What do you do with the chicken after you have processed it?

[Mahonri]

As a kid, we never plucked, we always skinned, put the meat in a pan of water in the fridge and the next day we baked it. DELICIOUS.

We are checking our hens in two weeks to see which of the girls are laying and which of the girls are going to become dinner.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Quote:
Considering the age of your birds you may want to consider this from Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, "A picking machine has rotating rubber fingers that rapidly flail feathers off, which sounds nifty until you learn that a University of Arkansas study found mechanically picked chickens to be 2.5 times tougher than handplucked birds.

 

[smith2]

I do not like mechanically plucked birds. They are TOUGH! I find my hand plucked to be much more tender. Second, soaking at least overnight in salt water or buttermilk does help tenderize them. If you didn't know this, homegrown meat does not taste like store-bought at all. Both the taste and the texture are different. Homegrown meat has a different smell to it as well.

I pressure can my older home-grown roos because I like using the meat in casseroles, soups, etc. and I think the texture is better after canning. Young hens and roos are good fried, but only after you have soaked or frozen them. Don't despair, every bird you do will get better. The first one I did looked like a raccoon had gotten a hold of it. I just boiled the whole mess and made dumplings.

 

[Carolina Chicken Man]

Have you ever put an old, dirty, penny in Coca Cola?

I wonder how it would work if you soaked an old rooster in Coca Cola over night?

 

[silkiechicken]

Penny get's clean due to slight acidity. If acid breaks down meat, I'm sure it'll work. I believe the principle of buttermilk is the proteins in it that break down the meat. If you just let the bird sit in the fridge, the enzymes in the meat itself will do the work and break down the actin-myosin crosslinks that are the reason behind the tough meat. Now if there was a way to give the muscle fibers infinite ATP, they wouldn't get tough!

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
It's the acids and enzymes, not the proteins, that tenderize the meat. That's why most marinades contain vinegar, yogurt, buttermilk, citrus, tomato, or some other acidic substance to help tenderize as well as add flavor. If it also has enzymatic activity, like live-culture yogurt or buttermilk, or fresh, crushed tomatoes or citrus, even better.

Salt, used in brining, penetrates the tissues, and helps keep the meat from drying out while cooking, because salt attracts moisture. his is important when meat will be slow-cooked, as usually recommended with an older bird. So while salt doesn't tenderize, it will help you avoid a dry bird. (Think of jerky, and how tough that can be.)