Rubbery skin after roasting?

[KatieH]

I roasted one of the meaties we butchered on Saturday last night. I did everything as I normally do, but instead of the skin being nice and crispy, it came out thick and rubbery. The meat was great so it wasn't a big deal, but I like the crispy skin! Any clue what caused it?

 

[harewizard]

sounds like you have thick-skinned birds!

Okay seriously now, maybe dry the skin really well with a paper towel before roasting...? Do you use oil or butter on the skin before cooking?

Maybe try that. And no foil, unless you take it off the bird the last 1/2 hour or so.


Just my thoughts,

Lisa

 

[KatieH]

Quote:

I dried it well inside and out with paper towel, then salted the outside and inside (pepper in the cavity, too). Then I put it in at 450 for about an hour. No aluminum foil or anything. It usually works great! This one was a little older than the last one (12 and 14 weeks respectively), could that have anything to do with it?

 

[jamesrm]

Only thing I can think of it had enough of a fat layer to keep it moist during the cooking process? That is odd.

 

[quercus21]

I have noticed that the Cornish X we raise have a "thicker" skin then what we would get in the store.

 

[bucketgirl]

When I roast/rotisserie, I generally prick the skin and powder the bird with cornstarch.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
In my experience, the older the bird, the tougher the skin. That 2 weeks can make a lot of difference. I find that with a bird even just a little older like that, they turn out better if I slow roast them at a much lower temp, like 250-300 for a couple of hours, (with a lid on, so they don't dry out) then up the temp to about 400, take off the lid, and crisp the skin.

I don't usually raise broilers, but I have a batch right now. I was ill and didn't get them all butchered as soon as I wanted, so I have some slightly tougher roasters. This is how I've been cooking them, and they turned out very well.

I still haven't processed them all, but I'm getting them done, a few at a time.

 

[KatieH]

Quote:
In my experience, the older the bird, the tougher the skin. That 2 weeks can make a lot of difference. I find that with a bird even just a little older like that, they turn out better if I slow roast them at a much lower temp, like 250-300 for a couple of hours, (with a lid on, so they don't dry out) then up the temp to about 400, take off the lid, and crisp the skin.

I don't usually raise broilers, but I have a batch right now. I was ill and didn't get them all butchered as soon as I wanted, so I have some slightly tougher roasters. This is how I've been cooking them, and they turned out very well.

I still haven't processed them all, but I'm getting them done, a few at a time.

Sounds good, I'll try that next time!