Processing

It only took a few days to get ready to process the two roosters we butchered last week. By day three, I was ready.

They had soaked in a saltwater brine for the full three days. Some say to soak them longer, some say just a day. I picked three days only because we went on vacation.

For the dinner, I threw a bird in the slow cooker with apples, onions, carrots, celery, fresh garlic from the garden and a random selection of fresh herbs.

I cooked it on low for 24 hours and then switched to “keep warm” for the afternoon. The aroma that filled the house was mouthwatering.

For the bone broth, I filled a big stockpot with water and dumped a freezer bag full of onion tops, celery and carrot scraps I’d been saving for just such an occasion. I also threw in two whole bulbs of fresh garlic.

I simmered it for a full day. When I went to strain the broth, the chicken fell right off the bone. The boys and I sampled it. It does not taste like store-bought chicken and it is much darker with very, very little fat.

I added the shredded chicken to the crock pot and the veggies went to the chickens. They were happy little hens.

I cooked rice for dinner and spooned the tender chicken and veggies over it.

It was delicious. The apples added a nice sweet flavor and the carrots were perfect. The meat was not dry like it was the last time I tried cooking a fresh bird and the boys each had two helpings.

From two big roosters, we got 6 quarts of bone broth and 3 days worth of meals. I’ll freeze the little that is left over and make enchiladas next week. YUM!