My meat birds are tough! Help me!

[cw]

no, as soon as i gut the carcuss i cool it when i rinse it, then it goes into the water trough, of brine and ice water, the water is not all that cold but cool enough to keep the meat, i also 1/4 the carcuss as we clean them, there is a website on dressing and ageing meat (deer)and how long to safely age meat in what tempatures, you can also feel rigor mortus in the meat or as the muscle relax. i will look up that website address as it is handy for more then just hunters

 

[Gazinga]

 

[cw]

ok i found 1 of them, it is ask the meat man.com has all sorts of good info on ageing and mixing brine, the other 1 i had in mind, i am haveing trouble finding , but it talked about ageing a 1/4 deer in 60 degree weather with a vinegar rub

 

[cw]

alright i found the 1 i was lookin for, it is a conversation on the shooters forum about ageing with vinegar, and letting the deer sit so long mold starts to grow on the out side of the 1/4 deer, (thats a little long for me, if it starts to grow mold i trash it)and they scrape it off and rerub it, they eat it and i guess they are still alive, i also believe i read somethin like that in the foxfire manuals

 

[zephyrcreek]

I've been processing a few of my colored range birds everyday for the the next week (I'm doing 100 on my own). They are 11 weeks old now, and we ate the first one last night and it was out of this world. My kids kept asking if they could have more, and wanted me to cook it the same way again tonight.

These birds were free ranged 8-12 hours a day from 4 weeks to 9 weeks as long as the weather was nice.

Here is what I have been doing.

Use killing cone, bleed the birds out, place them in freezing cold water while I kill the next few birds. They are in the cold water anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on how many I am doing and what's going on with the kids. I scald 1 bird, place in back into the cold water, and grab the next bird to scald. Once each bird has been scalded I grab the first one I started with (There are many colore paterns in the colored range birds so it is easy to tell them apart when you are only doing a few at a time). Once all the birds have been scalded I complete the cleaning process. As soon as bird is done it goes into ice water with a little bit of Kosher Salt. Once all birds are done they are transferred to the frig for 24 hours and then frozen. I even processed a few CX that I had held for 13 weeks and they were very moist and tender without any "special" cooking techniques.

Most of this information I learned by reading through this site, and it has worked very well for me. Now I just need to find a way to add a featherman machine to the budget.

Good Luck!

 

[jaku]

You shouldn't have any problem with tenderness even up to 12 weeks. Yes, you should let your birds rest for up to a couple of days before cooking or freezing. I don't think brining is necessary, although a little salt in the ice water after processing helps keep your water colder, and helps the tissue break down a little better. This isn't brining though. I don't actually "brine" any of my birds, and have never had a problem with tenderness. Have you had other home raised birds besides your own? Because when I started, I hadn't, and I noticed the meat was quite a bit firmer, although I wouldn't describe it as tough or rubbery.

 

[mmwb]

"letting the deer sit so long mold starts to grow on the out side of the 1/4 deer"

I know a few who do this with no ill effect, but it isn't necessary. We've probably consumed more deer, elk, and antelope than most will in a life time. Antelope is on ice asap after they are killed, and in the freezer as soon as possible after that. Deer is cooled and usually buthchered within a day or two. Elk is quartered or boned out (it will hold an amazing amount of heat if not done so) and usually finished up within a week. We have NEVER had tough meat, even with a couple of older elk. Poultry and other white meats tend to be more tender than the red meats. I would encourage you to get the birds cooled down quickly and wait a few hours before cutting them up.

 

[chevydmax04]

Thanks for all the info, I am going take a piece of everyone's advice, tommorrow I will slaughter 1 bird, soak it for a few hours in an icy brine mix, then put it in the fridge for 24 hours, then I will feast upon the bird and post the results. I think I will let the rest go one more week to fatten up nicely should put them about 8 1/2 weeks then. I have them on finisher and cracked corn now and they eat like there is no tommorrow (true for at least one). Mine do not "Free Range" I have a lot of hawks and foxes but they do have a large fenced run 70x30, and in the middle is a huge Mulberry tree. The birds just gorge themselves on the mulberries, then gorge on finisher. Needless to say the ground is painted purple!

Thanks for the advice I will post results.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

let us know how it goes!

i need to dress my meaties - colored rangers - and they are at 11 weeks. i'll be eager to hear how yours go. i was told up to 12 weeks also.... yikes!

 

[Chuntgray]

I doing meat birds for the 1st time. I was told 8 weeks as well, Mine have a big coop and when in a week or two they will be going out in there big run. I think it is better treatment to give them room. So what I am getting after it is all done put them in ice water and cool them down and this is will make them tender, wait 24hrs b-4 frezing them?