Why does my southern fried chicken not taste as good as grandmas?

Question

I know I am doing about the same thing. I use flour, salt, pepper and buttermilk. I fry mine in lard. But grandma had a can on the back of the stove that she would get the grease out of. I think it was a mixture of bacon grease, lard and other fat from frying. Anyone out there that may be older than I am who can tell me what was in there. This all goes back to the days before everyone was afraid of not refrigarating everything. I am talking about back to the days of wood burning stoves and no refrigrator.

I guess I was not really clear. I have the same recipe. I guess what I was asking is the difference because of the grease my grandma used, from the can on the back of the stove that I do not know what all is in it.
Bacon grease and what else? I am sure that makes a lot of difference in the taste.


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Answer 1

LOL yes - Grandma maybe left out one ingredient from you.

why not go to http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/home.asp - you may find one better than grandmas anyhow !


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Answer 2

Precisely what was in that tin only grandma will ever know , but the most flavoursome element will certainly have been bacon fat. I wouldn't recommend trying to recreate the tin's contents beyond the bacon fat, though: that'll probably have to remain grandma's secret. :-)

If you can get hold of it where you are, seek out an artisan *dry* cured bacon, smoked if possible. It *has* to be dry cured, or you'll have injected brine -- the white, foamy 'sludge' you get from mass produced bacon -- oozing out when you start cooking/rendering it. Within the space of time it takes to cook a few rashers -- no need to grease the pan before you start -- you will be left with beautifully clear bacon fat at the end of cooking which you can strain if you want and then store for future use. With the passing of a little time -- and many a splendid bacon sandwich ;-) -- you'll soon have enough to start cooking with. If you use it 'neat' you will be able to return it to the bacon fat store you have; if mixed with lard -- probably the best choice for a blend, I'd say -- or dripping, strain the mixture off and store it in another container. (Make sure each container has a lid: properly sealed from the air, the fat will keep almost indefinitely when refrigerated or kept in a proper larder.)

The bacon fat flavour is unmistakable, and the fat was (and is) much prized -- I'd keep mine in a vault if it wasn't impractical -- and that may well be part of the flavour you remember. Well worth a try, at least?

(The big Whatever burger-flippers of this world certainly know this one: they have been selecting and blending their frying oils and tallows for precisely that reason: 'memory' feel-good flavours!)

One word of caution: the flavour can be quite a strong one, so tread carefully and maybe you could opt for the blend with lard or dripping first so as not to overpower the chicken in the process. You can then always adjust the balance of the blend as you go along.

Hope this helps some of the way at least.

Answer 3

I have a friend from Texas who swears by her method which has nothing to do with the frying medium, but it has to do with with soaking the chicken before it was fried ..... she said that
**first you wash it, pat it dry, and trim it nicely
**then you soak it in milk mixed with dry ginger powder for four or five hours, in the fridge
**then pat it dry, let it return to room temperature and then fry at 375'F ... be sure there is room to spare in your fryer ~ i.e. don't crowd

I think what you soak it in, what mixture you use to soak & coat it with and the temperature of the 'oil' makes a big difference ... and the chicken itself should not be cold or else it will not cook all the way through as well as if it is at room temperature; it tastes much better if cooked properly ... it does not take a dangerously long time to bring it to r.t. ...
as you implied, it's ok ...

And that old wood stove might be a factor!!

I have a theory: that just as some people have a 'green thumb' with plants, some in their cooking have a way of doing things that defies analysis .... it is almost something in their auras that makes things come out so well.

As for your grandma's can of oil ... it might be that she knew how to clarify the oil (how to render it pure) by throwing in some chunks of bread when the oil was hot.... bread absorbs things.... or maybe she was a magic lady and put in her good thoughts !!!

Just a thought: the oil we have today is really quite good and healthy, the nicest of them I think is safflower oil which has a high-temp. smoking point and a lovely taste when heated ..... and although corn and peanut oils have a lower temperature smoking point, they do give a flavor all their own .... so try.

Peace

Answer 4

If it is taste, she probably had a secret ingredient, most grandmas do.