tough birds

[dancingbear]

Quote:
It's true that breast and thigh meat can still be deboned and fried, and it'll be great. I've done that, too. Sometimes the thighs can turn out a little tough. So what about the rest of the bird? Legs, wings, backs? Pressure cooking is one of the ways it can be cooked and turn out tender, (just like those turkey legs) when it would otherwise be tough. That way you don't end up wasting half the meat from the bird you raised.

 

[VA from WV]

I swear by buttermilk. The buttermilk accelerates the breakdown of the fibers in the meat and makes it fork-tender. A chicken needs 24 hours, while larger cuts from other animals may need a couple of days.

 

[3KillerBs]

Quote:
I'm under no illusions about how fast I could get the job done, but the guy who taught me to kill and clean chickens could have one killed, gutted, skinned, and flattened to put on the grill so fast that the bird probably didn't know it was dead yet -- using no tools but his hands. 3-4 minutes, tops. Half of that being the bleed out.

I'm sure that plucking takes a little longer.

I know that, given a sharp knife and a decent pair of poultry shears I can get a grocery-store bird cut up for frying in about 3-5 minutes without even rushing -- I've cut up a hundred or so chickens per year for the past 30 years and gotten pretty good at it.

I presume that the farmwives of the American past and the poorer women of 3rd world countries, who kill thousands of chickens in their lifetimes starting from their early teens, could easily get the bird ready for the oven or the fry pan before rigor started.

If everything was ready before the bird was caught I think that 10-20 minutes from barnyard to frying pan is a perfectly reasonable estimate -- for an expert.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
I'm under no illusions about how fast I could get the job done, but the guy who taught me to kill and clean chickens could have one killed, gutted, skinned, and flattened to put on the grill so fast that the bird probably didn't know it was dead yet -- using no tools but his hands. 3-4 minutes, tops. Half of that being the bleed out.

I'm sure that plucking takes a little longer.

I know that, given a sharp knife and a decent pair of poultry shears I can get a grocery-store bird cut up for frying in about 3-5 minutes without even rushing -- I've cut up a hundred or so chickens per year for the past 30 years and gotten pretty good at it.

I presume that the farmwives of the American past and the poorer women of 3rd world countries, who kill thousands of chickens in their lifetimes starting from their early teens, could easily get the bird ready for the oven or the fry pan before rigor started.

If everything was ready before the bird was caught I think that 10-20 minutes from barnyard to frying pan is a perfectly reasonable estimate -- for an expert.

A very fast way to get a bird quickly to the stove or grill, is to skin it, remove leg, thighs and wings and remove boneless breasts from the carcass. Once those parts are being cooked the carcass can be gutted for the heart, liver and gizzards. Save the carcass for boiling into stock.

 

[budkingston]

I ate LOTS of chickens in the Philippines. These were absolutely free range and didn't get fed any type of feed, just what they could scrounge. These birds were all ages, the hens being past egg layer days and the roosters were losers. These birds were killed, then BBQd right on the spot. I can never remember a bird being tough, just the best chicken I had ever eaten. I have talked to Philipinos and they always wonder what is wrong with the chickens in the USA... they don't have any flavor. Never heard one say, "Gee, this bird isn't tough!"

 

[budkingston]

OK, I asked some Philipinos and was told that if they suspected a bird was going to be tough, they would marinate it overnight in 7-Up or sprite. I am guessing the acid tenderises it and the suger makes it sweet? Anyway, I always enjoyed the stuff.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Hhmmm, that's very interesting, and good to know. Will have to give it a try! Thanks!