Yeah, well I'm not so sure if I'm doing something wrong or these people just don't know tough vs tender chicken.
I've tried 4 times now to eat a chicken the same day it was killed, the 2nd day, the 3rd day..... and it's good but tough. In the end the best flavor and most tender chicken is one that is killed, then kept in fridge for a few days, frozen and then thawed and cooked. I don't know how long it needs to be frozen but we just had one that was frozen for 10 days and it was perfect!
So if anyone knows what I'm missing, let me know. I believe the same may be true about turkeys. We made sure that our turkeys last year that folks got had 5 days before being cooked on T-day because any less and I think the turkey would be tough. Our T-Day turkey was really tender on day 5. Though I also have 1 turkey left still in the freezer and I'm going to try out the theory and see if it's more tender. I'll let ya know....
I still think those folks eating chicken the same day of slaughter just don't know good chicken.... or they are doing some kind of fast tenderizing process that I want to learn about.
4 comments:
I don't know a thing about what to do with a chicken after slaughter, but, I've also been told to let it rest in the fridge for a day or two.
Maybe folks who are eating right after slaughter are just learning and are okay with it that way.
I picked up some meat and chicken from you and can't wait until I have time to cook a bird. Sometimes life even gets in the way of good food! haha
If you guys are going to be at the Sustainability Fair tomorrow I'll stop by and say hey.
The farm is looking great, btw!
While I guess it's up to the person doing the eating, I agree with you.
After death, the remaining glycogen in the chicken causes a chemical reaction to occur in the muscles causing them to stiffen - aka Rigor Mortis. In addition, if someone were to immediately freeze it after killing, not only would the meat be tougher, it has lost many nutrients. I "aged" our Chicken approximately 48 hours after killing, in the refrigerator, and it was tender and delicious. The aging time ensures the stiffness has worn off and the meat has become tender again. I test mine by wobbling a drumstick and if it moves freely, I'll go ahead and de-bone it. That's not really a scientific approach, just one that I came up with :-D
Good luck on the turkeys!
Depends on the birds and their age. Cornish Cross chickens are killed usually by 8 weeks and they need one or two days in the refrigerator and thats about it. Older birds, birds killed at 10-12 weeks or later need more aging time. Freezing does help with the aging and the ice crystals pierce the cell structure and soften the meat up a bit. We age first for several days in the refrigerator and then freeze.
I'm glad I found this post. I am clueless about all this, though my hubby may have some ideas.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. :)
Post a Comment