tough meat

[CedarRidgeChicks]

We processed around 80 CornishX last year in three batches..after cleaning..most were skinned..they were put in coolers with salt water and lots of ice..they were left with just adding ice for a little over 48 hrs..they were 8 wks old..very tender..no complaints at all.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:

How'd your pies turn out? Isn't that just some of the best chicken you ever tasted?

Hey Jeff! See? No mention of tasting like rubber! They only turn out rubbery if you don't cook them correctly! It's not the testosterone, it's the age, and how they're cooked. (Old hens are just as tough as the roos, and also turn out really nice in the crock pot)

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
I forgot to ask, how old were your Cornish Rocks? And were they for sure the Cornish Rock crosses, or were they standard Cornish? You do need to let the meat rest in the fridge for awhile before freezing, (8 hours or so for rigor to pass is plenty for young birds, like 6-10 week old CX's, but older ones turn out better if you let them age a few days in the fridge before you freeze them.) but it doesn't need to be in water, unless you're brining it. Brining doesn't tenderize the meat, but it helps keep it moist when cooked.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Well, I don't cook unless it's on the grill. I can make chicken noodle soup... but the rest... I make it taste like rubber.

From what I've read it's the complex amino acids that a bird develops as they age that makes that meat "tough"... your right, not the testosterone.

 

[ParadisePoultry]

Wow, this is the best advice on cooking heritage/dual-purpose breeds I have ever seen. Thanks a bunch for posting bj
Quote:

 

[anthonyjames]

Well let me just say they turned out great. I only used salt, pepper and my favorite BUTTER for seasoning. I like my pot pies drier like a pasty. I took the stock and made a gravy for some others. And all my co-workers could say is how great it was. That added a few more customers to my side.

And thank goodness I left one home for our family. I got home today and had 1 piece left. My wife and to youngins ate 3/4 of a pie. And they are 3 & 4.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
You have the 'raising them' part down so well, now you just need to learn how to cook....

Next time you have an older bird to cull, get out the crock pot. Or go buy one, if you don't already have one. A couple of hours or so before you go to sleep for the night, season the bird, put it in the crock pot, add a cup or two of water, put on the lid, plug it in, set the thing on either high or low, (not "warm", that really does just keep already cooked food warm) then ignore it. Go to bed. The next day, you'll have tender, delicious chicken. If the bird's more than 4 or 5 months old, brine it for 24 hours before you cook it. It's really that simple. The only way you can screw it up is to not let it cook long enough.

You can take that meat from the bones, chop it a little, heat it up in a skillet with a little cumin, chili powder, and your fav salsa. Spoon it into a taco shell, (or a heated tortilla, either corn or flour) top with some grated cheese, chopped tomato and lettuce, (chopped onion optional) for some of the best tacos you ever had. I like to take the broth from cooking these birds, and heat it in a saucepan with enough chili powder to make it a deep rusty red, some cumin, a little cilantro, just a dash of cinnamon, and let it simmer about 10 or 15 minutes. Then I mix a little corn starch with cold water, and slowly stir it into the simmering broth/spice mixture. It'll thicken right away, but I don't want it too thick. I stop when it's just a little thinner than brown gravy, it's a great chili sauce to either stir into the taco meat, or use as a sauce on top, or use it as chili gravy to make enchiladas.

 

[jojo54]

Thanks for all the info!

 

[journey11]

I put my Cornish X in ziploc bags and rest them in the fridge about 4 days. A young rooster that hasn't been running around and carrying on might be tender enough to eat, but mostly I just make stock and chicken and dumplings out of them. Even with the cornish, for the tenderest meat, don't let them run around a lot, butcher them as quietly as possible (don't scare or traumatize the birds), and always let them rest in the fridge for a few days before cutting up or freezing.

 

[math ace]

This was the MOST useful BYC forum / topic I have read in DAYS - - - Good Job all those experienced BYC members.


I have our first processed rooster in the frezzer.
Honestly, I have been afraid to cook him and ruin it.
I READY now - Thanks Again.