Fried Chicken and Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
Source of Recipe
From "Fried & True" by Lee Schrager
Recipe Introduction
"When chef Scott Peacock first turned to Edna Lewis for cooking advice in the early days of his career, he had no way of predicting how the aging African American legend of Southern cooking would change his life. Lewis saw in Peacock an unconventional kindred spirit, eventually anointing him the keeper of a treasured culinary canon that fused her cooking prowess with decades of experience. Together they wrote a cookbook, The Gift of Southern Cooking, *and* Peacock became Lewis's caretaker in the years before her death in 2006. Among the many legacies she left him was her fried chicken recipe, which Peacock was able to share with a generation of diners as the longtime chef and co-owner of Atlanta's Watershed restaurant (Peacock is no longer associated with the restaurant). 'The thing that was so radical was that fat blend,' said Peacock of the trinity of butter, lard, and rendered country ham that imparts Southern flavor in every bite. Over time Peacock also discovered that he preferred a mere hint of coating, which he refers to as a 'rumor' of flour."
List of Ingredients
For the brine:
◦ cup kosher salt (do not use table salt for brining)
◦ 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
◦ 1 quart buttermilk
For frying:
◦ 1 pound (2 cups) lard
◦ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
◦ cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into -inch strips
◦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
◦ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
◦ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
In a large nonreactive bowl or pot, combine the salt with 2 quarts cold water. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the chicken, rinse out the brining bowl, return the chicken to the bowl, and cover with the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, transfer to a wire rack, and drain.
In a heavy 10- or 12-inch skillet or frying pan, combine the lard, butter, and ham. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the ham is browned. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the ham from the fat and discard. Heat the fat to 335 F on a deep-fry thermometer.
In a shallow bowl or on a large piece of wax paper, blend together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge the drained chicken thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.
Using tongs and working in batches, place half of the chicken, skin side down, into the heated fat. Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels and serve.
Serves 4
❧ Classic Buttermilk Biscuits:
"These light-as-air biscuits are considered the gold standard. Serve them warm, with butter or honey orbetter yetboth. Peacock makes his own baking powder mix of cream of tartar and baking soda, but if you're in a hurry, simply replace with 1 tablespoons store-bought baking powder."
◦ 5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour (about 1 pounds, measured after sifting), plus more for rolling
◦ 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
◦ 1 teaspoons baking soda
◦ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
◦ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled
◦ 2 cups chilled buttermilk, plus more as needed
◦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Arrange the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add the lard in one large piece, coating it in the flour. Working quickly, rub the lard briskly between your fingertips (or use a pastry blender) until roughly half the lard is coarsely blended and half remains in large, -inch pieces. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk all at once. With a large spoon, stir the mixture quickly until just blended and a sticky mass of dough is formed, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons additional buttermilk if necessary.
Transfer the dough to a generously floured surface. Using floured hands, very gently knead until a cohesive ball of dough forms, 8 to 10 times. Gently flatten the dough and then, using a floured rolling pin, lightly roll the dough inch thick. Dip a fork in flour and pierce the dough through to the surface at -inch intervals. Using a floured 2 - or 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds and arrange on a heavy parchment-lined baking sheet. Do not reroll the dough, but add the leftover dough to the baking sheet.
Bake until the tops are crusty and golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter, and serve hot.
Makes 12 biscuits
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