What went wrong?

[extraordinaryfowl]

I put two 10-month cockerels in the freezer yesterday, and this morning I noticed a lot of the skin has turned dark. Why would that be? I put them immediately in the freezer, could that account for it?

 

[MNShepherdess]

Maybe bruising? Did they flop around a lot when you butchered them?

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

Thanks for the reply - no, I held them still, there was very little flapping - Maybe they just didn't bleed enough? Maybe they are just naturally darker then the other pasture-raised birds I've dealt with before . . .

 

[HHandbasket]

After processing a chicken, you need to let the meat rest in the refrigerator for a couple of days before either eating, freezing, or cooking it. As with all things that die, rigor mortise sets in & you have to wait for the rigor to work itself out before freezing the bird. Now that it is dark, it will taste gamey and chewy, even after long, slow cooking, but it won't hurt you. It just won't taste very good.

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

Thanks, that is what I needed to know - will know for the future

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Use them in a soup or stew, don't throw them out. They will be just fine.

 

[garp94]

not knowing if this would help or not, but asking the other knowledgable people out there

Would cutting into parts and brining help draw out the blood???

 

[PotterWatch]

I think it would be worth a try.

 

[bluere11e]

Use them in a soup or stew, don't throw them out. They will be just fine.

not knowing if this would help or not, but asking the other knowledgable people out there

Would cutting into parts and brining help draw out the blood???

I say givie it a try. As you cut into it, take note if there was polling of blood at the joints or large muscles. This will let you know that they weren't bled well enough. Let us know how the brining works