The American Bresse...

[Shooty]

Who here raises them? Who here raises them using the "official" protocol? And who here has actually eaten them? Just for kicks...is there anyone who has eaten them raised "officially" and has also had them raised in the "regular" way, which to me means free ranging and supplementing with meat bird food.

@BarnyardChaos mentioned getting his new birds and I had just started looking into raising Bresse. I had no idea that they were raised differently until he mentioned it in another post.

The way they are raised leads me to wonder if chickens of other breeds would taste different as well if they were raised with that protocol...or do Bresse truly taste different regardless of the method in which they are raised.

We’ve raised them for six years and have them in our freezer. They taste like chicken to me, lol! I will say when you process fresh chicken the processed bird must relax or rest in the frig for four days before cooking them or they’ll be very tough. We do not finish ours any different than any other chicken. For more info go to our website: https://crazycluckersfarm.com

 

[CSKA]

We’ve raised them for six years and have them in our freezer. They taste like chicken to me, lol! I will say when you process fresh chicken the processed bird must relax or rest in the frig for four days before cooking them or they’ll be very tough. We do not finish ours any different than any other chicken. For more info go to our website: https://crazycluckersfarm.com

So this means if you cook fresh, it must stay in the fridge for 4 days. Does this also apply before or after freezing? Or only for fresh kill?

 

[LaurenRitz]

It allows rigor mortis to pass. I understand that if you eat them immediately, before rigor mortis sets in, you're fine, but beyond that I was told a minimum of 24 hours.

If you freeze the bird before rigor mortis has passed (legs and wings should move freely) then the bird needs to finish the process after thawing.

 

[chanceosunshine]

We’ve raised them for six years and have them in our freezer. They taste like chicken to me, lol! I will say when you process fresh chicken the processed bird must relax or rest in the frig for four days before cooking them or they’ll be very tough. We do not finish ours any different than any other chicken. For more info go to our website: https://crazycluckersfarm.com

Thank you for sharing your experience. I will check out your website.

 

[Newchickmom2023]

Dual purpose birds for meat?? Because I don't like the idea of having to purchase new birds every year, I would like to be able to reproduce my own. We are pretty traditional American eaters so I know Cornish cross is closest To grocery store meat- any specific breeds that are maybe a "close second" in color, taste, texture

 

[CSKA]

Dual purpose birds for meat?? Because I don't like the idea of having to purchase new birds every year, I would like to be able to reproduce my own. We are pretty traditional American eaters so I know Cornish cross is closest To grocery store meat- any specific breeds that are maybe a "close second" in color, taste, texture

Some people are making hybrids. They get some female Cornish Cross with a heritage rooster, from there you get a line somewhere in between, which you can breed at home.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Dual purpose birds for meat?? Because I don't like the idea of having to purchase new birds every year, I would like to be able to reproduce my own. We are pretty traditional American eaters so I know Cornish cross is closest To grocery store meat- any specific breeds that are maybe a "close second" in color, taste, texture

By color do you mean feather color or light versus dark meat? You are not going to get near the volume of meat out of a dual purpose as you will out of a Cornish X. Different breeds have different conformations, which means you may get varying proportions of light versus dark meat but most are going to be mostly dark meat. The pure Cornish breed is the only one I'm aware of that has a lot of white meat. That's why it is a parent breed of the Cornish X.

Flavor and texture are a function of how old the bird was when butchered. Cornish X reach butcher age at around 6 to 8 weeks so the meat is really tender and has very little flavor in my opinion. Some people really like that mild flavor but some of us prefer more flavor.

The age they are butchered has a lot to do with how you can cook them. The Cornish X butchered so young can be grilled or fried. Most people wait until the dual purpose are older to get some size on them which means they are likely not suitable for grilling or frying but must be cooked with a moister and slower method so you can chew them.

 

[chanceosunshine]

By color do you mean feather color or light versus dark meat? You are not going to get near the volume of meat out of a dual purpose as you will out of a Cornish X. Different breeds have different conformations, which means you may get varying proportions of light versus dark meat but most are going to be mostly dark meat. The pure Cornish breed is the only one I'm aware of that6 has a lot of white meat. That's why it is a parent breed of the Cornish X.

Flavor and texture are a function of how old the bird was when butchered. Cornish X reach butcher age at around 6 to 8 weeks so the meat is really tender and has very little flavor in my opinion. Some people really like that mild flavor but some of us prefer more flavor.

The age they are butchered has a lot to do with how you can cook them. The Cornish X butchered so young can be grilled or fried. Most people wait until the dual purpose are older to get some size on them which means they are likely not suitable for grilling or frying but must be cooked with a moister and slower method so you can chew them.

I agree with this 100%. I have never raised Cornish X, but we have raised other "meat birds" that take about 12 weeks to mature (Kosher Kings and Color Yield Freedom Rangers). I always give a couple to my elderly neighbors and they always mention the texture being different than what they buy in the store. So, even at a few weeks older there seems to be a taste/texture difference.

Flavorwise, I love our backyard heritage mixed roosters. They definitely have to be stewed, but the flavor can't be beat.

I always save a couple of hens from my meat birds. They actually do fine and live for years, giving a decent amount of eggs. It's an interesting idea to try to mix them with a heritage breed rooster and incubate the eggs for meat birds. I'm sure there would be compromise in the mix, but it could be worth a shot.

I don't know if a Cornish X hen would be hardy enough to live very long, I've always heard that they were destined for a very short life.

 

[CSKA]

I agree with this 100%. I have never raised Cornish X, but we have raised other "meat birds" that take about 12 weeks to mature (Kosher Kings and Color Yield Freedom Rangers). I always give a couple to my elderly neighbors and they always mention the texture being different than what they buy in the store. So, even at a few weeks older there seems to be a taste/texture difference.

Flavorwise, I love our backyard heritage mixed roosters. They definitely have to be stewed, but the flavor can't be beat.

I always save a couple of hens from my meat birds. They actually do fine and live for years, giving a decent amount of eggs. It's an interesting idea to try to mix them with a heritage breed rooster and incubate the eggs for meat birds. I'm sure there would be compromise in the mix, but it could be worth a shot.

I don't know if a Cornish X hen would be hardy enough to live very long, I've always heard that they were destined for a very short life.

Adding something to this: The taste and texture is not just about the breed, but also their diet. Industrial meat is raised on industrial feed - mostly cheap cereal. If they free range and eat greens and bugs you get a taste that shifts to "game" rather than "industrial". But this is just as much about diet as breed! Exercise during free range also makes muscles harder.

 

[Newchickmom2023]

By color do you mean feather color or light versus dark meat? You are not going to get near the volume of meat out of a dual purpose as you will out of a Cornish X. Different breeds have different conformations, which means you may get varying proportions of light versus dark meat but most are going to be mostly dark meat. The pure Cornish breed is the only one I'm aware of that6 has a lot of white meat. That's why it is a parent breed of the Cornish X.

Flavor and texture are a function of how old the bird was when butchered. Cornish X reach butcher age at around 6 to 8 weeks so the meat is really tender and has very little flavor in my opinion. Some people really like that mild flavor but some of us prefer more flavor.

The age they are butchered has a lot to do with how you can cook them. The Cornish X butchered so young can be grilled or fried. Most people wait until the dual purpose are older to get some size on them which means they are likely not suitable for grilling or frying but must be cooked with a moister and slower method so you can chew them.

I was referring to color of the meat, also ratio light to dark with similar flavor. Ive purchased a local gal`s butchered Cornish cross and it was delicious - just wondering whether there's some compromise breed where we could be a bit more self-sustaining instead of having to buy every year