The Fried Chicken Blog: Louise, Texas Volunteer Firemen's Fried Chicken Picnic

Louise is a small town on 59 South just after you pass Wharton/El Campo. The nearest known landmark, I guess, is the famous Prasek's Smokehouse for all sorts of jerky and sausage. The chicken here is done simply, but it is spectacular. The raw chicken pieces with a little water are mixed with seasonings that include Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice, salt and pepper. The tossing of the chicken in the flour coats it very well, resulting in a deliciously crispy crust.

Recently, from Southern Living's "How to Fry" by Norman King, the NY Times picked up on a similar recipe for fried chicken.

In all probability, this is what is happening. With shallow-frying, the batter can burn on the bottom. That isn't an issue when you deep fry. By going with either ice water or just the moisture from the chicken instead of milk you will get that crunchy crust. When wet batter comes into contact with the hot frying oil, the moisture in the batter is going to vaporize, and that will leave behind the solids to adhere to the chicken. When you are using milk, there are sugars in the milk that are going to brown quickly and probably result in a softer crust.

What a great group of people. They made us feel so welcome and we had fun talking about this fried chicken project with everyone.

But first, a stop at Hinze's BBQ for some home-made pie. The lady who makes these has been making them for Hinze's for 27 years. We took coconut, lemon, and chocolate to go, for later. Even if your goal is fried chicken, not BBQ, there should always be room for home-made pies.