Rigor mortis

[Gillian]

Yesterday I dispatched my first duck, prepared it immediately then popped it in the fridge ready for todays lunch. I woke this morning and all I could think about was rigor mortis and if I would be able to cook the bird at all. As it turned out, rigor had passed and the bird (an aylesbury) was delicious.

My understanding is that birds taste best if allowed to go into full rigor and that it be allowed to pass completely before cooking. Also, that the bird should not be frozen when in full rigor, as the meat will be very chewy indeed.

So my questions are:
Is this understanding right?
How quickly does rigor set in?
How long does it last?
Is it pretty much the same for chickens and ducks?

Can I also say that I love my ducks, but I won't allow brothers and sisters to breed. Since I couldn't find a new home for the boys they will be for the pot. Dual purpose birds were chosen for this reason.

 

[peter wade]

gillian when i do any poultry to eat i let them hang for at least a couple of days to add flavour, all i do to birds is pluck them and hang some where cool, only gut them a hour or so before we eat them. warm weather is a problem to do this because of flies