Grandma Mary’s Secret Fried Chicken Recipe

Posted on by March 31, 2013

I helped Mary fix the fried chicken for Easter 2013 lunch and below is what she did. So far she tells Kelley it is a secret so don’t tell anyone I posted it here.

The Day before:

  1. Clean chicken – legs and thighs by trimming excess skin and fat. (I do this part);
  2. Season the day before with: kosher salt; fresh ground black pepper; cayenne; and granulated garlic.

The Next Day:

  1. Fry bacon (for other dishes) in a 120+ year old Erie skillet. Pour off most of the grease to use in corn bread or … [this is not a mandatory step but it does help];
  2. Make a egg-milk  wash that has a lot of egg;
  3. Dunk the chicken into the egg wash;
  4. Dredge the wet chicken in flour seasoned with salt and fresh ground black pepper;
  5. Fry in corn oil.

 

Cast Iron found at Sundown Farms

Posted on by September 8, 2013

 Re: The two corn bread pans below:

  • E.W. Modemac (resident expert) on The GCICA Facebook page told a poster that his skillet that looked just like this cornbread pan with the closed center hole was made by Birmingham Stove & Range in the 1960s.
  • Same post included George Gardner’s post that “the Lodge will have a hole thru the center where the BSR is solid.”
CIMG0257

Birmingham Stone and Range

CIMG0254

Lodge

CIMG0272 CIMG0270 CIMG0261 CIMG0252 CIMG0248 CIMG0277 CIMG0276 CIMG0270 CIMG0269 CIMG0267 CIMG0264

 

CIMG0261

8″ heart-design waffle iron with low base by Western Importing Co.

Posted on by July 13, 2013

Won on March 21, 2013 for $36.00 plus shipping of $12.00 from Johnk5546 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

His ebay ad read: 8″ Western Importing Co. rosette/heart shaped design cast iron waffle iron with a low base (also by Western Importing of Minneapolis and New York) in very good condition, seasoned and ready for use. One side of the waffle iron is marked 999 and the other side has 981. The base has 975 WI Co. There were no handles on the waffle iron, so I personally hand carved a couple of pieces from some sinker cypress. Handles may not be pretty but they are functional.”

In a later message he responded: “It came from an estate sale in the French Quarter, from a very old building on St. Louis St.  It seemed like an old family homestead and some member of the family was probably living there until recently. It was the second or third building from the corner of Rampart on the Esplanade Ave. side of the street, not the Canal St. side. It was a three story building.”

It was manufactured by Griswold for Western Importing from 1920 – 1930.

Heart-Shaped Waffle Iron inside both halves Heart-Shaped Waffle IronTop Heart-Shaped Waffle Ironsupport ring Heart-Shaped Waffle Iron support ring manu nos Heart-Shaped Waffle Iron side iso

 

Dutch Oven No. 12

Posted on by July 13, 2013

We bought this DO in an antique shop in Ponchatoula Louisiana about 2002.

  • The lid’s handle is tapered from large (with a button) on one side to smaller on the other.
  • There are self-basting nipples in a evenly spaced grid pattern and extended lips on both sides to cover the two pour spouts.
  • Marks on the bottom are:

12
DO

MADE IN USA

D

The Cast Iron Collector says:

Birmingham Stove & Range Co. – Birmingham, AL
All BSR
–    If heat ring, unbroken and inset. — [Yes]
–    Lids have pour spout “ears”, even those supplied with dutch ovens. [Yes]

and

Lodge Manufacturing Co. – South Pittsburg, TN

1930s
–    ¾” high size number at 12 o’clock  [Yes]
–    Lids have grid of pointed tips for basting drippers. [Yes]

1940s-1960s¹
– Inset heat ring with 3 notches at 9/12/3 o’clock. — [No, the heat ring is not broken]
– Later, letters denoting pan type, e.g. “SK” skillet, “DO” dutch oven [Yes]
– Lids have grid of pointed tips for basting drippers, size number and diameter or pan capacity incised on underside [Yes]

After ca. 1960
“Made In USA” added at center [Yes]

I conclude it is a 1930’s Lodge based on:

  • the grid pattern of the basting nipples
  • the size and position of the size of the  CO
  • The “DO” below the size
  • the MADE IN USA in the center
  • the bottom looks just like the bottom of the skillet linked to the Lodge After ca. 1960 category.
  • BUT – The lid has the pour spout ears…???

Dutch Oven No. 8 no name

Posted on by May 26, 2024

This DO was one I had that may have been by a “previous life”. The DO:

  • has bail ears just like Griswold’s have;
  • has with an 8 in the lid;
  • belong to Gail and will be Jeff’s;
  • was severely caked so we cleaned it in an electrolysis tank and re-seasoned it.