Fried chicken off

I didn't think I was capable of turning down fried chicken. I didn't think I had the will power to do so. But, last night, at Carlo's, I reached my fried chicken limit.

When Eleanor told me that Carlo and his friend Tony were having a fried chicken off, my eyes lit up. The two of them were planning on experimenting with different methods to try to achieve the best fried chicken. It was like their very own America's Test Kitchen. All Monday I waited anxiously to hear from Eleanor to see if it was really going to happen if I would get invited. So, when her text arrived asking if I waited to join her, my response was an astounding yes.

When Eleanor and I arrived at Carlo's, he and Tony had been cooking and eating chicken for an hour and a half already and had ruled out a number of fried chicken variations. There were pots of grease on the stove and a small deep fryer off to the side. On the counter were various dry coatings. And, there were pale chicken drumsticks waiting in the wings. Eleanor and I stood off to the side, watching this two-man fried chicken show. And, when Tony's wife, Karen, arrived, the three of us stood off to the side.

The chicken drumsticks had been brined overnight in a mixture of buttermilk, garlic, and ginger. Carlo and Tony tested different coatings: white flour, wheat flour, cornmeal, panko bread crumbs, soybean flour. They tested different liquids: buttermilk alone, buttermilk with vodka, buttermilk with whiskey, buttermilk with soda water. They tested different greases: vegetable oil and Crisco. They tested different cooking methods: deep fry versus shallow fry. They tested different batter methods: one dip, two dip, dip and then immediate fry, dip and then postponed fry. They tested variations of all of those factors.

Each time a new method was tried, the chicken drumstick would get passed around. Each of us would take a bite and contemplate the chicken. How was the batter? Was there too much batter? Was it crunchy enough? Was it too greasy? Did the batter stick to the chicken? This went on all night, until all 30 drumsticks were cooked and all different variations were tested.

Despite how delicious all the chicken pieces were, I could see us slow down. The piece of chicken would linger a little longer on each plate with each passing drumstick. The bites would get progressively smaller. Until, finally, I had to say no. I had enough fried chicken.