Tough meat?

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

A couple of factors to consider: Age, broilers are harvested at 8-12 weeks. Fryers 12-24. anything older is generally considered a roaster or stew hen/roster. Second is rigor. It takes 24-48 hours for rigor to pass. If you cook a bird while still in rigor it will be tough. Brining doesn't really do anything for toughness but is used to infuse flavor.

 

[sourland]

Good morning, and welcome to BYC. @rjohns39 has pretty well summarized the many factors impacting 'toughness'. To his list I would add breed and activity level.

 

[swampfox440]

Welcome to BYC! Many factors at play with tough meat ! Good luck .

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you for joining us at Backyard Chickens,

 

[N F C]

Thanks for joining us, it's nice to have you here!

 

[Traveller 656]

Thank you all for all advice, I think leaving in fridge might be my best choice for the next one. The bird was around 6 months old.

 

[CaroleW]

Welcome to BYC from Arizona! You might want to explore the Meat Birds Etc thread here... (I don't know why this doesn't show up as a link, sorry)... backyardchickens.com/forums/meat-birds-etc.21
...Much discussion on more than your typical meat breeds.
I cook in the crock pot because the one time we grilled it was too chewy. But I'm very new to the meat side of dual purpose birds.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC! Good luck with your next bird.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hello, and welcome to the BYC community.

 

[samshan21]

Welcome To BYC !