Rigor mortis

[Citychick11]

Yesterday I processed 5 chickens. 3 of them were still stiff when I put them in bags in the freezer. The other 2 had to wait in the cooler for 6 or 7 hours till I got around to plucking them. They were not stiff like the others. Does this make them more tender? I brined all of them for an hour or so before rinsing and freezing them. I cooked some last night and it seemed tender. And the meat I boiled for broth was tender and juicy. I would love to figure out the rule. Is it the curing time, the salt, or the lack of rigor mortis that makes the difference?

Teresa

 

[Citychick11]

Another question: our chickens were 15 weeks old and only 2.75 pounds after cleaning. I kept waiting for them to get bigger. Does age make them tough?

T

 

[mxitman]

Hi Teresa, We like to let ours sit at least 24 hours at Refrigerator temps before cooking, We usually process ours and then shrink bag them right away most are always stiff getting them into the bags, then we deep freeze at -5 to -10 Deg F. When we eat them we let them thaw slowly in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and they always turn out perfect, brine them is even better. I'm sure there are some people around here who know some hard science on Brine Vs. Time etc if you need to know for sure.

Most people seem to say to let the rest for a 24-48 hours period in an ice bath or refrigerator, but we never have any issues freezing them first. Age can make them tough but not until after 9 months or a year or more for most breeds IMO. On our layers we cycle them out every 18-24 months, these are smaller birds at 3-4 lbs usually and we make large batches of pressure canned soups from them and they turn out pretty tender.

What kind of birds did you raise? 2.75 lbs seems small for 15 week old birds unless they were a smaller variety/light breed not meant for meat?

I just processed some Pioneers that were pasture raised with supplemental feed/sprouted fodder. They averaged 5.03 Lbs for a mix of hens/roos. the largest rooster was 6lbs in the bag at 15 weeks & 3 days old. Hybrid birds can get huge if they don't just outright die on you, have a friend who swears by his CX and they average 7-9 lbs each for a 16-18 week bird, but he has allot of losses too.

 

[1FlewOver]

Well...take from this what you will:

I have always aged any game animals until they at least become limp again, and they are always more tender and flavorful then.

Now, there is a country (Scotland maybe?)....where they traditionally shoot ruffed grouse and hang them whole in 80° temperature for 4 days before cooking them.

Now....I'm not quite ready for that...but I have taken to putting whitewing doves in the refrigerator whole for 4 days and they taste so much better and are so much more tender that I won't do it any other way now....

On another note: a friend of mine in Germany sent me a recipe for authentic Sauerbraten....it requires brining in wine, vinegar, and spices for 3 weeks in the refrigerator.....it's definitely soured beef by then....but that is a flavor you can get no other way...and it was worth waiting for....

So....aging and brining both help.....the only thing about brining is you do cover up some of the natural flavor....

 

[Citychick11]

They weren't bred for meat so they are on the light side. I incubated 9 eggs from my americauna hen when she was killed by a hawk. She was my only green egg layer. The babies are crossed with a barred rock. I know that sometimes a cross will result in a jumbo bird that grows fast. Not these. We ended up with 5 cockerels and 3 pullets. The boys were a rowdy bunch. I had to separate them early on so they wouldn't pick on the girls. One of them started crowing at 4 weeks old! My barred rock roos are so much more gentle and calm in comparison.

Thanks for your comments so far. I guess I should plan to age them a bit when I defrost them.

This is all so interesting!