I love fried food. It would be weird if I didn’t…Hello- I’m from ALABAMA! Plus, it just tastes right. I should also mention- it was because of fried food that I met Mac (I’ll have to post about that later…it’s a good one).
We fry a lot of food at our house…probably because Mac works for a company that fries A LOT of food. We’ve fried some good stuff in six years (lobster, turkey, pickles…snickers bars). Problem is, Mac’s the only person in our house allowed to use the fryer (he won't let me get close to it).
Since our fryer at home is off-limits, I decided to go to the only person I know who fries more food than Mac...his boss! Calling the owner of your husband’s company may not always be the most brilliant idea, but it just so happens that John McLemore is as nice and approachable (and let’s not forget FUN) as they come.
I couldn't think of a better place to learn how to use the turkey fryer than MeMaw’s Kitchen (named after John’s mother who inspired many of the recipes in his cookbooks). We made a mess, laughed a bunch, and stuffed our faces pretty much the whole time.
Right off the bat, we turned out some yummy fried pickles. I had no idea how simple it was to make airy, crunchy, golden batter. One bite into that thin, crisp slice of goodness was all it took. I was right back at the tailgate almost 10 years ago where I first met Matt Palmer (6 weeks later I picked up on the fact his name was actually Mac Plummer. ha!)
Click the recipe tab for John's fried pickle secrets! Try them- you will love them. They might even make you fall in love!
Next I got a sneak peek at John’s third cookbook (The Lighter Side of Dadgum That’s Good), when he showed me how to make his A-MAZ-ING ‘naked chicken wings.’ I'm telling y'all...I'm not sure I'll ever bake or grill wings again. These were so super easy to make and the flavor was perfect! The beauty in frying wings is that the outside gets crunchy, but the inside stays tender, juicy, and delicious. They were so dadgum good that before I knew it, we were all doing a David Venable Happy Dance. The cookbook will be available soon, but John gave me this recipe so you could be the first to try them...shhh! Hop over to the recipe tab and get to marinating...these will make you look like a fry-fessional!
I consider myself lucky to have learned from the "fry-master" himself. John has fried all kinds of food, all over the world. He has some great stories too. Did you catch the time Steve Harvey made him ‘spank a turkey’ on national television so it would ‘fry right?’ He has fried multiple turkeys with Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, and Mike Huckabee, at the National Turkey Federation, QVC, and with Rick and Bubba, to name a few!
I don’t know if it’s John that brings the fun or if it’s the fried food…but regardless, it’s always a party when there’s a Butterball (Masterbuilt) turkey fryer around. These babies are safe (they’re electric!), easy to use, and never disappoint! It makes this mama of three totally at ease...no more stressing over hot oil on the stove.
Shameless plug #52…Father’s day will be here before we know it! Forget the fancy shave kit…go to masterbuilt.com and see what all the fuss is about!
BIG shout-out to my friend, Alicia McGlamory (media and PR manager for Masterbuilt) for putting this fun day together.
