01/08/2015
Hush Puppys are on my mind. So, let's get started with Clarks Georgia Red Sauce cooking tip #5. The best hush puppys on God's Green Earth and anywhere else. Period.
I am going to start by telling you that I do not mix my puppy batter from scratch. I did for many years and I turned out a pretty darn good puppy. But then one day, I went to a good old boy's party at a friends house and he was making hush puppys with a House Autry Extra Sweet Onion Hush Puppy Mix. I tried one and since that day I have not mixed a puppy batch from scratch. They are just simply stated "that good." I was not comfortable with giving up the tradition of a scratch puppy. After all that is how my Dad taught me to do it. I have always been a student of the old fashion cooking methods. But as good as old fashion is, in this case House Autry Extra Sweet Onion Puppy Mix is better. "My Dad would roll over in his grave if he knew I was cooking puppys with a bag mix"
At the end of this cooking tip I will give you the receipe for my scratch puppy mix. You can then mix up a batch of both and see for yourself.
Now, Cooking hush puppys is not rocket science. But as with most recipes it is the attention to detail when preparing and cooking that makes the difference. I have become well known for my cooking skills. Not because I am a better cook than you. In most cases quite the contrary. I just pay attention to the details.
It starts with using the proper tools. Let's start with the mixing bowl. Sure I know. You are thinking. How important can that be. Any good size bowl will do. Well, that's true if you are mixing a small batch. But I often mix large batches for my catering functions and I mix with my hand. So, I use a deep flat bottom bowl with a wide opening. One with sides that gently slope down to the bottom of the bowl. This allows me to sweep my hand effortlessly around the bowl as I mix the batter. The flat bottom keeps the bowl stable. It makes a big difference.
Next you will need what I refer to as a transfer pot. This pot is used to transfer the batter from the mixing bowl to the cooking vessel. I use a lite weight one and a half quart aluminum sauce pot. It is easy to handle and holds the perfect amount of mix for the size cooking vessel that I use.
For transferring your batter from the transfer pot to your cooking vessel you will need a portion scoop. Please do not use a spoon. REMEMBER ! ATTENTION TO DETAIL. Use a stainless steel, spring action release, portion scoop. Size 1 oz. Makes perfect puppys everytime. Keep a container of water next to you when scooping the puppy mix into the oil. You will need to ocassionally dip your scoop into the water to keep the mix from sticking to the scoop.
Now let's talk about your cooking vessel. "Pot". Pretty simple here. You can use stainless steel, cast iron or aluminum. That's your call. I have cooked with all three. They all get the job done. Just make sure that the pot is deep enough to allow the puppys to float several inches off the bottom and wide enough to allow some space between them as they float.
I like to use a quality deep fry themometer when cooking my puppys. Especially when cooking large batches where it is critical to keep the oil temperture even. With experience. When cooking small patches of puppys at home you may find it unnecessary to use a themometer.
Now it is time to chop onions, mix batter and fry some puppys.
Onions. Since this is not a discussion on the science of onions I will keep it short. But this is important or I would not mention it. There are two basic type of onions. Pungent and mild. Pungent onions are best for cooking. Mild best raw. Pungent onions contain more of the sulfur molecules that impart characteristic onion flavor and somewhat surprisingly lots of sugar. Making pungent onions the best choice for heated applications. Jumbo yellow onions are pungent. Use jumbo yellow onions in your batter. Use lots of them and chop them big. Folks like big chunks of onions in their puppys. REMEMBER! ATTENTION TO DETAIL. One last thing about onions. Beware of chopping onions in advance. Their flavor will degrade as they sit. I have found that pungent onions can turn sour. If you must cut onions in advance, store them in a zip lock bag and give them a quick rinse before using.
Mixing. I mix my puppy mix and onions together before adding the water. When adding water, add it a little at a time and slowly. Mix as you go. This is one of the those attention to detail moments. There is a point where your mix will go from perfect consistentcey to a sloppy goo in an instant. Try to get all the mix damp and then add just a small amount of water at a time until you reach the desired consistentcy. A perfect mix should not stick to your hand. It will appear to need a bit more water. But resist the urge to add more. This step will require practice. You want your puppys to be crispy on the outside. If your mix is to loose the outside of the puppy will have a smooth cake like feel and appearance. This is totally unacceptable. Let your mix sit
10 to 15 minutes before cooking. It needs time to rise. REMEMBER! ATTENTION TO DETAIL.
Oil and Heat. Oil not so critical. Peanut oil is one of the best. It has a high smoke temperture and a longer cooking duration. This is only important if you are in a long term frying operation. It is expensive and I have never noticed that it made my puppys taste any better than when I used other types of oil. Any good quality deep frying oil such as soy or canola will work fine.
Temperture. Another one of those ATTENTION TO DETAIL moments. I don't care what you have read about deep frying. I don't care what you have seen on television about deep frying. I don't care about what other people have told you about deep frying. I don't care what you think you know about deep frying. Forget it all when you are frying puppys. 350 degrees is an ABSOLUTE NO. I have fried hundreds of thousands of puppys. Fry them at 325 degrees. I know that you may be thinking that what difference could 25 degrees make. Well, it makes a lot of difference. Puppy are delicate. Fry them to hot and they are dark brown on the outside and under cooked on the outside. You want your puppy golden brown out and moist and steamy inside. Trust me 325 degrees. Are we clear on that?
While cooking, I use a screen spatula and stir the puppys around continuely until done. You must do this to achieve even browning. When removing the puppys from the oil be sure to tap off as much of the oil as you can before placing them in your container. You can use paper towels to absorb the remaining oil. The rule book says not to do that but I have cooked hundreds of thousands puppys. I can make my own rules.
Hush puppys are a happy food. Folks love them. Learn to cook them properly and you you will always have your friends saying good things about you.
If I have missed anything I will re post it.
Jim Clark made from stratch hush puppy receipe
2 lbs self rising yellow corn meal
1 lb self rising flour
2 eggs
1 and 1 half cup butter milk
1 and 1 half oz baking powder
1 half cup sugar
1 cup large chop jumbo yellow onion More of you like
