Two Roosters for the Freezer

Cooped up, some roosters are getting too big for their britches.

This weekend we prepared two roosters for the stew pot. First to go was a big, handsome red rooster who had been preying on the other roosters in the kennel area. We had planned to put the roosters in the kennel for finishing for only a few weeks, but the time got away from us. Some of the red roosters are huge.

The second was a smaller black rooster. I selected him because he has been the target of the others' malicious attacks. More than once I've saved him from a corner where he cowered, allowing the big roos to claw at and peck on him. He wasn't as big, but his presence seemed to bring out the worst in the others--so he had to go.

The guts of two roos. One laden with fat.

All went smoothly outdoors and the dogs were happy to clean up the pan of rooster blood left behind. Indoors, however, I was in for a surprise. The little black rooster came apart smoothly, but the big red rooster did not. His innards were packed tight within his chest cavity and glued together with fat. We've processed birds with fat pockets before, but this guy's internal organs had no room to move about for all the fat pressing upon them.

The birds had lived similar lives, and had eaten the same food--although the big red rooster may have been one of those bullies who hogged much of the feed for himself, so I was amazed by the differences between them on the butcher block. Even the big guy's organs looked different--his liver was not the deep healthy red we're used to seeing, but a lighter color.

Hearts and livers of the same roos--left/right positions swapped from above.

When I enjoyed their hearts and livers pan fried with onions for supper, served on buttered bread, the flavor of each was just fine and I was reminded of how my mother used to fix me snacks of chicken hearts and livers some afternoons. Such meals just don't get old. Rooster stew, on the other hand, is getting old, so we packed up the rest of the rooster pieces for the freezer. A few days off before our next pot of stew will be a welcome respite.