Andrew Mark Veety

Uncle Bill's - 3:00 AM

Because even pigs in a blanket get cold and need a bacon quilt.

 
Jeff Lash - Photographer

Porter's Fried Chicken

Fired chicken can be counted amongst the upper echelon of truly American foods, originating in its current form from the deep south with a history that reaches back to colonial times, when slaves from Africa contributed this culinary masterpiece to our culture. Chicken fried in a fat can also be traced father back in history to Europe and Asia, however it is southern fried chicken that most think of when thoughts turn to what for many is a perfect “Sunday dinner”.

 

Created with simple and inexpensive ingredients and enjoyable piping hot out of the fryer, cold out from the fridge or at ambient temperature out of a picnic basket, it is easy to understand how this meal moved out of the southern states and across the country. 

 

There are as many opinions as to how to make fried chicken as there are people who will tell you that they make it better than everyone else. All told, it seems there are only a few things that separate the good from the bad - the crust, the spice and the balance of deep fried goodness and the juiciness of a chicken that has been steamed perfectly inside the aforementioned crusted coating. 

 

Here in St. Louis there are more than a few places that serve up plates and to go boxes of chicken and the standard fixings, however there are only a few that approach what is arguably the best fried chicken in the country, Price’s Chicken Coop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Make no mistake, the chicken at Price’s is outstanding, however, you don’t have to take my word on it, you can check out what the folks at Roadfood, Serious Eats and even Gourmet Magazine have to say. Better yet, you might just plan a road trip in the future to try some for yourself - you will be glad you did.

 

Coming close to Price’s is a new favorite of mine, Porter’s Fried Chicken, a small and unassuming restaurant nestled into a small strip mall in Shrewsbury, a suburb of St. Louis. The folks behind the counter are quick with a smile and help with the menu, in my case it was trying to figure out the difference between a “Regular” and a “Special” meal, which is all white meat as opposed to a mix of white and dark meat. Meals come with a choice of sides, and being my first visit to Porter’s, I opted for my personal favorite sides for friend chicken - cole slaw and mashed potatoes with white country gravy - which are both tasty without outshining the chicken.

 

A sign hangs on the wall stating that phone orders are welcome, and that is because all the meals are made as they are received, there are no heat lamps at Porter’s. A wait of 10 - 15 minutes proves worthwhile when you are presented with chicken, a roll and sides in a plain take out box.

 

What strikes you first is that fresh out of the fryer, this chicken is not very greasy at all compared to most fried chicken restaurants. Napkins are required though because just inside the crisp and spicy crust is juicy and flavorful chicken that really is “finger licking good”. This is a result of the near perfect crust Porter’s achieves by way of the deep fryer but owing just as much to the steaming action of the chicken inside its crust. This is also the key to perfect fried chicken, where to me, “frying” is a misnomer. Yes, heated fat or oil provides even heat for cooking, but it is the application of the crust before its frying that forms an envelope around the meat. This envelope allows the natural water within the chicken to steam and cook, keeping the moisture inside. The trick is to pull your chicken before the delicate equilibrium between oil and water changes, and the oil moves into the meat creating a greasy mess.

 

One only has to observe the line leading from the counter to the door to see that the folks at Porter’s are on to something special. I am looking forward to my next visit.

 

Opinion: Recommended

3628 South Big Bend Blvd

St. Louis, MO 63143

781-2097

On the web:

• St. Louis Eats and Drinks with Joe and Ann Pollack

Monday Night Is Pizza Night

My wife and I love to make pizza dough and entertain guests with fresh pies topped fresh mozzarella cheese and vegetables that are in season.

For us, the idea of pizza night comes from 2 places, childhood memories and from a discussion we had as we drove across the south on our honeymoon. On that trip my wife read Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” aloud to me as the miles and days passed. Pizza night was a standing date for the family in that book, and as we began our life together, we decided to try and make it part of our lives as well.

The memory of her reading as I drove is one of my favorite from that trip and I am reminded of it every few weeks when I break out the flours and yeast to make pizza dough.

Over the past few years I’ve developed a versatile dough based on a recipe I found in Peter Reinhart’s book, “American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza”. Taking his recipe for a Neo-Neapolitan / New Haven-style dough and adding a few twists, I’ve found a dough that cooks well in my convection oven using a pizza stone preheated to 450 degrees for a half hour before baking off a pie.

This dough cooks up crisp and brown on the bottom and provides ample crust, or as I like to call the “the bones” to use as a hand hold.

Makes 2-3 dough balls

15.5 oz unbleached bread flour (by weight)
7.0 oz semolina flour (by weight)
1 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. honey
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. oregano or marjoram
3.5 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1.75 cups room temp water

You can make this dough by hand, however over time I’ve grown tired of the endless kneading and opt instead for a standing mixer. The following process uses a mixer, but you can approximate if you prefer to complete by hand.

1. In your mixer’s bowl, combine the flours, sugar, honey, oil, garlic powder, herbs and salt, mixing with a dough hook attachment on low speed.

2. Combine yeast and water, allowing the yeast to bloom and creating a slurry before adding to the mixing bowl. Ideally, you should add a bit of your slurry at a time as its easy to add more water to a dough and hard to remove it.

3. Mix on medium speed for five minutes until the dough takes shape and balls around the hook. Turn mixer off and allow dough to rest for another five minutes.

4. After the dough rests, mix again on medium speed for another three minutes, then remove to a surface lightly dusted with flour.

5. Cut in two or three pieces and create dough balls.

At this point, I will either place each ball into a zip lock bag with a splash of olive oil and into the fridge if I plan on using the next day or freezing, or place into metal mixing bows, again with olive oil to rise for use later that day.

Your baking time will depend on your tools and practice. For my convection oven, I bake at 450 degrees for eight to eleven minutes, turning the pie 180 degrees about half way though the bake. I highly recommend using a pizza stone or unglazed ceramic tile, but you can also use a baking sheet or your grill to turn out a pizza that will have your friends asking, “Is pizza night next Monday as well?”