Young rooster with tuff meat

[Mosey2003]

Firstly, if you freeze right after processing, you want to let it thaw in the fridge at least three days, maybe more, to make sure rigor fully passes. At 13 weeks, had rigor fully passed, you could have grilled it, but it's going to seem tougher than store meat regardless because it was older and moved around a lot more. It just will. I cut mine into small cubes for soup because nobody in my family likes how chewy real chicken is, even when done right.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I’ve read that after processing you should let the carcass sit in the fridge for 3-5 days so that rigor can pass. Once the meat has sat you can cook or freeze it.

 

[mandelyn]

After processing they need soaked in a iced salt brine for 6-24 hours and then rested in the refrigerator for 4 days before cooking or freezing. Otherwise they'll be tough or chewy or stringy. We process around 20 weeks for a higher meat yield, from breeds that are truly dual purpose and bred for it. Instead of "used to be" dual purpose that have a more efficient layer body type instead.

Body shape varies dramatically between individuals within the same breed, depending on how they were bred. Typically the hatchery birds have a leaner and more narrow build to them, while breeder stock is wider and fills out a baking pan better.

The different breeds vary widely too, from how much meat is on the breast versus how much is on the thigh, if the thigh is dark meat or white meat, how thick the skin is, the color of the skin, where fat deposits happen and if they're prone to globby fat.

The way they're grown out/finished has a subtle effect on flavor/texture as well. I start them all on Turkey starter, dropping the protein every 3-4 weeks from 26% to 24% to 22% to 18% by the time they're 18 weeks old. Then I introduce sweet feed and a lot more greens for the finishing, anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks of that.

The first extra cockerel we invited to dinner though... after hours and hours in the crockpot... almost never ate chicken again. Hahahaha The dogs didn't mind the texture.

Now though, I'm hopeful for boy heavy hatches for the freezer! It took over 2 years to figure out what our methods were going to be once we went dual purpose.

 

[bigz1983]

After processing they need soaked in a iced salt brine for 6-24 hours and then rested in the refrigerator for 4 days before cooking or freezing. Otherwise they'll be tough or chewy or stringy. We process around 20 weeks for a higher meat yield, from breeds that are truly dual purpose and bred for it. Instead of "used to be" dual purpose that have a more efficient layer body type instead.

Body shape varies dramatically between individuals within the same breed, depending on how they were bred. Typically the hatchery birds have a leaner and more narrow build to them, while breeder stock is wider and fills out a baking pan better.

The different breeds vary widely too, from how much meat is on the breast versus how much is on the thigh, if the thigh is dark meat or white meat, how thick the skin is, the color of the skin, where fat deposits happen and if they're prone to globby fat.

The way they're grown out/finished has a subtle effect on flavor/texture as well. I start them all on Turkey starter, dropping the protein every 3-4 weeks from 26% to 24% to 22% to 18% by the time they're 18 weeks old. Then I introduce sweet feed and a lot more greens for the finishing, anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks of that.

The first extra cockerel we invited to dinner though... after hours and hours in the crockpot... almost never ate chicken again. Hahahaha The dogs didn't mind the texture.

Now though, I'm hopeful for boy heavy hatches for the freezer! It took over 2 years to figure out what our methods were going to be once we went dual purpose.

Good to know thanks

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Whether a certain chunk of chicken flesh is dark meat or red is determined by the extent of muscle development or the amount of use or the amount of exercise that bird did with the body part in question.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have never heard that they NEED to be brined after butchering and before resting. And if you choose to brine the bird, wouldn't the time they spent in the brine solution be considered as part of the rest period? I may try brining a couple of the older birds when I butcher some this fall, just to see if it makes a difference.

 

[AudieWarren]

I'll be butchering some barred rocks this weekend. I feel like I should be able to treat it like a deer. Process the carcass. Let it sit on ice for a few days to make sure the muscle is bled out good. Then proceed as usual. Our first time butchering resulted in chicken going in the pressure cooker...then into chicken pot pie. The pressure cooker really made it tender. We didn't let the carcasses rest and the first was super tough. The others I used the pressure cooker like I said previously.

 

[Isaiah53]

After processing they need soaked in a iced salt brine for 6-24 hours and then rested in the refrigerator for 4 days before cooking or freezing. Otherwise they'll be tough or chewy or stringy. We process around 20 weeks for a higher meat yield, from breeds that are truly dual purpose and bred for it. Instead of "used to be" dual purpose that have a more efficient layer body type instead.

Body shape varies dramatically between individuals within the same breed, depending on how they were bred. Typically the hatchery birds have a leaner and more narrow build to them, while breeder stock is wider and fills out a baking pan better.

The different breeds vary widely too, from how much meat is on the breast versus how much is on the thigh, if the thigh is dark meat or white meat, how thick the skin is, the color of the skin, where fat deposits happen and if they're prone to globby fat.

The way they're grown out/finished has a subtle effect on flavor/texture as well. I start them all on Turkey starter, dropping the protein every 3-4 weeks from 26% to 24% to 22% to 18% by the time they're 18 weeks old. Then I introduce sweet feed and a lot more greens for the finishing, anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks of that.

The first extra cockerel we invited to dinner though... after hours and hours in the crockpot... almost never ate chicken again. Hahahaha The dogs didn't mind the texture.

Now though, I'm hopeful for boy heavy hatches for the freezer! It took over 2 years to figure out what our methods were going to be once we went dual purpose.

I have never made a brine before forgive my naïvety, but how does one make a brine for the purpose of chicken soaking? Also does this process make the meat salty when cooked?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Aging is when you rest a chicken to allow rigor mortis to pass. Mom never aged a chicken, she cooked it just after it was butchered before rigor set up. But we never froze chicken, just butchered one when it was time to eat one. Aging can be done in a refrigerator or ice chest with icy water. I'm sure there are other ways. I don't age mine before I freeze them, I let them age after they have thawed in the refrigerator. I cut off the serving parts and double wrap those in freezer paper, that makes a solid block that might take longer to thaw than if the whole carcass is in a zip-loc bag or vacuum wrapped. I save the rest of the carcass in zip-loc's to use to make broth. Those go straight into the crock pot with no thawing. That broth cooks for 14 to 20 hours on low heat and I pick the meat after it is done for casseroles, tacos, sandwiches, or soup. It is really tender, but as someone else mentioned, the texture is different than the 6 to 8 week old Cornish X you buy at the store. I generally butcher my cockerels around 23 weeks, the pullets are usually 7 to 8 months old when butchered.

Brining is when you soak the chicken in a liquid that contains salt, usually in conjunction with aging. There are different recipes to make a brine, different amounts of salt to add and some add other ingredients, like sugar. It can give it a salty flavor, how much depends on how much salt is in the mixture and how long it soaks. In addition to what flavors that particular brine solution may add, it helps the chicken retain moisture.

Then you have marinading. That can be a liquid you soak the meat in or something you brush on. There are a tremendous number of different recipes for this. They are usually wine or vinegar-based. The acid breaks down the tissue and tenderizes it plus it adds flavor. You generally do not want to marinade too long as it can make the meat mushy. How long is too long? It depends on the marinade and your personal tastes.

I do not brine or marinade mine, with my cooking methods I don't need to. What works best will depend on what age you butcher them, how you cook them, and your personal preferences. We are all different.

 

[bigz1983]

That broth cooks for 14 to 20 hours on low heat and I pick the meat after it is done for casseroles, tacos, sandwiches, or soup. It is really tender, but as someone else mentioned, the texture is different than the 6 to 8 week old Cornish X you buy at the store. I generally butcher my cockerels around 23 weeks, the pullets are usually 7 to 8 months old when butchered.

Why would you butchure a 7-8 month old pullet? That's when they at prime laying age?