# Help on slow cooking chicken legs.



## DarkSmoke (Dec 14, 2009)

hello guys 
iv been reading alot latly on letting food cook alot in liquid on low temps will make the meat tender. 

so any ideas at what temps should i roast chicken legs with water onions garlic and spices in the dish and foil on top , to like let it cook for 4hrs ?


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## Andy M. (Dec 14, 2009)

Welome to DC.

Braising (not roasting) is a great way to tenderize tough cuts of meat.

However, chicken wings don't fall into that category.  They should be roasted in a hot oven (no liquids) or deep fried.  Tender meats are best cooked hot and fast.


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## bigdaddy3k (Dec 14, 2009)

I agree. Chicken legs are already tender. If you slow cook them there would be no sustance left to them. Lots of loose bits of cartelege(sp) floating around in a chicken meat paste.


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## DarkSmoke (Dec 14, 2009)

thanks for the welcome and for the info. in my country nearly all people roast there meats even pork chops with some water in the roasting dish its like a tradition with onions and veggies. i started recently to roast without water and by coating the meat in some oil with spices on top. last time i tried to cook pork chops at 125 degress(celcius) they got cooked and toughed a bit in less then an hour still  in that temp but then after like 2hrs it started to soften up again.

what i want is to use my oven like a slow cooker since i don't own one. what would be the ideal temps in the even to imitate the high setting of the slow cooker. is it possible?


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## jet (Dec 14, 2009)

I use my oven at 250deg F (about 121deg C, I think) for slow cooking.  Pork chops I normally cook at a much higher temperature.


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## jennyema (Dec 15, 2009)

Braising, like Andy said, (cooking at a low temp for a long time in liquid) is a technique that is meant to take a cheap cut of meat and make it tender.

So the type of protein is where you start.  Chicken is not a good choice because it is lean and tender on its own.  Overcooking it may make it "fall off the bone," but it also dries it out.

Lean cuts like pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin are also not good candidates.

Why not try a pot roast or a stew, using beef chuck or round?

Find a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Brown your meat, add some flavorful liquid and some seasoning, maybe some vegetables, bring to a simmer, then put the lid on the pot and put in a slow oven @ 275 or so.

Your cooking time will vary depending on the protein you are using and how it's cut, but will be in the 2-4 hour range generally.

There are 800million pot roast recipes on the internet.  They are all variations on one main theme (above) . Look at a few and give one a try.


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## DarkSmoke (Dec 15, 2009)

ok i got the  point thanks for the info. but now im curious about something if you don't mind me asking. 
chicken breast/legs or whatever expensive meat named above , never dries out if cooked on a bbq on very low temp in indirect heat method (usually smoked) for long time, on the contrary it because ALOT tender. same happens in the slow cooker as far as i know. so how come roasted in the oven in very low temps for hours (for example in the bbq-indirect/smoking method a chicken breast is usually cooked for 2hrs) dries out ?


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## DarkSmoke (Jan 8, 2010)

any one with an answer? :/


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