Ice bath question

[deegee68]

Hello,

I am curious on how long everyone keeps their processed chickens in an ice bath prior to freezing. I am seeing things all over the board, from a couple of hours to 3 days.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Mountain Roost]

We keep our meat for three days in ice water or in the fridge on paper covered trays. Larger animals need longer. Deer for example is 5-7 days.

The science behind aging is that Rigor mortis has a chance to run through the meat and passed. Leaving flexible meat instead of firm and stiff.

 

[Molpet]

I used to iced bath whole birds loose in coolers until rigor mortise passed.
A couple years later I started packaging after cooling down in ice water. Nowadays I mainly part them out, cool down , packaging . I usually rest in refrigerator or freeze with a note to rest after thawing.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I usually just have them in ice water until they are cooled and I am done cleaning up the processing equipment. Then I let them dry and put them in the fridge until rigor passes - about 3 days. I always thought if I kept them in the ice water the skin might get water logged, making it less crispy when cooked. That's just my guess though. I have heard of people keeping the meat in ice water until rigor passes.

Keep in mind we only do 6-7 chickens at a time, so it's easy for me to let them dry on a table for 30 minutes with some towels over them to keep flies away. I have seen other people use special racks that go in the fridge so they can drip dry. I don't know how many you are doing, but the drying part is a factor to consider.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have my birds professionally processed, and the butcher puts them in ice water until I come to pick them up, usually a couple of hours. Then they go in my fridge for three to four days until I can move the leg joint easily, then they go in the freezer or I'll cook one at that point.