When is it too late to cull before they get too tough?

[Molpet]

make sure you let him rest at least 24 hrs so rigor mortise relaxes .. you can brine him too

 

[sourland]

Okay I wanting to roast him in the oven. Will that work?

Try slow roasting at low temperature as suggested by @Maeschak .

 

[Ridgerunner]

My favorite age to butcher cockerels is around 23 weeks of age. Life got in the way of butchering when I wanted to so I have a few approaching 25 weeks that I hope to get done later this week.

I’m probably the one that told Maeschak about really cooking them slowly and with moisture. There are lots of other ways to cook an older chickens, Coq au Vin, chicken and dumplings, a crock pot, a pressure cooker, any of these can give you a fall-off-the-bone tender delicious chicken. People that get tough chicken just don’t know how to cook it.

My preferred method is to cut the bird into serving pieces for the table. I use the rest of the carcass to make broth but that’s another story. I rinse the pieces in water but do not dry them and place them in a ceramic baking dish that seals pretty well. I cover the pieces in herbs. I generally use just oregano and basil but you can use whatever you wish; parsley, thyme, chives, onion, garlic, whatever makes you happy.

I put that in the oven covered at 240 to 250 degrees for maybe four hours. Three hours would be enough but since it is your first time go for four. It will not hurt to overcook it. When you are done, carefully take the meat out with a slotted spoon. Be careful, those pieces could fall apart on you. You will find a lot of liquid in there, that is the best chicken broth you will ever taste. You may want to de-fat it but use it like you would any other broth.

 

[RUNuts]

It is getting to be gumbo weather. Mother in law would brag on her rooster gumbo. She's a terrible cook (except for gumbo, rice n' pork gravy and pot roasted ducks) and that was the stringiest bird I ever ate. I'm guessing it was freshly dead. When she was growing up, dinner was which ever bird you could catch and pluck. I think she likes the texture. Didn't let it rest.

Now I know. Let it rest until rigor has passed. When the meat is falling off the bone, gumbo is ready.

 

[peterlund]

When I did 25 week old cockerels in an enamel chicken roaster they all turned out too tough. I tried 325, 350, 375, etc. someone on here told me a few weeks ago to use 240-250 degrees for several hours. So.... Before you stick that bird in the oven you may want to take the extra time to REALLY slow roast it at 240 to 250 degrees!

And let the bird rest for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator to let aging do its thing. #1 issue i have is rushing the fresh bird to heat..... my 2 cents.

 

[Rye]

It's never too late to cull. All in how you cook it.