The stock move is huge, I do the same thing but I add the skin in too for the first 20 min then pull it out so it doesn't get bitter. Pro tip on the salty meat: skip any extra salt in whatever you're making and it balances out fine, especially in soups where it all mixes in anyway. You can also take the leftover shredded meat and freeze it in muffin tins with a little broth, then pop them out and you got single servings for quesadillas whenever. One bird really can go the distance if you break it down right.

Thermal expansion is what got you, not the fitting itself. Copper moves with temp changes and push-fit relies on the pipe staying put, so in a closed wall with hot water cycling all day that joint just works itself loose over months. That's the part guys bragging about sharkbite never mention. Sweating copper gives you a rigid joint that expands as one piece, which is why it holds up where you can't get back in there.