Claire’s tip of the week: pulling and shredding meat

Pulling and shredding chicken, as in this recipe for flautas, is also a popular technique used for pork and beef. The process creates long thin strands of meat perfect for sandwiches, lettuce wraps, tacos, quesadillas, tamales, pastas, soups or stews. Pulling is the first step that refers to removing the meat from the skin, bones and fat. Shred the pulled meat while it is still hot yet cool enough to handle. Gloves are helpful if you are sensitive to the heat. Shred the meat with the grain into long strands. Instead of hand-shredding, you can also place the meat in a large bowl and use two servings forks to separate into strands. For larger amounts of meat, place the meat in the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed.

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