What breed for store-bought rotisserie taste?

[Mud on the Tires]

My family and I would like to raise some meat birds to duplicate the taste of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Can anyone tell me what breed of chicken those are and at what age they are butchered?

My first guess would be Cornish Cross, but store-bought rotisserie birds are only 2-3 lbs. dressed. In my experience with Cornish Cross (10 years ago) it seems like they would still be to young and boney at that weight.

Thanks!

 

[bigredfeather]

Your first guess is right. I'm pretty certain all commercial chickens are Cornishes. They are only 2-3 pounds because they butcher them when they are 6 weeks old (42 day wonder). If you've ever seen the "cornish game hens" in the store, they are Cornishes that have been butchered at around 4 weeks. I generally let mine go until they are about 7 weeks, and I average 4 1/2 to 5 pounders. It's amazing how much the can grow in a week.

The Cornish of 10 years ago are probably geneticly different than the ones of today. Breeders of the commercial broiler are always trying to make them more efficient and grow faster. It wouldn't surprise me ten years from now, they will have developed a broiler that is "market" weight in less than 6 weeks.

ETA:
http://www.upc-online.org/broiler/9230842day.html

Here is a good article on the broiler industry.

 

[Kezzie]

Could I recommend that you look into heritage breeds and consider raising chickens that taste far better than store chickens?

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I would echo this suggestion. My plans are to no longer raise the Cornish X. I am currently expirimenting on which heritage breed I like the best. So far this year I have started Buckeyes, Buff Orpingtons, and the Dark Cornish. I butchered a Buckeye and was very pleased with the way it dressed. It resembled a cornish x. I only was able to hatch 2 Dark Cornishes, and I pretty sure one is a roo. I think I'm going to try crossing the DC and the Buckeye. Biggest drawback of Heritage breeds is that it takes 16-20 weeks in lieu of 6-8 weeks. The best thing is you can potentially hatch your own. If I pay $1 for a Cornish X chick, I can feed a heritage breed 6 pounds of feed for that same $1. I'm not sure of the Feed Conversion Rate of heritage breeds, but I would think that would even it up a bit.

This is my 2 cents worth.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

They are Cornish Cross. If they are fed a high protein feed, they will definitely not be boney.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Calling them Cornish Cross is not as accurate as could be. The birds destined for cornish game hens and the rotisserie chicken market are more than likely specific hybrids produced for that market. The major broiler genetics companies have several lines of "cornish cross" that fit specific niches in the chicken meat industry.

Unfortunately a heritage breed just won't meet the OP's expectations for a meaty, compact 2-3 lb carcass. The buckeyes and delawares would be the best options but will fall short of mimicing what you find in the rotisserie case at the deli.

Jim

 

[antlers]

you can't replicate the store bought flavor. You dont WANT to.... Yours will always be better.

 

[bigredfeather]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

Calling them Cornish Cross is not as accurate as could be. The birds destined for cornish game hens and the rotisserie chicken market are more than likely specific hybrids produced for that market. The major broiler genetics companies have several lines of "cornish cross" that fit specific niches in the chicken meat industry.

Unfortunately a heritage breed just won't meet the OP's expectations for a meaty, compact 2-3 lb carcass. The buckeyes and delawares would be the best options but will fall short of mimicing what you find in the rotisserie case at the deli.

Jim

I would disagree partially.

Several weeks ago I grilled three chickens. I had two Cornish X (about 4 lbs) and one Buckeye (about the same weight). I cut them in half for grilling. After I put them on the grill, I couldn't tell them apart. It took 7 weeks to grow-out the Cornish and 18 weeks for the Buckeye. As far as end product, like I said, there was no difference in apperance. Now, had I butchered the Buckeye when it would have dressed at 2-3 pounds, I don't think it would have measured up. The leg quarters and breast would not have been filled out, and it would have looked undeveloped compared to the Cornish of the same size. I think if given enough time, they will measure up everytime. I will add the Buckeye tasted different, but it was a good different. The meat was firmer, but still juicy and delicious.​

 

[dancingbear]

The store-bought rotisserie birds have a weird flavor that I don't care for, I'm not sure if it's nitrites or something else. I rotisseried many store bought raw whole chickens, with salt, freshly ground pepper, and sometimes poultry seasoning, sometimes a little ground savory, sometimes with an herb blend of my own. They always taste so much better than the ones cooked at the store. Duplicating the store-bird taste would be a reduction in quality. They taste like processed lunch meat. Maybe they inject them with nitrites and too much salt or something.

Standard broilers are pretty much the same, regardless of what the hatchery calls them, Jumbo Broiler, Cornish rock X, or whatever. They're they same birds you get at the supermarket, whether you buy them raw, to cook at home, or pre-cooked at the store.

 

[Mahonri]

I wonder if you could sell hatching eggs for meat birds easier if they were advertised as Colonel X or Kentucky Rocks?