Very disappointed

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Stop it!!!!!!!!! you are making me hungry.

Steve

 

[WalkingWolf]

Let your chicken rest before brining or adding salt. Rubbery chicken is a sign of rigor. When heat hits the meat the cells react by pulling together, salt is a preservative and will delay the rigor. We used to salt mullet so it would stay on the hook for grouper fishing. After the rest then the brine will pull in moisture to the meat, this is what gives the flavor and tenderness.

If roasting, do it as slow as possible. One of the best ways is a spit over an open flame or grill. The slower the roasting the more flavorful the meat. I set my roaster at 200 and wild game is as tender as store meat.

A friend of mine works for Purdue as a plant manager. When they kill a chicken they stun them first. This stops the chemical reaction in the bird that makes meat tough. Honestly I don't know how you could accomplish this, cause the smaller stun units are still very expensive. You might try pithing instead of chopping, or before slitting the throat. Also you might try cutting of food a day before you cull. I think it is mostly done to make cleaning more sanitary, but it might make a difference.

I cull my birds with a shot to the back of the head while they are foraging. This stops complete brain activity and they are relaxed before dispatched. I actually rest my birds submerged in water for 48 or more hours. Just like chicken houses I add a touch of chlorine to the water. This kills bacteria already in water and since the chicken is submerged it ages in it's own juices and the microbes that are already present. I saw this done in restaurants when I worked for a company that delivered produce and meat in the keys. They stored their chicken in 40 gallon meat cans filled with ice and water. They kept them in for 2 days then transferred them to a brine can for 2 days.

Free range birds will never be as tender as store chickens. They feed the birds a special mix of food for the purpose to make them grow fast and bulky and be tender. The food is not healthy for a bird, but they are only going to live for 6 weeks anyway. The birds stay in cages with only enough room to stand and eat. Lack of exercise also makes the meat more tender, a miserable life even for just 6 weeks.

 

[antlers]

Quote:
This is my bet. Many folks dont know what GOOD chicken tastes like or what texture it shoudl be if healthy.

 

[daisy_dukers]

Here is how I cook mine.

Set the oven to 250'F....

Put a mix of butter and chopped rosemarry under the skin, place it on the pan use parchment paper to make cleanup a snap and prevent it from sticking

Slow roast (we have a convection oven) untill the internal temp hits the spot on the guage where it says chicken. This might take up to 4 hours depending on the size of the bird.

Never had a bad bird this way.

Also dont keep opening the oven which lets out the little bit of steam that is produced.

We always get fall off the bone tender meat.

Slow cooking at a lower temp is key.

I also do the same thing with my roasts and haven't had it fail yet.

My MIL on the other hand can turn a perfectly good prime rib into shoe leather because she cooks her meat fast and hot regardless of what we tell her.

 

[Swamp Roo]

Quote:
Stop it!!!!!!!!! you are making me hungry.

Steve

LOL I was just thinking that I still have a couple of hog quarters in the freezer. Salt, pepper, paprika, everglades seasoning, and garlic powder. Smoke till tender. Serve with Sonny's BBQ sauce (my favorite). Make sure you have LOTS of leftovers. Shred and put into crock pot, simmer in apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Wait till most of the liquid is gone. Mix in BBQ sauce to taste and a bit more vinegar. Freezes well. Add homemade cornbread and some greens w/ pepper sauce.

Hogs are always welcome at "Casa Swamp Bed and Breakfast"! I've had to wait till they stepped off of the porch before pulling the trigger. What's the famous Eagle Lyric? "You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave..."

LOL

Swamp

 

[jaku]

Quote:
Based on what you're saying, I think the Cornish X's will be your solution. It seems like you're doing everything right with your butchering. Plus, I don't care what anyone says- Cornish X's are GREAT birds that taste great and are close to perfect as broilers.

 

[rhodeislandredraiser]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Like i said yesterday, today i put a chicken in the crock pot. I have taste tested through out the day. It tastes great. I just added dumplings. I can't wait for them to finish cooking. Jaku, I have decided to give it a try with the cornish rocks. I hope they are as wonderful as you say.( I guess the remaining 12 rir roos will be put in the freezer for stews) I am going to try the 200 degree method next week when I cull the next batch. Thanks again you have all been great.

 

[saddina]

You're not stuck with stews for the rest just wet cooking methods, you can make things like tamales, enchladas or chicken and dumplings with them just fine. Last BR roo we processed went into a pan of enchladas then to the freezer for next tuesday's dinner.

 

[farmin'chick]

15 of my 16 "straight run" chicks (RIR and Barred Rock) were ROOSTERS...Now, I confess that I did not eat these -- they've been sold to others who wanted gorgeous roos or sent to do bug patrol on farms.

There was a HUGE difference between the "meaty heftiness" of the RIR's and the Barred Rocks. People around here are telling me that folks want Rhode Island Reds for eating -- I have NO idea why! They are scrawny, bony things...even my giant RIR rooster that looks fantastic is puny compared to the real solidness of my (smaller) Barred Rock rooster -- I'd say the Barred Rock outweighs him by 2 pounds at least. Also, most of the RIR's that people around here get are from production reds, bred to increase laying ability, not meat.

I bought Golden Comets for dual purpose meat birds -- one, because the GC is a hybrid, so I don't need any GC roosters for a breeding program. Two, because they were REALLY cheap. Mine have free ranged, are 5 weeks younger than my RIR's and outweigh them dramatically. At 12 - 14 weeks they produced 2 - 3 pound fryers. Now they are 18 weeks, and some of them will make close to 8 pound roasters. They are free range, get lots of exercise, but they are meaty birds. I hypnotize them and then pith them (kill the brain) while they are restrained from flapping, and then bleed them out. They go off to Camp Kenmore feeling relaxed and pleasantly sleepy, no aggression hormones in the meat.

And...I agree with everyone else -- if you want more the texture of "store" or KFC chicken, go with the Cornish X's.

 

[rhodeislandredraiser]

Hello again. I culled my third batch of roos sunday. I let them set for two days and brined them for two days. The breasts that I had boned and skinned on sun are orange colored. Are the ok to eat. They smell like fresh chicken meat.