I know that usually roosters are roasted because rooster is tough. But I was wondering if there is a way to fry rooster and have it be tender without using so much meat tenderizer that the meat tastes like meat tenderizer(which is not a pleasant taste)?
Also would you be looking for the same temperatures as in a hen(that is 165 degrees F on the inside of the white meat) or would the temperatures you are looking for be different?
When meat and poultry are tough it is because because of connective tissue which transfers the muscle's work to bone. The harder a muscle in an animal works the more connective tissue it will have and the tougher (but generally more flavorful) the result will be. Connective tissue (collagen mostly in muscles) breaks down slowly in the presence of moisture and heat.
Frying is too short a cooking process to break down collagens, you need a low and slow method. If it were me I'd braise it instead of roasting it, so I'd coat it in flour and fry it off in a pan, then bake low (maybe 225f or 100c) it in a covered pan with a 500ml (about a pint) of chicken stock and a bit of rubbed sage for about 3 hours. If that doesn't make a tender rooster nothing on earth will.
It depends on what you want to achieve - are you after the crisp, juicy texture of fried chicken, or are you simply interested in cooking the bird in as little time as possible?
If you want the rich, full taste of rooster, and you want it tender, you will need to cook it low and slow. There is no substitute, save for perhaps braising in a pressure-cooker. However, if you want the crisp and rich texture of fried chicken, what you do is braise the bird as normal for a rooster - then finish it by deep or pan frying. Briefly, just enough to crisp the skin or cook the crust, depending on the type of fried chicken you're making.
Care must be taken to prepare the meat for the fryer - it should be dried and seasoned appropriately before battered (or put into the fry-pot if omitting the batter).
