Rachel's BBQ Sliders and Jo Ann's Cole Slaw

In case you did not taste these sliders when Rachel made them, duplicate them in your kitchen.
Any questions? Call about recipes, ingredients or equipment at 254-399-.. Ask for Jo Ann.

Smoked Chicken BBQ Sliders
Makes 24 Sliders

2 lbs smoked chicken, shredded (Smoked on the Cameron Indoor Smoker)
1 cup Chef Bradley's Lean Mean BBQ Sauce

Combine the Chicken and BBQ Sauce in a medium saucepan. Heat to a slow simmer.

24 rolls or slider buns. (We used Rhodes Frozen Rolls and let rise and baked according to directions.)
Olive oil or butter

Preheat a grill or broiler on high heat. Brush each of the buns with olive oil or butter. Grill or broil for about 3 minutes.

2 cups Jo Ann's Slaw (See recipe below.)
Monterrey Jack Cheese, sliced

To assemble:
Place cheese on bottom bun. Top with 1/4 cup chicken and some slaw. Serve immediately.

Jo Ann's Cole Slaw
(Borrowed from The Southern Junior League Cookbook  from years ago--with a little variation.)

1 medium red cabbage, shredded fine
1 small  white onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, julienned
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar (for an interesting variation, use apple-cider vinegar)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon salt

Place prepared cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl; top with sugar.
In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, mustard, celery seed, and salt. Bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture over cabbage and cool. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Easter, Grandchildren and Fried Chicken

When Grandson requests fried chicken so that his international friend can experience it, what does Grandmother do? You know. of course. Buys whole chickens, cuts them so that there will be Pulley Bones (Some of you call them Wishbones.), gets out the cast iron skillet and gets cookin'.

Last year Bon Appetit , February Issue, printed "the only fried chicken recipe you will ever need." It's true. I'm changing it a little to suit my taste, but the method is essentially the best I've ever done. Granted, when I made fried chicken often, I never used a recipe, but, you know, one gets "out of practice."

If your family on a special occasion wants fried chicken, try this one.

THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN EVER

2 T Kosher salt, divided
2 t plus 1 T freshly ground pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t cayenne (optional to me)
1/2 t paprika (optional to me)
1- 3 to 4 lb frying chicken, not Kosher, backbone and wingtips removed. (10 pieces)
(Tip: look for free-range chickens. The hormone enhanced ones have such large breast pieces that it is hard to get them done without getting them too brown.)
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 T cornstarch
3 c all-purpose flour
Deep-fry thermometer
Oil for frying.

Whisk 1 T salt, 2 t black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion powders in a small bowl. Season chicken pieces with the spices, put in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerator. (A ziplock bag works well for this.)

The next day l

et chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 T salt and remaining 1 T black pepper in a 9X13X2 baking dish. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl.

Pour oil into cast iron skillet to a depth of 3/4". Heat until 350 F. on thermometer.

Set a rack inside a large-rimmed baking sheet for placing the chicken after it has finished frying

Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture. Dredge in flour mixture. Place 5 pieces into skillet. Fry chicken turning with tongs every 1-2 minutes. Maintain a steady temperature of 300-325 degrees F. 10 minutes for wings, and 12 for thighs, legs and breasts. Transfer to rack. Let set for 10 minutes.

During that ten minutes I make the gravy. Be sure to make the gravy in the same cast iron skillet used for frying the chicken. Drain off extra oil leaving enough for making the roux. Use equal parts oil and flour. Stir in  flour and heat allowing the flour to a light brown. Add milk gradually and stir constantly to avoid lumps. Salt and pepper to taste.
.
What to say? This in not something that I cook every week, but once in a while this comfort food just seems to be a must--especially when requested by a Grandson.