Saturday 16 August 2014

Roosters Better Beware

Ok so this one's a bit weird but I felt like I needed to do a bit of explaining. Last post I mentioned that I had killed, plucked and butchered a couple roosters for my freezer. It's all part of my 'live more simply" thing that I'm doing.

I have chooks and every year I usually raise some chickens. Unfortunately, I only need the chickens and if any are roosters, they usually get plumped up and given away to someone that will eat them. Recently it occurred to me that it was silly to give them to someone else to eat, so I asked my father in law to teach me how to do it myself.

I don't want to do the killing myself (and I can't see this ever changing), but once they were dead, I had no problems with plucking, gutting and butchering them. This was the result, lovely, free range, no hormone chicken for my family and I to enjoy.


They look a lot different to a bought chicken which is because those chickens are a different breed that is so fat by 7 weeks old that they can barely walk. These roosters were over 6 months old and a lot leaner. Their fat and flesh is therefore a lot darker.


When chatting to others who kill their own birds, the consensus seemed to be that they aren't great roasted but better slow cooked, in risottos, soups etc. I therefore decided to chop my full chickens into "bits". Once done, they looked quite normal and very edible.


I don't feel weird about it at all which has surprised me. So far I've made chicken stock and the most magnificent chicken and corn soup. 


Well...I don't feel weird about it until I remember they once looked like this. Cuuuttttee!

No comments:

Post a Comment