Need to dispatch "over-ripe" rooster. Any good recipe suggestions?

[IdasChickens]

Another thing you can do with a tough bird it run it through the meat grinder.
I like to take the ground stuff and make chicken cordon bleu out of it.
You make like a burger patty and stuff the middle with as much ham and swiss cheese as you can fit in it, then put another "patty" on top and form it like a ball.
You can roll this in corn meal and flour and fry it or roast it in the oven as is and both ways turn out great.
I also like to make a cream sauce to pour over it if I'm feeling fancy.

Whoa. Think I'll be going out this week to get me a meat grinder and some other supplies...That sounds so amazing!

Thank you for sharing this, Soltaria!

 

[BowFarm]

There are a number of things you can do with an over-ripe rooster. One thing to do after you butcher him is to let him rest in the refrigerator for four days or so. That will start to soften him. Then you can cut him up and turn him into coq-au-vin, only when you are simmering the pieces in the tomato-wine mixture, let him simmer for three to four hours. You will end up with tender, truly wonderful coq-au-vin.

Another way is to slow roast him. Put some olive oil or butter in a heavy dutch oven or large pot. Stuff the rooster with garlic, rosemary, oregano, and other herbs. Put the rooster along with a cup of white wine in the dutch over, cover, and then roast at 190 degrees, that's right, set the oven to just 190 degrees F, and slowly roast the rooster for four hours, basting maybe once an hour. You'll end up with a tender bird. If your rooster has been running around all these years, the thigh and leg meat will be more like a mild goat meat than chicken.

And one more thing I like to do is to cut up a rooster, put the pieces in a heavy pot, pull a handful of green garlic out of the garden, wash and lay the garlic on top of the rooster, pour 1 to 2 cups of sake or white wine into the pot, put on a very low heat, and let it barely simmer for three to four hours. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

 

[IdasChickens]

Thank you, BowFarm!!! Book-marking this!

Please keep adding your recipes, everyone! I am truly enjoying these and saving them all!!!

P.S- We have ~ 17 roos to dispatch this month. SO, looking forward to trying ALL of these methods/recipes, and more!

You guys are great!
THANK YOU!!

Idas Chickens

 

[Phoenixxx]

Is there any way to get the skin crispy-brown? I bought a "roaster oven" and I've done about 5 roosters so far, not once getting crispy skin. The instructions say not to add liquid, but I always add a bit because my boys are VERY active and I like to be able to chew them easily

 

[IdasChickens]

I like how you added: "...my boys are VERY active....". This is important!!

Ours free-range as well, and I hear this can make for a very tough bird (cause' exercise).....or at least, a very DARK meat, AND a potentially tough bird.
Dark meat; OK. Tough meat; no good!

When I roast a store-bought bird, I just leave em' in the ov' till the skin is dark. HOWEVER< this obviously may not apply to home-grown. (I've only done crock-pot so far. Sorry, I've none experience yet with crisping home-growns and am therefore SUPER glad for your question!)

Looking forward to hearing a response to this!

Thanks for posting, pheonixxx

Idas Chickens

 

[Phoenixxx]

I like how you added: "...my boys are VERY active....". This is important!!

Ours free-range as well, and I hear this can make for a very tough bird (cause' exercise).....or at least, a very DARK meat, AND a potentially tough bird.
Dark meat; OK. Tough meat; no good!

When I roast a store-bought bird, I just leave em' in the ov' till the skin is dark. HOWEVER< this obviously may not apply to home-grown. (I've only done crock-pot so far. Sorry, I've none experience yet with crisping home-growns and am therefore SUPER glad for your question!)

Looking forward to hearing a response to this!

Thanks for posting, pheonixxx

Idas Chickens

Between all the running, mating, jumping and FLYING - yep, my BA boys with 7" drumsticks and 4" wing bones can clear a 4' fence without having to touch down and re-launch off the top! I don't even bother trying to contain them anymore, lol! The one time I did, they just found another way to bust through the fence

 

[IdasChickens]

Between all the running, mating, jumping and FLYING - yep, my BA boys with 7" drumsticks and 4" wing bones can clear a 4' fence without having to touch down and re-launch off the top! I don't even bother trying to contain them anymore, lol! The one time I did, they just found another way to bust through the fence

Been a little bit since I posted here. Have gained some experience since then, however.

We have been brining our birds (roosters) and I have cooked a few in the oven, just like I would with ANY other (that I wanted to roast, that is.) The skins has come out just as crispy. The meat tastes great...except like turkey meat, because it is so dark. Not a ton of meat on the breast, but my family likes dark meat anyway....

One roo tasted kinda strange and ended up going to the dogs (who loved it, of course.) Think that maybe he just got into something funky somewhere...

I think next time we raise some meats, I am going to feed them on a different type of diet. Someone here somewhere, mentioned "game bird food." I also heard, "turkey food" (same thing?)

We gave these ones game food, but not till they were well along.

Anyway, so far, not disappointed. Thanks again for all the great suggestions everyone!

Ida

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

I have a question, we have a rooster who is about 4 going on 5 months old. He is an Australorp and very big but not very meaty. Not much of a drum stick and his breast is pretty purple still. We have been feeding him gamebird starter since we have 6 young turkeys and several baby chicks. He is kind of obnoxious with the hens, some of them love this guy, others detest him, so my family wants to dispatch him. Do you think he would be big enough to make it worth our while or should we hold on to him a bit longer?

Also a friend of ours gave us a chicken they had processed and frozen. It tasted fine but the thigh meat was dark almost like duck meat and it seemed to be frozen into position. The way it was in the freezer bag was the way it was when thawed. Could not get it to move at all, cooked in the same position as well. Kinda weird to me.

 

[Phoenixxx]

I have a question, we have a rooster who is about 4 going on 5 months old.  He is an Australorp and very big but not very meaty.  Not much of a drum stick and his breast is pretty purple still.  We have been feeding him gamebird starter since we have 6 young turkeys and several baby chicks.  He is kind of obnoxious with the hens, some of them love this guy, others detest him, so my family wants to dispatch him.  Do you think he would be big enough to make it worth our while or should we hold on to him a bit longer?

Also a friend of ours gave us a chicken they had processed and frozen.  It tasted fine but the thigh meat was dark almost like duck meat and it seemed to be frozen into position.  The way it was in the freezer bag was the way it was when thawed.  Could not get it to move at all, cooked in the same position as well.  Kinda weird to me.

Sounds like the bird you were given wasn't "relaxed" prior to being frozen. If you let them sit in the fridge (cover with damp towel) for a couple days, the limbs get floppy again.

I had australorps last year. They're a big bird that takes some time to "fill out". Wait until he's about 6 or 7 months old, then you'll have lots of meat!

As for the dark meat being dark purple, that's normal. It's one of the major differences between REAL chicken and commercially-raised chicken. I actually noticed the other day while eating kfc and said, "this dark meat isn't dark at all! No wonder I have to eat ten times as much to feel full!" I'll bet the deep colour is due to all the extra nutrients and exercise our homegrown chickens get from living a happy, healthy life!