preparing meat for the freezer

[kick'n chick'n]

after butchering & cutting up the chickens what do you all do to the meat before freezing? i tried searching for answers but no luck.

 

[fitzy]

kick'n chick'n :

after butchering & cutting up the chickens what do you all do to the meat before freezing? i tried searching for answers but no luck.

i'm new at this, but here's my plan...

brine for 12-24 hours
season the parts i plan to throw on the grill
vacum seal them
leave in the fridge for 6-12 hours so the flavor can penetrate
chuck them into the freezer

the ones i'm not seasoning are going straight from brine to vacum seal and into the freezer.......might put some BBQ sauce on a couple though



if anyone thinks i'm messing up, feel free to correct me here....​

 

[kingmt]

Fitzy

That sounds great but I would give it a few more hours before freezing. My last birds I let age for 5 days. They were really good. I would suggest at least 36 hours. Make sure you keep them chilled though

 

[skywatcher]

For me the meat is taken out of the ice water buckets right after I cleaned them & the chicken is rinsed in water again after I cut the chicken into parts then is put in zip locks in the freezer. Chicken usually eaten in a week.
My friend gave me the gizzards & livers from 50 chickens he had butchered they lasted for 4 meals less than a week

 

[journey11]

You ought to let it rest before you freeze it (also called 'aging'). It will be more tender if rigor mortis has had a chance to run its course. I rest mine prior to cutting up (although I have heard some say they do it after). 2-3 days in the fridge is good. I also vacuum seal mine. For all that work, I want the best quality. They'll last one year at or below 0 degrees.

 

[fitzy]

Quote:
a year? that's awesome....i was thinking 3-4 mos, but like i said earlier i'm kinda new at this. do you vacum seal it before letting it rest, or does it matter as long as it spends a couple days in the fridge before freezing?

 

[JanieMarie]

Just wondering if its possible to brine and age after the chicken has been thawed after being frozen right away?

Sorry to divert your thread a bit.

 

[jaku]

Let them age 48 hours before eating or freezing. Definitely shrink bag them- either vaccuum or heat. I get a year out of mine with no trouble. If you just throw them into a ziplock bag and freeze them, they will be covered in ice and freezer burned before you know it!

 

[kick'n chick'n]

thanks all for the info.

 

[mmwb]

I put the carcass into ice water as soon as it is eviscerated and skinned. It stays there for 48 hours. I then cut the bird up, bone the breasts if desired, and vacuum pack.