Processed older hens and one roo, very dry need some advice...PLEASE!!

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Salt moves in a concentration gradient. If you have more salt in your flesh than you do in your water, then the salt moves out and often takes water molecules with it. The body is 98 % salt water...unless your brine is 98% concentration, you are actually leaching salt and moisture OUT of your meats, I would figure.

Think staying in the bath tub too long produces prune fingers.....which do not appear after swimming in the ocean all day. Unless you are injecting your saline solution directly into the meats..which they do with store bought turkeys and roasting chickens...you are not getting any of your brine solution to enter into your meats.

Skip the brining and the water....chill your meats on ice or in the fridge.

 

[honeydoll]

Interesting. So just what, 2-3 days in the fridge to age, then freeze. Even for older birds? Is it the aging that does it then. How long to keep in the fridge?

 

[scubaforlife]

Year old chickens will be chewy, that's a fact. Pressure cooking might fix them up but I would roast slowly all day, pick the meat and use for soup or casseroles.

 

[honeydoll]

Quote:
Mine wasn't actually chewy but was kind of dry. I was wondering how to remedy that problem. Some say to brine and another says to just age in the fridge. I guess I'll try both ans see what we like best. Thanks everyone.

 

[dancingbear]

I understand what was said about the brining drying the meat more, but that has not been my experience. I've brined older chickens, raccoon, wild turkey, and venison. It's turned out moist and delicious.

The main problem most people have is using the wrong cooking methods. It sounds like you did fine, moist, long, low slow cooking, so that's pretty much leaves brine or not brine. If that bird wasn't brined, then you've tried that, now why not try the other?

Pressure cooking will make anything tender. You can de-bone a bird raw, and pressure can the meat. It will get tender. I've never heard of any meat that didn't get tender if pressure canned, or even just pressure cooked. Crock pots also do a fine job, set them on low, not high, and be patient.

The meat is great for much more than just soups and casseroles. Google recipes using cooked chicken meat, I'm sure you find hundreds of ideas. Here's my short list of what I use the meat for: Chicken salad, BBQ sandwiches, grilled sandwiches (Panini) tacos, enchiladas, tamales, pot pie, burritos, croquets, stir fry, egg rolls, chicken fried rice, many other Asian dishes, like the ones that use unbreaded cooked chicken meat with various sauces and vegetables, pasta dishes, chicken and vegetable dishes, with or w/o either rice or noodles, chicken pizza, and a chicken version of the French dip, put the meat on in a hard roll, use the broth to dip the sandwich in. It's very good. Of course you can also make soups, casseroles, or chicken and dumplings, but please don't let anybody tell you that's the limit.