How to Prepare A Rooster

If you have a flock of chickens, you probably have a rooster. A good rooster maintains peace in the coop. While one rooster brings peace, however, more than one can lead to chaos. The best – really the only solution – is to get rid of excess roosters. Yes, you can give them away. Or, you can take the situation into your own capable hands by respectfully killing and consuming the animal you’ve raised. Knowing how to properly slaughter (and lovingly cook) a rooster is not an addendum to keeping chickens – it is an essential part of the responsibility. When executed the right way, it is a powerful, rewarding experience. Here is a guide from start to finish.

What you’ll need:

A supportive tree branch or bar

Rope

Sharp knife

Large pot of boiling water

Large pot of ice water

Brine recipe follows

Brick wrapped in foil grilling technique follows

What you’ll do:

In preparation for slaughter, it is best to confine the rooster in a small cage for easy transport to the area where you are processing, which should be at a distance from your coop. If traces of blood are left around the coop it will attract other, potentially dangerous, animals to your chickens. Some people prefer to take the animals off feed for 24 before killing. I think this is cruel and unnecessary.

Tie a strong rope to a tree branch and make an adjustable slip knot on the other end.

Place the roosters feet through the loop and pull to tighten. The rooster should now be hanging upside down.

Hold the roosters neck with your left hand (assuming you are right handed) and pull back the feathers to expose the skin as best you can (this way your blade will not catch on feathers). You want to cut directly into the jugular vein on the right side. To do so, make a swift, even cut across the throat from ear to ear. You will be able to tell that you have made the right cut when a small, but forceful stream of blood rushes out. Keep your left hand holding the neck while the blood rushes. The blood quickly rushes to the brain and the rooster goes unconscious. This is the quickest, most humane, least painful method.

When you are sure the proper cut has been made and the bleeding has begun, place both hands firmly on the bird and keep them clasped around the wings. This keeps the bird steady. It is unpleasant and unsafe to allow the rooster to writhe. You will likely have to hold him this way for several minutes. When you are confident that the animal is fully bled, you can remove your hands. The body should remain completely still.

At this point, your water should be ready. Test the temperature to be sure. It should be between 125 and 130 degrees f. Too cool, and the feathers won’t pull out, too hot and you’ll damage the skin.

Submerge the rooster for 30-45 seconds, swishing around a few times. Make sure all feathers are exposed to the water. Remove and pluck using a picking or rubbing motion.

Work quickly while plucking. Pull the wing feathers first – they are the toughest. You will not be able to remove every single feather by hand- don’t worry about it. At the end, you can go back with needle nose pliers to get any remaining feathers.

Now that the rooster is plucked, it is time to eviscerate.

Start by cutting off the heads and feet. For the feet you can locate the joint bone and use it as a guide for where to cut.

Shock the carcass in ice water for a few seconds. This tightens the inside slightly and makes them easier to pull out in one piece.

To remove innards, pinch skin located near the vent and make a small cut. pinching the skin helps to make sure you only cut the skin and do not accidentally puncture something inside. Cut around the vent on both sides just until you can reach your hand inside. Once you feel you have a grip on the viscera, pull to remove. Everything should come out in one piece. Preserve the heart, liver and gizzards. These can be eaten. From the neck, cut out the esophagus, trachea and crop, which may be full, so be careful with your cut. You do not want to puncture the crop.

Once you are sure all viscera have been removed, rinse the rooster thoroughly in cold water and place in a freezer bag.

Roosters are not meat birds. I have found that the best way to extract the most flavor from a rooster is to brine and then grill, butterflied.

Brine:

Dissolve 1 cup brown sugar and 1.5 cups kosher salt in 1 gallon of water. Chill until cold. Submerge the rooster in the solution and brine for up to 14 hours.

Remove from brine, rinse and place in a marinade (simple combination of vinegar, oil, salt, black pepper) until ready to cook.

Grill:

Begin by remove the rooster’s backbone with kitchen shears.

Press the carcass flat.

Prepare a charcoal grill.

When coals are hot, place the rooster breast side down directly on the grills.

Cover with a heavy object wrapped in foil – cast iron skillet, a stone or brick works well.

Depending on the size of your bird, cook for 30 – 45 minutes total. Flip and replace the weight once or twice to get a good char on both sides.

Cut into quarters and enjoy. …

The post How to Prepare A Rooster appeared first on Wilder Quarterly.