In (gastronomic) praise of year-old roosters

[patandchickens]

Posting this in case anyone else is, as I was, reluctant to try eating 'em at that age.

Peanut, our first-ever incubator chick, was splendidly handsome (golden campine x speckled sussex cross, body all black and green, head and hackle all fiery orange) and excellent with his hens, but unfortunately monomaniacal on the subject of protecting his hens from what he apparently assumed were the jealous attentions of humans. I spent five months longer than I *should've* trying to convince him that a) I do not have any interest in mating with his hens, and b) don't attack the food lady, but to no avail. Despite everything, he was getting so he'd come after me even when I was refilling their feeder. And all the pointy kung-fu bits were getting to really HURT.

So, with him exactly one year and one day old, I killed and processed him, put him in the fridge for four days, and then pressure-cooked him for not quite an hour.

I was not sure what to expect. Worried about tough, gamy, etc.

Well, that is the TASTIEST chicken I've ever had. The dark meat is incredibly dark, and tastes almost like turkey; the white meat tastes tremendously chickeny. The stock from boilin' him up is WONDERFUL. And the meat is not tough or chewy at ALL, just "dense". Sliced thin or diced smallish, it is possibly the best chicken I've had.

Just in case anyone else is as on-the-fence about eating roos of this age as I was

Pat

 

[TanksHill]

Wow, good to know.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I agree with you about the flavour and broth. Although I have never pressure cooked them, I have had many older roos, and hens past laying age (in my home, that is two years). I usually slowcook them.

As it is right now, hubby and I are discussing whether we are actually goin to do meat birds this year, or just hatch out a large number of BRs, and eat the extra roos, and, if we get too many, possibly hens. (although I don't really want to do this as they are great layers, but can understand that there is such a thing as too many hens)

Do you have a separate pressure canner, or do you use the one that you can with? I have only used a pressure canner.

I have a 5 mo old cockeral that needs to go, but he will have to wait, since we are doing lambs tomorrow. I need to psych myself up for that

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Awesome, Pat! Thank you so much for posting this!!!! I don't have a pressure cooker, but I'm sure there is another way . . . vindaloo?

I am very near to processing a few year old roosters.

 

[freemotion]

We did one in the dutch oven and he was DELICIOUS!!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I don't have a dutch oven either . . . I may just have to break down and get one or a pressure cooker, if vindaloo doesn't do the trick. I've been craving vindaloo anyway though. Marinating in vinegar seems like it would work just as well as slow cooking.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I don't have a pressure cooker (yet) either.

But the very best old bird i've had so far was slow cooked in a crock pot.

What's vindaloo?

 

[patandchickens]

You could do a vinegar-marinated thing like vindaloo, but if it were me I would be inclined to use a buttermilk or yogurt marinade instead (gentler, and less apt to mask the flavor, not that I don't love a good hot curry mind you).

Actually I don't think you'd really need a tenderizing marinade at all, or a pressure cooker, IF you could ensure that you simmer the meat long and cool and never EVER let it come to a real boil. (My problem with that approach is that ever since I had kids, I lack the attention span and discover that I've accidentally vulcanized the meat )

Worth buying a pressure cooker though, IMO, they can be really useful

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thank you for the advice Pat. I may try both the buttermilk and the vindaloo.

Vindaloo, as Pat mentioned, is an Indian curry type dish. You basically marinate the chicken in a vinegar based sauce for at least a day before you cook it up. Slow cooking is supposed to lead to the best flavor, or so I hear.

 

[big brown horse]

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf