Best Tasting Chicken you ever raised/ate

[Molpet]

I had seen a much shortened version of this article. Reading the full article was really interesting, thank you.

Do you have a personal favorite?

I also have mutts for meat. I prefer the older for full flavor(gamey)
The birds are rested or aged so rigor mortis has time to pass. I thought I was trying to eat rubber bands when I cooked a few hours after harvesting. Some people says it doesn't matter to them so....

If a couple birds I rest in the refrigerator. Other wise I put in a cooler on ice. I rotate ice jugs every 8 hrs in the cooler in the basement. Rest until joints are flexible like a grocery store whole bird. a day, a few days. I have done 10 days with a old larger bird.

I have put intact birds in the refrigerator until rigor has passed and then thrown in the plucker and gutted. Most people cringe at the ick factor, but it used to be common. https://honest-food.net/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I always wondered why chickens were aged after processing. Do you have any information on that process? Especially time,

Time can vary depending on age, temperature and sex. Different conditions can give different results. Some people will give you one specific length of time for every chicken on the planet but I'm not that rigid in my beliefs. When rigor sets up the meat is hard, very firm. Joints are really stiff. Once rigor has passed the joints move freely. The meat is soft and jiggly. That may be in a little over a day. It may be three days. Once again, trial and error.

temperature

You want the meat to stay cool enough that bacteria cannot grow and multiply. Basically refrigerator temperatures. Probably 40 Fahrenheit or below. You do not want it to freeze so not below 32 F.

and where you would keep them.

As Molpet said, refrigerator or ice chest. You do not want the meat to be stacked so tightly that warm meat can't cool, it can spoil that way. A pile of warm meat can warm your entire refrigerator (or freezer when you freeze it).

Some people age the meat by setting if on a tray or dish in the fridge, dry and in the air. Some package it for the freezer before they age it. Some drop the meat in ice water in an ice chest, the meat exposed to the water. Add ice as necessary.

Remember your goal, age the meat so rigor has passed but don't let it spoil by getting too warm. The exact techniques don't matter as long as you get the results.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I haven't needed to rest/age mine. They never went into Rigor Mortis while I processes them. Every joint/limb was loose.

First one I ate was as tender as a store chicken, but more flavourful at 1yr.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Wyandotte and Delaware. Process age 16-20 weeks. Rest in fridge about 4 days and throw it in the oven. Awesome!