| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| SheilaC |
Posted - Nov 10 2007 : 7:27:16 PM
Alright. We are well underway in our first meat chicken experience! A little more than half are butchered--a couple canned, one eaten  and the rest in the fridge. A couple of questions. Our book on chickens said to "age" them in the fridge for one to 2 days. Do you do that and does it actually make a difference? When you can them and then use them, do you really have to boil it in water for 20 minutes to see if it "smells weird"? How do you best assure you don't get freezer burn? Any other helpful hints? Thanks so much! |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 10 2007 : 9:52:16 PM
Aging makes a huge difference in tenderness! Not as important when you are canning the meat..but I still do it.
I don't do the boil for 20 minutes thing. If it smells weird you would know it when you open that jar! And...I am generally going to heat it up to eat it anyhow, right? So I don't do that.
I can most of mine..and like Shari said...they don't keep as well frozen..but I do freeze some for bbqing and for cooking up later to can. It is hard to deal with all that meat at once. Have fun!!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| La Patite Ferme |
Posted - Nov 10 2007 : 8:20:09 PM
When I butchered my first batch of meat birds I left them in an ice bath over night. One of the birds had gotten bruised on its wing before butchering and by the time I washed and wrapped them the next day the bruising was gone, just nice pink meat.
I don't can my birds, I freeze them, so I can't help with that. I wrap them real tight in plastic then in paper, and that seems to be fine. |
| therealshari |
Posted - Nov 10 2007 : 7:32:03 PM
Great progress!
The reason you want to "age" the fresh birds a bit is to help tenderize them. In more technical terms, when you give time for the rigor mortis to pass, the meat is more tender. I've never heard of the boil them for 20 minutes to see if they smell weird... may be something related to older birds.
The best way to assure you don't get freezer burn is to get all the air out of the first layer of packaging. If you wrap very tightly in saran wrap before double wrapping in butcher paper, that is generally sufficient.
Also, don't plan to store the frozen meat longer than 3 to 6 months.
Hope that helps,
Shari
Shari Thomas
farmer, web copywriter, blogger
Shari's Gone Country
Vote for me at "Blog for a year" |
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