Over cooked fresh bird AGAIN!!

[the1honeycomb]

I just processes a bird today for dinner and I timed it put it in a the oven at 350 and it is stringy and over cooked!!! someone help !!!!!! I feel terrible I killed this bird and then ruined it for eating any ideas??? I am usually a great cook but for some reason I can't get cooking a fresh bird down. Feeling guilty for wasting a life!

 

[EweSheep]

Should have let it rest and soaked in brine water for a couple of days. It would have given you the best chicken!

All is not lost, just chop the chicken meat in smaller pieces for some chicken noodles or chicken soup.

 

[kari_dawn]

Wait, so you processed a bird and then ate it the same day? From what I understand, you sould process and then let the meat rest for at least 48 hours up to four days before cooking or freezing it.

The next time you process one, try letting it sit in salted water over night, then let it rest in the fridge for a day or two before cooking

 

[the1honeycomb]

how much salt in the water??!! and I processed 2 more birds and put them in the freezer should I get them out and let them sit in the salt water!?!?!?!

I did a lot of research on the process and I never saw anything about soaking the meat!! '

Thank you soo much!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

You don't have to soak/brine the meat. You do have to let the meat rest to allow rigor to pass though. If the bird is stiff, it will be just as stiff to eat. If the legs fall to the sides and the bird can be moved freely, it'll be tender, providing it is a young bird. Any home cooked fresh bird will be "tougher" than a store bird who is 42 days old and stored in a meat case for up to 7-10 days.

 

[halo]

I just cooked a bird, and it was yummy. When I process, I let them sit for 48 hours in the fridge before freezing to let the rigor relax. The ones in the freezer will be fine, if you let them sit a day or two after they thaw out (in the fridge, of course). Keep trying, you'll get it right.

 

[itsy]

I stopped brining fresh birds for two reasons: 1. I usually make it too salty and then the meat is too salty. 2. When I process my birds, I use a killing cone and they are bled out so well that I don't need to brine to help with that issue. If you use a good brine recipe, it can add some flavor to the meat, but I just haven't found it yet.

I let them sit in the fridge for at least two days, up to 4 days (I heard you could go more, but I don't)

They come out absolutely great this way.

If you are cooking a bird that's not intended for meat (that's very lean) or an older bird, roasting in the oven may not be the best way to cook it. The meat will be tough.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Brining can bring flavor and even moisture to the bird, but the crucial part is resting the meat. For the birds in the freezer, just be sure to thaw them out a few days ahead of time and let them sit in the fridge for a few days to rest before cooking. Resting the bird in the fridge even makes grocery store birds taste better, in my experience, and they've usually been rested for a while anyway. And as Itsy pointed out, if you are processing an older bird or an egg laying breed for eating you are going to have to cook low and slow to keep it from drying out. That's why chicken and dumplings was so popular down on the farm back in the day. It's also why spent hens are called stewing hens. We processed three hens that were about a year and a half old this past fall ourselves. Two of the three were so skinny that they weren't good for much, but we made awesome stock and cut the leg quarters and breast meat away and made some delicious chicken tacos from that. The third was no cornish cross, but big enough that we tried roasting her. The dark meat was pretty good, but the breast was pretty dried out and that was even after brining for a few days. What we didn't eat that night (which was most of the bird actually) we chopped up and used in chicken and dumplings and it was much better the second time around.

 

[the1honeycomb]

Thanks!! that information is very helpful!!! I was afraid I had ruined all of them!!!

Sounds like I'll be putting the slow cooker to work!

I will be getting some cornishx for roasting birds in the near future!!!
Thank You again.

 

[EweSheep]