After the slaughter and before it's cooked ...

[Foristers]

Awesome thank you!

 

[LaceyRenea1988]

Do you start the brine process right after butcher? Or do you sit in the fridge until rigor has passed then you start to brine?

I brine mine. After butcher, I put them ( I usually do 2 production type cockerels at a time, so they're pretty small) in my black enamel canner. Cover with water, add salt for the brine. Put the lid on and put back in the refrigerator. Let them hang out there 3ish days, remove from the brine, rinse and cook.
Setting in the brine, with the salt, is what moves the fluid into the muscle tissue and makes it moister.

 

[Hawgfan]

I brine for a day, directly after butchering. Then I let it rest a couple more days before cooking. I can't say there is any particular advantage, but that's how I've been doing it. Others almost certainly do just the opposite. I like the results, so no need to change.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to approach it. I prefer to brine just before cooking, but I have many friends who do it like @Hawgfan with the same results.

 

[Subsistence Farmer]

Heritage birds need to cook to a higher temp. To melt all the collagen they have too. We cook to at least 170 and even better at 180. Much better to cook too high than too low.

Try to find chicken recipes from at least the 1940s to1950s when the meat birds were Delawares and barred rocks. This helped us learn to cook the birds in the beginning and you will never want grocery store chicken again.

 

[Bakochicky]

Do I have to wait to part the chicken out or can I do this as I slaughter at the same time so I don’t need such a large space for them to rest. I do not use the main carcass at all and it takes up a lot of space. Just thinking breast quarters and wings would take up much less space to rest before eating.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I part mine as I butcher. I also save the carcass for broth, but cut that up too so I reduce freezer space. We each need to find out own way.

 

[rjohns39]

Do I have to wait to part the chicken out or can I do this as I slaughter at the same time so I don’t need such a large space for them to rest. I do not use the main carcass at all and it takes up a lot of space. Just thinking breast quarters and wings would take up much less space to rest before eating.

It's difficult to break down a bird once rigor sets in, so as long as you can get that done prior you're fine.

 

[DMOTS]

my chickens have been in the fridge for 5 days now and no release yet. How long can you leave them in the fridge before you have to worry about the meat going bad.

 

[rjohns39]

my chickens have been in the fridge for 5 days now and no release yet. How long can you leave them in the fridge before you have to worry about the meat going bad.

Is your plan to break them down or leave them whole? Five days is a very long time. Mine generally loosen up within 24-48 hours, but my turkeys can go 4-5 days. If you're planning on breaking them down, I'd try one and see how it goes. How old were your birds at processing?