Why does freshly slaughtered chicken needs to be cooled down before cooking?
Today I bought a chicken that was slaughtered less than an hour before, so it was still warm. The shopkeeper said it needs to stay in the freezer for a couple of hours to cool off before I proceeded with cooking. Why is that?
Best Answer
The consensus from sites I have seen that appear fairly credible is that you need a resting period to avoid toughness in the final product. I speculate this is to allow rigor mortis to come and go.
According to Girl's Guide to Butter's article Chicken Butchering 101:
And now the final step in the butchering process – put them in a larger tub filled with cold water (ours comes straight from the ground and is very cold), and let them sit and relax till the evening (if you’ve butchered in the morning) or overnight ...
Note that it is important to let your chickens rest and relax in this fashion before cooking them, because, if you cook them right away (not that most of you, unlike me, would want to), they are likely to be tough.
Similarly, The Self Sufficient Home Acre's How to Butcher a Chicken article says:
[P]ut it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking. If the meat is not allowed to relax, it will be tough. If you plan to freeze the chicken, you can leave it in the refrigerator overnight or you can freeze it right away. Just be sure to pull the frozen bird out and let it thaw completely before cooking it. I have had good luck with this method.
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Can you cook a chicken right after butchering it?
Don't cook a freshly killed chicken on the day of death, especially if you killed it yourself. And if you are going to kill it yourself, take away its food 24 hours before slaughter, so its bowels are empty. You want to wait this period so the meat can relax, and let the rigor mortis fade away.Why do you let chicken rest after butchering?
Place the bowl inside your refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Allowing the chicken to rest will give the muscles a chance to loosen up before cooking. If you are pressed for time, 12 hours will suffice.How do you cool a chicken after butchering?
Chill the Whole Chickens Once each bird is finish, place it in a cooler filled with ice. (Or if you have fridge space, you can chill them in there). It's important to chill the birds as quickly as possible and to keep them cold. Some people recommend chilling for 16-24 hours before you wrap and freeze.How To Butcher Chicken...From Start To Finish!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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