. I have thought of doing that. I also saved the fat, we do not use lard anymore, from the last pig we butchered. I plan to make some chicken sausage and wieners with that in my smoker.


Actually if you want to eat older chicken and think it is tough, I would think marinating them in vinegar or tenderizing base would help. Also there are so many dishes you can make with chopped chunked chicken. Chow mien, hot dishes, casseroles for those of you not in Minnesota, soup of course, chicken salad, and so forth.

I think slow baked roasted chicken would be okay, Use salts or accent meat tenderizer on it.

I am just against slow cookers, I think we over use them and the meat in a slow cooker tastes "blaw" to me. IMHO



Another addition if you have to use the slow cooker, I suggest cream of mushroom soup, wild rice* a few onions and mushrooms.


* Minnesota style wild rice LOTS of rice, like a pound or so, not a little packet, like they passed off as a "wild rice casserole" in Florida when we lived there.

I find if I just cook the 4-5 hours in the crock pot- seriously, the one year old PRs have had good texture- not falling off the bone until after 5 hours, and tasty, not mushy at all.
When we tried multiple times baking them for many hours (low heat) and steam, they were tough.

Marans are the best and plump up really fast- 3 month olds, so tender they tore up in the auto plucker.

 

[One Chick Two]

If you are going to use a crock pot, don’t add broth. You will make broth that can be used other ways.

Put in a Bay leaf and maybe 12 peppercorns, no salt. Rough chop and onion, a carrot, and a celery stalk. Add your choice of herbs. I always use Basil and Oregano but sometimes add Parsley or Thyme. If you can’t use some of this for dietary reasons, then omit it. No big deal. Put in the chicken pieces and cover it with water. Fill it to the top with water. Then cook it on low for 8 to 12 hours, the older the bird the longer the time.

When this is done, carefully use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken. It will fall off the bone if you are not careful enough. Then strain out the big pieces, I use a sieve. Then take the fat out. You can let it cool and spoon it off the top but I use one of those special cups for defatting. When I can it I strain it through several layers of cheesecloth but if you are using it fresh you really don’t need to. There will be some small bits that get through the sieve but it’s all edible.

I cook the regular chicken pieces other ways but I use the back, neck, wings, feet, gizzard, and heart for broth. I know where the feet have been but if you scald the feet without overcooking them the toenails and sour cover twist out easily and the skin can be peeled. That gets them clean enough for me. It doesn’t take much to overcook them and when you do that skin just tears into tiny pieces. It becomes a paint o get it all off. I normally get about 5 pints of really good broth out of a carcass.

I pick the meat off the wings, neck, and back and use that fro chicken tacos, casseroles, salads, or just to make a sandwich for lunch. You have to be careful or you will get some small bones, but you’d be surprised how much meat you can get off of those pieces if you try.

You can always make broth with the regular chicken pieces but you get a lot more flavor using the bones, cartilage, and general carcass.

I also grew up in a small farm in the 50's. When Mom wanted a chicken for supper she told me and I got one, killed it, plucked it, and gutted it but left the other parts inside the carcass. She took the carcass inside, cut it up, an cooked it immediately without letting it rest. As you said, they were older than the modern babies people are used to eating. Mom did cook them somewhat appropriate for age, like a really old chicken would be chicken and dumplings. She did fry a lot of them and I really liked them. The gizzard, back, and neck were normal pieces of fried chicken. When she fried them she floated them in lard we processed from our hogs we butchered. I mean lots of lard. And she kept the top on the pan to kind of steam them as they cooked. To this day I have no problems with that texture and yes, the older chickens had a lot more flavor than the ones you get from the store today. But using my wife as a guide, many people that grew up on the texture of the broilers between 6 and 8 weeks of age will probably have problems with the texture of older birds fried. They might not like the flavor either.

Okay... this is just a matter of taste.

We've many cooked chickens w/ and without adding any broth or base, and we find this FAR too bland of stock for our taste.

Also, not trying to disagree here, but, we don't usually care for peppercorns if we're going to eat the veggies. Nor, Parsley, Oregano or Thyme in crockpot chicken. Just our tastes.