Who skins their birds?

[Mrs. K]

No, I have never heard of gazpacho, but my garden is ripening, and DH loves to try new things!

 

[Ridgerunner]

So at what age is the meat most flavorful for young cockerels? I have 3 (I think) that I have decided to process, but I'm not sure when that is

I suspect there will be a lot of personal preference in the "sweet spot", and the onset of hormones in the bird is also likely a significant factor. As well as method of preparation, of course.

I totally agree with this. Some people love kale, some people hate it. Some people like catfish, some hate it. Some might prefer extremely tender chicken like you get when you butcher them very young, some might call that mushy. To me this type of question is about as pure personal preference as you can get.

As a cockerel goes through puberty those hormones flavor the meat. Some like that flavor, some call it gamey and hate it. Those hormones also affect texture. Not all cockerels go through puberty on the same schedule so it is not tied that tightly to age. When you butcher those three you will probably notice that the male sex organs are different sizes. The larger those gonads are the more flavor and texture the meat should have. How you prepare it for cooking (brining or marinades) has an effect, let alone cooking method. The way I cook them I think 5 to 6 months old is great. If you fry or grill that is probably too old.

My main suggestion is to try something and see how you like it. If you tell us how you plan to cook it we can make suggestions. I assume you are talking about dual purpose cockerels. But to try to come up with a certain age that works best for everyone on the planet, it doesn't work that way.

 

[3KillerBs]

On that subject, so do dumplings - if you have the space, its similar time investment to make a double or triple batch, then bag and freeze the excess.

My family-recipe dumplings are leavened. I don't know if they'd freeze. I do know that they have to be laid out in a single layer all over the counter as you roll and cut them or they stick to each other. They're soft and have to be dropped into the simmering broth one-by-one.

I just roll my noodles out on the counter with a rolling pin.

I have no gift with a rolling pin and have been proven to make a mess with anything less than about 1/8" thick. Family has forbidden me to even attempt pie without using a bought crust.

My sister, who has the proper knack, could probably do it.

The above dumplings are supposed to be thick because they're leavened and rise when they hit the broth.

I just use a biscuit recipe for my dumplings, instead of baking, just drop it on the boiling liquid.

Ah. DROP dumplings -- a totally different sort of dumpling.

I do put those on stew occasionally and on pork and sauerkraut more often.

The ones above are more of a leavened noodle. The ones my southern neighbors make are not leavened but aren't exactly egg noodles -- like a cross between a noodle and a biscuit, with an egg in it as well as milk.

Once, on a now-defunct cooking forum, a long thread got into a complete tangle of cultural confusion over different kinds of dumpling and people talking at cross purposes.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My family-recipe dumplings are leavened. I don't know if they'd freeze. I do know that they have to be laid out in a single layer all over the counter as you roll and cut them or they stick to each other. They're soft and have to be dropped into the simmering broth one-by-one.



I have no gift with a rolling pin and have been proven to make a mess with anything less than about 1/8" thick. Family has forbidden me to even attempt pie without using a bought crust.

My sister, who has the proper knack, could probably do it.

The above dumplings are supposed to be thick because they're leavened and rise when they hit the broth.



Ah. DROP dumplings -- a totally different sort of dumpling.

I do put those on stew occasionally and on pork and sauerkraut more often.

The ones above are more of a leavened noodle. The ones my southern neighbors make are not leavened but aren't exactly egg noodles -- like a cross between a noodle and a biscuit, with an egg in it as well as milk.

Once, on a now-defunct cooking forum, a long thread got into a complete tangle of cultural confusion over different kinds of dumpling and people talking at cross purposes.

Leavened dough can be frozen successfully. Pizza Hut and (almost) all the rest depend on it. Sadly it can't be used immediately out of the freezer the way a Pillsbury biscuit can.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

No, I have never heard of gazpacho, but my garden is ripening, and DH loves to try new things!

Its Spanish (Iberian peninsula) and spread from there, so there are hundred, thousands of variations. But basically its a cold veggie soup - we make ours with roughly equal parts cucumber and tomato, plus garlic, black pepper, salt, red onion, sweet peppers, and parsley, thickened by blending in a bit of old bread to add body, and a bit of acid for brightness, like a squeeze of lemon. For texture, we'll often (always) cube up more fresh veggies (the same) and toss those in the bowl, then pour the soup on top - so it has bite sized crunchy bits of cuke, tomato, red green and yellow peppers, red onion (diced much smaller), etc.

 

[3KillerBs]

Leavened dough can be frozen successfully. Pizza Hut and (almost) all the rest depend on it. Sadly it can't be used immediately out of the freezer the way a Pillsbury biscuit can.

I might try it some time. It's the rolling and cutting that are so time-consuming.

Its Spanish (Iberian peninsula) and spread from there, so there are hundred, thousands of variations. But basically its a cold veggie soup - we make ours with roughly equal parts cucumber and tomato, plus garlic, black pepper, salt, red onion, sweet peppers, and parsley, thickened by blending in a bit of old bread to add body, and a bit of acid for brightness, like a squeeze of lemon. For texture, we'll often (always) cube up more fresh veggies (the same) and toss those in the bowl, then pour the soup on top - so it has bite sized crunchy bits of cuke, tomato, red green and yellow peppers, red onion (diced much smaller), etc.

I've seen recipes for that. It sounds interesting.

I've always wondered if it tastes like V-8, which I love and the rest of my family refuses to touch.

I can see my husband and sons eyeing it suspiciously and asking who ever came up with the crazy idea of *cold* soup and why didn't I just make a salad like normal.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I might try it some time. It's the rolling and cutting that are so time-consuming.



I've seen recipes for that. It sounds interesting.

I've always wondered if it tastes like V-8, which I love and the rest of my family refuses to touch.

I can see my husband and sons eyeing it suspiciously and asking who ever came up with the crazy idea of *cold* soup and why didn't I just make a salad like normal.

No it doesn't, I hate V8 as well!

my wife often adds some to hers.

There is also Gazpacho "salad" - what we do is technically more like gazpacho soup over gazpacho salad.

 

[3KillerBs]

No it doesn't, I hate V8 as well!

my wife often adds some to hers.

There is also Gazpacho "salad" - what we do is technically more like gazpacho soup over gazpacho salad.

Interesting.

We eat a lot of salad in season (and out of season if I'm creative with what's available).

 

[Molpet]

As for age, I once did a 6 month old mutt, and pressure cooking did nothing, the dog wouldn't eat it

How long did you pressure cook?
A 2 and a half year old rooster took over 2 hrs, but he was great pulled chicken. Very tasty

 

[Mrs. K]

I love posting on here, and later think about what people say... Then I got to thinking 3KillerBs is from North Carolina - no wonder they seldom eat soup, does it even get cold?

Up here in the far north, I am thinking our fall, winter and spring are probably colder.

I will have to admit, I am beat, just finishing up the pints of chicken broth.

I have a 'new' canner to me, I bought 2-3 years ago for $25, and some of the best money I ever spent. It has both the weight and the temperature gage. And it keeps perfect pressure, just steady as a rock.

I have use the weight before, but it seems to get rocking too fast - so I turn it down, too slow, and the fluctuation in pressure does not can as nice, and you often get a bit of leakage.

Just my 2 cents.
Mrs K