ONE TOUGH BIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!

[the1honeycomb]

I processed my birds 3 days ago. I put them in the Brine, 48 hours and cooked one up tonight! HELP!!!! it is the toughest tasting bird I ever cooked!!!!!! this is the third try if I can't fix this i won't be having birds anymore!!!!!
Anything is helpful

 

[PotterWatch]

How old was the bird?

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

LOL...I asked you questions on the other thread you posted on.

Were they CX or some other type? How old and was it soft and flexible when you touched it?

 

[wsmoak]

I didn't answer on the other thread because there's just not enough information, we're having to guess.

How did you process the birds? Were they calm or did you have to chase them around ? [Anecdotally, this seems to be a concern for beef and hog processing. I'm not *sure* it matters for chicken, but I try to keep them as calm as possible. If I scare one or it gets away from me and goes running around, I put it back in the pen to do later.]

What kind/breed were they? What hatchery or store did they come from? (If only so we can avoid it! )

Now... exactly how did you handle it and cook it? Sounds like the first one was cooked immediately, which can work *if* it goes in the pot right away. If you let it sit around and begin rigor mortis, then you need to wait that out.

But this one rested for three days, right? Or... actually it sounds like it rested one day, then you brined it for two days. (That sounds like a long time in the brine to me, but I'd expect it to get mushy and salty, not tough.)

Here's my suggestion:

Do you have a slow cooker (crock pot)? Put the next one in the slow cooker with one and a half cups of your favorite salsa (I use Pace medium picante sauce). One hour on high to get it started, then three to four hours on low. I *guarantee* it will be falling off the bone. Take it out, debone it, shred the meat and put it back in the sauce. Add 1 teaspoon cumin and the juice from one lime. Stir that around and heat it for another 15 minutes. Serve over rice, or use in soft tacos, or as the filling in these baked taquitos.

-Wendy

 

[Beekissed]

I can't imagine why you would brine a chicken or soak one at all unless it was in a tasty marinade. There are myriad ways to make an old bird tender, one just has to know how to do it.

 

[the1honeycomb]

the birds were alittle over a year old. all roosters, I slit their throats to bleed them out, plucked them, and gutted them. the first time I tried this i was told that the reason they were tough was because I didn't soak them. As instructed I soaked them in Brine 48 hours,water sugar and salt. I ice water, I then rinsed them and placed 3 of them in the freezer. the one that I cooked, I tried baking it and it was terrible!!! I put it in the crock pot, and cooked it another 24 hours and it made good soup

thanks to all who answered me, I was instructed about leaving them to "rest" for a couple of days and will will add that to the routine the next time I have birds that will be processed in June and Pray things will go better.

 

[wyoDreamer]

You can let the last one rest after thawing it out. Try to move the drumstick, if it is really stiff then let it rest more. A couple of days in the frig won't hurt the meat at all since it was super fresh when you froze it.
If you roast it, use a lower temperature and cook it longer.

 

[booker81]

If you roasted at a "normal" chicken cooking temp (350 for an hour or so) with a year old, you're really running a fine line.

Next time, let the bird rest for a good 4-5 days at least, no brine, no water, just covered or in a bag, in the fridge. Freeze then or cook. For cooking, cook at a temp for 300 or lower, for a longer time (I like 250-275), with some liquid - covered in a dutch oven or in a crockpot (if it keeps a low temp). For your frozen birds, take them out a few days or more before cooking, so they can thaw and rest while thawed. The meat should separate easier - it will be a bit chewier than a store bought chickens, and the skin will be tougher.

I like to make stock and soup out of year+ chickens - you can get a good couple gallons of good stock, a half a cup to a cup of rendered fat, and a couple pounds of good shredded meat to use.

 

[jtyrrell08]

We had some roos that were over a year old that we butchered. I cooked 2 in the pressure cooker and they fell off the bone! delicious! (I think you need to cook them at around 15 lbs pressure for about a half hour)