Preparing the meat!! Tips, tricks, advice

[lnbeek83]

I'm new at preparing butchered meat for the freezer. I'm looking for advice on how it should be done. Last meat I cooked was very tough and almost couldn't eat it. Should I soak it in salt water? Before it goes in the freezer? What's a good age for a chicken to be butchered? Just looking for advice. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Are these meat birds or dual purpose birds? It makes a difference. Meat birds will not make it to an age past the ability to broil them. Can be cooked with any method you choose. Dual purpose birds are butchered later and at what age that is is very dependent on how they can be cooked. In general the older the bird the less heat and more moisture is needed to keep it tender. You can brine at anytime. I brine when going to grill as it aids in retaining juices in the meat at that high heat.

More specifically about cooking, the term used for a bird is not by size but age and hottest cooking method.

Broiler to age 14 weeks (some go to 15)
Fryer to age 18 weeks (some go to 20)
Roaster after 18 or 20 weeks of age
Stew year or older bird, I'd stew anything over 9 months unless brined.

A broiler can be cooked with any method, a roaster can only be roasted or stewed. If cooking fresh butchered birds rest for 3 days in fridge.

 

[lnbeek83]

The birds would be dual purpose. We would be cooking older birds as we are weeding out the older birds and have many young ones.
How do you brine? I have looked up different ways just looking for a way to make the meat more tender
Thank you fornyour response!

 

[BlueShadow]

From my reading in the meat bird threads here on BYC, it helps a lot to let the meat rest a day or two in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer. I haven't tried it yet though so can't speak from personal experience.

 

[Birdinhand]

I've got about 70 birds under my belt and have given this a bit of study, a master by no means, but I can pass on what I've learned.

after an animal is butchered, rigger sets in, which causes the muscles to tense up. it takes at least 4 hours of "resting" to get this to begin to release. the resting can happen after freezing, if you are in a hurry, you just have to remember to do it or you end up with rubber bands in your teeth. the key after butchering is not quickly freezing but quickly chilling into the 30's f. once chilled, the bird can go for days, some say a week or more in the fridge. in my book, the key to safety is assuming that every bird carries something that can make you sick and to take measures to protect yourself, mainly not shying away from bleach spray for food surfaces and cooking it till it's well done but still juicy and tender, which is a bit of an art if you ask me. the most tender chicken I have found a brined chicken that is then "lemon" baked. there are lots of great brining recipes out there, you can be exact or you can just wing it, about 1/3 cup salt and 1/3 cup sugar and all the spices and herbs, a carrot, maybe a potatoe chopped up, an onion diced and then add enough water to cover the chicken, making sure the salt and sugar dissolve. you can leave it in the fridge covered for between 12 and 72 hours. you can strain out the spices and veggies and bake the chicken with them but they will not be worth eating, but will impart flavor and aroma. play with it, you will find the concentration and duration that meets your taste. as for the lemon part, Lemon looses it's flavor when cooked but you use it for it's chemistry, not it's taste per say. I boil a whole lemon for 5 minutes just before I'm ready to put the bird in the oven and then use a spoon to get the lemon out of the boiling water and ass I place it into the cavity I pierce it with holes using a small pairing knife. You'll notice the lemon juice squirting out and it continues to do that as it cooks, releasing moisture and ascorbic acid. the acid helps tenderize the meat. You can then spice to taste with whatever you like. if you want lemon flavor, squeeze a fresh lemon over the carved meat at the end before serving (the cooked lemon will be spent and should be discarded with the carcus). I cook for between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on the bird, usually 2 hours at 350 f. I use a convection oven so I have to use a lid to keep it from drying out. I leave the lid slightly open to let some moisture out, you will find what works best for you and your oven. long slow cooking tenderizes the meat and I think it's the best way to enjoy birds that are on the tougher side.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The brine I use is 7 ounces of salt (by weight not volume) per gallon of water used. Let bird soak for 24 hours.

Older birds are stew or crockpot cooking. I wouldn't attempt to roast and old bird. The key if your cooking in a stock pot is don't let the water boil. Simmer at best or the meat will get tough. I use old birds for gumbo. Anjou sausage and chicken gumbo. Mmmm. And of course the traditional meals like chicken and biscuits are a hit too.

 

[Kyanite]

Thank you Egghead Jr for your most helpful information! We are very close to butchering our first meat birds and have focused more on weight than age. What you've said makes complete sense!

 

[bald Rooster]

I should have done a little feather plucking but I didn't.
Guess Ill go buy more feed for the week.