Roosters - cooking tips

[BeccaOH]

I have a lot of roos running around my place right now from just a few weeks old to one that is 2 years old.

I have 5 or 6 roos of 1-2 years old that I'd like to dispatch this year and replace with new blood. So far my butchering skills have been limited to doing 2 old hens myself and watching a bunch of my own broilers being done by an Amish lady. I think I can handle the butchering, but I'm worried about the cooking of a rooster. These heritage birds are lean and well exercised.

Questions:
By what age will the meat need special cooking steps (i.e. old-fashioned coq au vin)?
How old is too old for a heritage roo to be a good fryer?
Any good recipes to share?

Thanks

 

[CrimsonRose]

I have only had one older rooster and he tasted just like chicken... I cooked him in a crockpot for a day then deboned it and made noodles... he tasted great! I skinned him instead of plucking.

 

[BeccaOH]

I have only had one older rooster and he tasted just like chicken... I cooked him in a crockpot for a day then deboned it and made noodles... he tasted great! I skinned him instead of plucking.

Oh, good to know. So the meat wasn't tough and stringy?

I figured I could at least get good broth from a roo, but I didn't know how good the meat would be.

 

[CrimsonRose]

not after I cooked it to death! LOL He was just as tender as store bought chicken that I make noodles out of... but honestly I'm used to rabbit that is naturally more stringy and a tad chewy compared to chicken so I might not be the best judge.

Only thing I noticed was his meat was a tad darker than I'm used to... but I think that was because he was free ranged (he was my first free range chicken too)

but he did make the best broth and noodles! He was a scrawny egg layer breed but with the noodles we got 2 meals out of him for my family of 5...

 

[TanksHill]

Dispatching on your own..... huh? Is Aly going to help you with these?

Sorry I couldnt resist.

I look forward to hearing some of the responses. I have several old gals I intend to butcher in a few weeks.

g

 

[Javamama]

Crock pot is always my go-to. I like to dice the meat into tiny pieces and use in casseroles or soup.
Our last ones were 4 or 5 months old when processed and they were starting to get tough but not yet stringy. Does that make sense?

 

[ORChick]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3473262#p3473262

This might be helpful.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Crock pot is always my go-to. I like to dice the meat into tiny pieces and use in casseroles or soup.
Our last ones were 4 or 5 months old when processed and they were starting to get tough but not yet stringy. Does that make sense?

Or pressure cooker ...I plan on using both...just to see which works better on a rooster

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Dispatching on your own..... huh? Is Aly going to help you with these?

No. In fact, this is the first I'm hearing tell of it And I'm not waddling out to help hatchet heads right now.


sorry Becca!

You can do it!!

 

[TanksHill]