VERY soft/tender meat?

[5lakes]

Greetings to all!

I'm thinking about having a small party for my Mom. She's 87 and loves what I cook. Thing is, she and some of her friends need meat to be REALLY easy to chew/swallow. The fish I smoke is always a huge hit and that is my first inclination. However, I'd really like to offer something like turkey or chicken (smoked, of course). Pulled pork could work, but I want something very special for her.

Anyone have ideas of how to get poultry super tender? Any other suggestions?

Many thanx.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

This method would likely work on any species/cut of meat:

Smoke to 160-170*, pan/foil and hold @ 200* for X hrs...X depending on the weight/type of cut.

I have pulled brisket flats using this method, with a pan/tent time of 10-12 hours for a 14# full packer...literally fall apart tender, and that's a very lean cut to be pulling. No temp checks need after pan/foil...go by probing for tenderness only. Just add a bit of water before sealing up the foil.

Easy and fool-proof...it has to be if I can do it! LOL!!!

Eric

 

[ronp]

Do a whole chicken to 165' then put in the drip pan with the smoked chicken stock and foil and put in the oven or smoker at 200' for a few hours and pull with the juices.

Yum.

 

[richoso1]

I will have to say that I've had the same experience as Eric.

 

[richoso1]

Been there and done that, good input Ron.

 

[5lakes]

Thanx for the info. I think I'll experiment with a chicken this weekend. Should I do it whole or butterfly it? The rub won't be a problem, since they love what I use. I just need to make sure I can get it tender enough. If this works, I just might be brave enough to try a small turkey for the party.

Again, many thanx.

 

[athabaskar]

Brine it. It loosens the fibers of the meat. Also, I like to start whole birds breast down and then rotate to their backs after 45 minutes to an hour. It seals the juices in. Beyond that the info the other folks gave you was solid. Try your own decisions on those methods and let us know how it turned out.

 

[kaiser]

If you do the whole bird, be careful about getting it *too* tender.

I dropped a whole chicken in my electric crock pot slow cooker one day and set it for a 10 hour cook. It fell so completely apart that I had to spend half my eating time picking out little bits of spine.