tough chickens/roosters

[Back to my country roots]

We did our first harvesting. We used a killing cone, birds were not stressed. We let the chickens/roosters bleed out, maybe hung 5-10 mins. After cleaning the birds we put them in cold water for several hours, changing water frequently. Let them dry on a table for an hour or so and bagged them. We kept the birds in a fridge for 4 days before freezing but the rigour mortis did not pass. They are very tough. The birds were Brahman, my understanding is these are meat birds.
Not sure what we did wrong. Help please.

 

[trudyg]

I've heard that it may not be rigor. It could be that the tendons are just tight and, if you move it far enough to pass that part, then the meat itself is good. I guess you'll find out when you thaw and cook.

 

[Back to my country roots]

Cooked the birds and they are all tough.

 

[Mraya]

How old were the birds?

 

[Back to my country roots]

4 1/2 months

 

[Mraya]

OK How were they cooked, some are fryers or broilers or better stewed.

 

[Back to my country roots]

I have cooked them several ways and I am used to cooking chicken. The only way we can eat them is to boil the meat.

 

[Mraya]

Their is an old posting on BYC "
Brahma chicken?"
Where Egghead_jr does this:

I age my birds in a caning pot with lid. I don't butcher a lot at one time so that works and we've a small fridge in the garage. At some point of that 3 days I add the brine. Usually do it in the first 24 hours then empty brine and continue refrigerate for two more days. If not roasting you can cut the birds in half to fit more in a pot and use less brine. Measure out how much water it takes to cover the bird(s) then add the salt to get a solution of 6, 7 or however salty you want it per gallon. Any salt will work. Rock salt is a cheap source if you butcher a lot. Don't use volume to measure salt. If the type is ever changed the size of crystals changes weight by volume. Rock salt weighs far more than table salt in same volume container; sea salt is somewhere in between. A bucket of sand is lighter than a bucket of rocks.

Years ago was under the impression kosher salt was best. Then I realized it's over priced sea salt that's been blessed. I use table salt anymore. It's inexpensive. Butchering more and more birds every year so eventually will switch to rock salt. Large batches of birds could be staged to brine all in same brine, 1/3 or 1/4 of birds per day of aging.

Maybe this would help.
(Sorry I had to copy and paste and this is how the text came out)