Buttermilk home fried chicken (Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Recipe below) along with some homemade slaw, corn on the cob, and eggy potato salad with pickles ( http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggy-Potato-Salad-with-Pickles-395434 ) as the pre-show meal.
Ingredients
For the brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- 12 bay leaves
- 1 head of garlic, halved
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- About 1/2 ounce (1 large bunch) thyme sprigs
- About 2 ounces (1 large bunch) flat leafed parsley sprigs
- 5 lemons, halved
- Two-2 1/2 pound chickens, each chicken cut up in 8 pieces
- 10 cups peanut oil
For the coating:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 quart buttermilk
- Kosher salt
Directions
For the brine: Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.
Rinse the chickens and place the chickens in the cold brine and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat the chicken dry, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin.Bring the peanut oil to 340 degrees F. in a 6 quart saute pan.
Mix the coating ingredients together in a bowl and place the buttermilk in a second container. Just before frying, dip each piece of chicken into the coating, patting off the excess, then into the buttermilk and back into the coating. Place the chicken on a parchment lined sheet tray.
When the oil has reached the proper temperature, carefully lower the pieces of dark meat into the oil. The temperature of the oil will decrease. Adjust the heat as necessary to bring the oil to proper temperature. Fry the dark meat for about 13 minutes, to a deep golden brown, cooked throughout and very crisp. Remove the chicken to a tray lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Carefully add the white meat to the oil and fry for 6 to 7 minutes until cooked.
Remove to the tray, sprinkle with salt and turn off the heat under the oil. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. It is very hot when it comes out of the oil.
Notes
Cook's Note: Use a 6 quart saute pan with splatter screen. Be careful. The oil can spurt as the chicken is added and fried, making this a perfect recipe to use a splatter screen. Place a thermometer in the oil to help monitor the proper cooking temperature. It is a good idea to make this brine a day ahead and refrigerate it. Do not add the chicken to warm brine and do not leave the chicken in the brine longer than the specified time or it may become too salty.This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
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| Love the few moments of silence...right before the first firework shoots into the air |
