"United we bargain, divided we beg."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Second Attempt Pronounced a Failure

It didn't work. Although definitely easier to chew than the last time, the meat was bland and tasteless, with a faint but noticeable flavor of barnyard. Even the dogs are unenthusiastic.


I am freezing the broth, because I am just too perverse to throw it all away and let myself be beaten (and once again, the broth is better than the meat by a country mile), but there is no longer any doubt that the mess and the work  involved in killing a chicken are not justified by the results. 

What the heck are we going to do with all our chickens as they get old and stop laying eggs? Does anyone out there have experience with cooking old hens and can you give me any tips?

4 comments:

Carolyn Evans-Dean said...

It is not a failure...Its a learning experience! I haven't butchered a bird in my life, nor have I tried to eat one of my own after someone else butchered it. Like you, I am determined to do it eventually. Based upon what I have read, the following question comes to mind:

Are you butchering the bird and eating it in the same day? That might be your problem, especially with the age of the bird. Maybe brining it overnight first would help:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=163004

There is an explanation and a "recipe" for the brine in one of the posts.

Also, there are certain recipes that were designed for older birds. The most famous being coq au vin. I've never tried it before, but it is also on my to-do list after learning to butcher a chicken!

Aimee said...

Thanks, MartianChick. I'm going to check this out.

Ruth Trowbridge said...

omg - we were dealing with the same thing this week - after 10 years raising chickens and turkeys we just couldn't kill anymore - hired someone to come do the roosters in - raising the young ones is so much pleasure, doesn't this irony show up so much in farming? - peace for all

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