We’ve been making coq au vin for decades, following many different recipes. In some cases, it seemed like we were being directed to cook the chicken for way longer than was necessary.
As the name of the dish suggests, at some point, a “coq,” or rooster, was likely involved. I believe the prescribed longer cooking time is due to the need to roast or braise the tough old roosters for a good long while to render the chewy meat edible – such a long cook seems excessive for more tender chicken, and overcooking chicken may, ironically, make it as tough as a lean, well-exercised rooster.
Because of its legendary toughness, rooster meat needs a long time to marinate and cook. Still, I wanted to give it a shot. But where to find a rooster, an actual and fully featured male fowl, not a capon, the castrated version of same?
Calling a few places looking for uncastrated rooster was turning up nothing. Then I called Slagel Farms and talked to LouisJohn Slagel who said, “we have a few roosters wandering around over here; you can have one of those.” He seemed almost eager to sell one to me.
When you think about it, it’s clear why farmers might want to unload roosters: chicken farmers really need only one stud bird for a barnyard harem of lady fowl, and given a normal birth rate, that means about half the birds born will be male. Roosters are notorious pains in the ass: aggressive, prone to fight with their fellows, sometimes even attacking their human caregivers/executioners. Who want’s ‘em? I do! Or, at least, one…
So, talking to LouisJohn, I arranged to have Slagel drop off a rooster at Carnival, a local Oak Park market, this coming Wednesday. It will run me $20, and I honestly have no idea what the weight of this tough old bird will be. I’m guessing Slagel will look over his lot of roosters, pick the biggest pain in the ass, and chop off that bird’s red-combed and wattled head,
I was talking with Chef Cedric Hardin, who served us coq au vin last week at River Roast, and he said he marinates his chickens for three days in red wine, which seems way over the top, but his bird was good and juicy. So, I’m thinking I’ll give my rooster at least two days (and maybe more) in a red Rhone before adding pearl mushrooms, etc., and making my coq au vin.
I’d be interested in knowing if anyone here has experience with cooking rooster. I need all the help I can get.
I do hope you appreciate that in this post I didn’t go for any cute double entendre (it would have been way too easy).
"Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins