Processing old hens

[crossl6]

if this has been answered, please direct me. I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, but just can't remember. I've been raising poultry for almost 40 years.
I usually let my old hens live out their life naturally. As I've raised & processed meat birds. However my pantry is getting low
I'm going to cull out my old hens & can the meat. Do I pressure cook them, then pressure can them? Or will the meat be tender enough if I just pressure can them? If that's the case, will raw packing make them tender enough?
FYI, do not even mess with an old rooster, tougher than boot leather

 

[Maeschak]

I always just pressure can raw- no need to pressure cook as well. (You don't even have to let rigor pass after butchering as the pressure canning will leave it tender- just butcher, cut meat off the bone and throw right into your canning jars.)

I use 1 tsp salt per pint (I think most use 1/2 tsp) and can fit almost 1lb (~14 oz) of meat into each pint. Just cut into any size chunks, as I find raw packing always leaves the chicken more 'shreddy' like and won't keep its shape as cubes so there is no use in spending time cutting it up nicely. I also usually add about 1TB of water in each pint but most say it isnt necessary.
After the meat is canned I then pressure cook all of my carcasses to make stock and then pressure can the stock as well.

For me, that is the absolute easiest way to get chicken in the pantry.

 

[crossl6]

I always just pressure can raw- no need to pressure cook as well. (You don't even have to let rigor pass after butchering as the pressure canning will leave it tender- just butcher, cut meat off the bone and throw right into your canning jars.)

I use 1 tsp salt per pint (I think most use 1/2 tsp) and can fit almost 1lb (~14 oz) of meat into each pint. Just cut into any size chunks, as I find raw packing always leaves the chicken more 'shreddy' like and won't keep its shape as cubes so there is no use in spending time cutting it up nicely. I also usually add about 1TB of water in each pint but most say it isnt necessary.
After the meat is canned I then pressure cook all of my carcasses to make stock and then pressure can the stock as well.

For me, that is the absolute easiest way to get chicken in the pantry.

I also prefer raw packing, as you said simple & quick. Thanks for suggesting on cooking carcasses for broth. I have a lot of soup canned. It makes wonderful gifts with a bag of homemade noodles

Next cool day, my barnyard will be less active. But I can continue with pride, as my chickens had a wonderful life, free ranging on the farm

 

[Maeschak]

I also prefer raw packing, as you said simple & quick. Thanks for suggesting on cooking carcasses for broth. I have a lot of soup canned. It makes wonderful gifts with a bag of homemade noodles

Next cool day, my barnyard will be less active. But I can continue with pride, as my chickens had a wonderful life, free ranging on the farm

To be honest, the best part of butchering old hens and roosters is the stock (at least for me). When I first heard that stock from old chickens was exceptional I was pretty skeptical, I mean, how much better can a stock get just from the age of the bird?

Well, it can get better. Much better. I guess the 'flavor' does not change all that much, but the intensity and depth of the flavor is what is exceptional. Basically, one old rooster or hen is the equivalent in amount of flavor to 3-4 younger chickens when making stock.... which is actually a real time saver since the amount of water needed to cover 3-4 chickens when making stock is so much that the stock usually has to be reduced to get the stock real 'chickeny' in flavor. (I pressure cook my carcasses bc it is so much quicker and extracts more gelatin and flavor than the traditional crock pot or stock pot on the stove for 12-24 hours methods). With old birds, there is so much flavor I do not need to reduce after pressure cooking.

Anyway, good luck on finding a cool day sometime soon~ I would certainly like one of those as well!

 

[crossl6]

Thanks everyone, I forgot to mention my hens are old, some are 5-6 yrs. Just don't want tough stringy meat. I agree about the stock. And don't forget to dehydrate some of that gelatin for boullion. The best chicken boullion

sounds like it'll be cool these next few days. Good thing as my garden is also producing like crazy. I love canning season

 

[abellchicken]

Do you add anything else to make your stock? Celery, onion, salt?

 

[Maeschak]

Do you add anything else to make your stock? Celery, onion, salt?

Personally, I add whatever veggies I have around plus salt, peppercorns and bay leaves. That usually entails several onions, several heads of garlic, maybe some carrots or celery if I have them around. The veggies arent necessary, though. I just like to amp up the flavor as much as possible with whatever I have on hand. Good thing to note- is that you can just halve or quarter onions and chop the root end off of garlic. There isnt any need to peel the onions and garlic. Also, if you want to leach out more of the minerals and whatnot from the bones throw in a tablespoon of some type of vinegar.