My Cornish X's Have no Flavor

[Elke Beck]

Have you tried a side-by-side tasting? I think sometimes we have higher expectations of home raised birds, and if it is not a flavor bomb exploding in our mouths, then it is perceived as less flavorful.

Also, how did you process the birds? As stated above, any meat that stays in water too long will lose flavor. It will soak up water, which dilutes the flavor, and some of the water soluable components can leech out when soaked too long. I don't soak my birds, instead I bag and ice them, and all of mine are very flavorful.

 

[Mike Fronczak]

Have you tried a side-by-side tasting? I think sometimes we have higher expectations of home raised birds, and if it is not a flavor bomb exploding in our mouths, then it is perceived as less flavorful.

Also, how did you process the birds? As stated above, any meat that stays in water too long will lose flavor. It will soak up water, which dilutes the flavor, and some of the water soluable components can leech out when soaked too long. I don't soak my birds, instead I bag and ice them, and all of mine are very flavorful.

Thats an interesting method. We just did our first batch of Cornish X. I grilled some breasts up last night and have to say like the original poster...I was a little bit disappointed in the flavor, but we did soak them in water to cool, after skinning & again after braking them down.

 

[Elke Beck]

Thats an interesting method. We just did our first batch of Cornish X. I grilled some breasts up last night and have to say like the original poster...I was a little bit disappointed in the flavor, but we did soak them in water to cool, after skinning & again after braking them down.

Unless it is a huge bird, most chickens will cool off very fast if you just pack them in ice. When the weather is cool I have just put them into the big freezer in my garage while I am processing other birds, and the first bird will be chilly by the time I finish the last.

I do not like brined birds because I feel like the natural flavor is washed away and replaced with salt, sugar and whatever else is in the brine. Also, I do not like the slightly mushy texture brining can give meat. But that is just my preference.

 

[Mike Fronczak]

Next batch I will try these methods or a combination of the two.
There is a learning curve, with each new "adventure".
I understand this with of Highlands we are still experimenting with hanging times with the butcher, to get the moisture content lower, the meat is so dense the moisture has a hard time draining.
As for the chicken we already did....I'll just treat it like "supermarket" chicken & add flavor by marinade or sauces .